Damaged Pygmy Date Palm

16 years ago

My Pygmy Date Palms (phoenix roebelenii) took a hard hit this winter. They were well enough established, so we did not cover them this year. Most years they'd lose some fronds, but I'd cut those back while new ones emerged. This year all the fronds turned brown.

Assuming they are not completely dead, do I just trim all the dead fronds back and wait for new ones? Do I cut the trunks away so that new ones can emerge? Anyone else dealt with seriously frost-damaged roebeleniis? This is the coldest winter we've had in well over a decade, so it took my by surprise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Deborah's Garden

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Comments (3)

brooklyngreg
16 years ago
Sorry to hear what happened. Is there any new green growth coming from the top/center, if so give it a gentle tug. If it comes out treat ASAP with a copper fungicide. If it stays sturdy, just leave it and the palm will recover. NEVER cut a palm trunk - that kills it.

Yes its been record cold for your zone, and nature has been warning you by burnt fronds past winters to cover them.
gardendeb
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the tips. I'll look for new growth, and give it a gentle tug. Thanks for the warning about cutting the trunk.

You are right about the warning. The palm people wouldn't give a warrantee on the roebeleniis like they did for the sabal palms when we bought them.
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jaxboro
16 years ago
One of the 3 trunks on my triple pygmy had it's spear pull out. I poured about 3 caps of hydrogen peroxide into the bud area, so hopefully this works. Anyone else had success using this method?