"Just another observation that coconuts and other zone 10-11 palms don't need the year round 80s as previously believed."

was/is this a common mantra on the forum?

Thats interesting Andy, I am surprised that it is that much lower than the house. Am going to get my soil thermomer (if I can find it) and test some soils in different parts of the house.

I think anyone who has lived in Hawaii will tell you that there are two seasons there and that the winters get pretty cold at times ( well, it felt that way anyway-after a while living there your blood thins out!). I remember many nights at 50 degrees-esp up a few hundred feet altitude.

Andy, you have a sabal palmetto outside in zone 6? Keepus posted on it's protection and progress. good luck.

Terryster-
I'm guessing the soil temp has to do with the fact that warm air rises. My older coconut (I have three) is so tall now that the pot sits right on the floor of the room (it's 6.5 feet including pot and I have 8 foot ceilings). Last winter the same plant was only a few feet tall so when it was sunny the sun would hit the pot and really warm up the soil. After I saw how cool the soil temp was I put some x-mas lights around the pot. they have raised the soil temp to 69. This will stimulate quicker growth (I do not think this was needed for survival I just want to get as much growth as I can during the winter months).
Longwood-
the first thread I came across on this forum was about growing coconuts indoor/outdoors. 6 out of seven people on that thread said that growing a coconut MUST have year round 80s to survive. My experience is that that is not true.
Nucci-
I have 4 sabal minors in the ground not palmettos. I do plan on trying a plametto in the ground next year though.

ANdy--I'm glad you've found that false, as that is the case across southern Florida.

I hear it's pretty cool down there. One of the couple of donen days out of the year where my palms are warmer than the ones down in Florida. I have to say though that I would kill for sunny and 60. I'm sorry but I can't feel sorry for you Floridians.

yeah, wind to die down tonight and frost/freeze warnings far inland--danger to wipe out the big tomato and o ther veggie crops!

I'll mention for posterity's sake, and you may be aware--but the palms are fine in cool temps since their growth rate, particularly their root growth grinds to a halt when soil temps drop below 80. Granted, they'll pop a new spear out here and there depending on waether, but with the cooler temps and dry season conditions, they just sit there until March when it heats up and then grow like the dickens in the rainy season (in this part of state, late May through late October)

Interesting andy....I just checked my soil temp one last night at about 1030 and today at 300. Lat night the soil temp was at 64 with my house being set at 71. Today with the sun shinning all day hitting the pot and the whole palm the soil was 71 with the inside temp at 73. I am assuming that it is still growing because the sunlight warms the soil enough during the day that it can take cooler soil temps at night...but even if the sun isn't out for a few days i can still see growth.

Good to here Brian, it's nice to hear about an indoor coconut success story.

That is a controlled environment for a short time (correct)I know that those temps outside for a sustained amount of time with cool rain and other factors will cause a coconut to look ratty and can even kill it. A few years ago we had a cool winter and the day time temp were lower than normal for several weeks and my coconuts looked terrible from it.

ya gotta admit spataro nothing like a free coconut huh???

Soil temps will be affected by two things.

One is the height of the thermostat (usually at eye level, not floor level) and the other is evaporation of water from the soil which will also bring down the temperature..

David-
You are correct about the controlled envirnment. That is part of why I believe it's not as hard to grow a tropical palm up here as many others think. My coconut palms are seeing average temperatures in the mid to high 60s. about 72 when it's sunny and about 67 (what my house is set at when it's overcast.) and it's constant, no herky jerky temps. Where as if you are in a zone 9b-10a in Florida it may be 80-55 one day and 62-44 the next. The numbers may average into the mid-high 60s but there are still those cold 40s the palm would have to deal with. That is why I say direct sun and lack of temperature shock is more important than the occasional 80 degree day this time of year. Having said all of that I have taken steps that are keeping muy older coconut's soil at a constnat 70. No more low 60s for it.