I have to say Jim, what an unorthodox method that is proven effective. Good job for thinking outside the box!

That's amazing Jim! You have discovered something very important here. I bet a lot fewer trachies are wasted and written off as dead following this. What an amazing species these are! I hope you posted your follow up pics on that other forum too, I think there were some hard core doubters over there... Great job!

I am constantly amazed by people such as yourself that perserver(?) under harsh winter conditions and grow palms etc. Luckily here in the tropics its so easy to grow palms cycads etc we take it for granted that they will always thrive. Thanks for sharing and all the best for a great summer of growing. Cheers.

Yes, credit goes to Jim for having brass b___s. I think he helped save two of my small trachys. Mine look almost identical to his pics. Recovery seemed almost instant as soon as the rot was removed. Not something I would normally try, but worth it in this case. Thanks Jim.

Good job Jim you cut them at the right spot. They were so small and the growth point was still under ground which is good. As long as you see that center not solid wood there is a chance. Again good job its always nice when they make it.

Right back at you guys!

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement!

This is definitely something I did not want to do but when you realize your palm is dying.....anything you can do for it above ground is on the right side(-:

Very good to know that this may have saved other Trachys.
It is a personal choice as to whether it is better to remove and plant something that will have a shot of getting established but you cannot replace the lost time if you start over.

These palms have a long way to go to get strong enough for next winter but with a little help and warm April(+7 above avg) they are headed in the right direction!

Ive never heard about this being done before. All I know is the golden rule of palm growing is never cut off the trunk. But the fact that this method worked is not only surprising, but very helpful to lots of palm growers with spear pull. Who knows the amount of trachys that could have been saved if this was attempted on them.
Its a last resort, but definitely worth a try. I wonder if it works just as well on other, lesser tolerant, species, but I guess only time will tell.

Thanks for sharing this experiment.
Good luck!
-Alex

I've learned a great deal from jim about palms,things I dident already know,he knows what he's doing.My pindo hasent done anything yet,it's four days now since I cut it.I can still see the center,by the way.I would cut on mine more today but it's raining and I put a 3 gallon bucket over it so it dont get wet.Jim I ment to tell you that Trachycarpus Wagnerianus I bought that I posted a picture of is now in full sun and you was correct the fronds stems are much shorter,about half the length of the ones that came on it.As you said they probably was growing them in low light.It's still in that 3 gallon pot with 2 new fronds.I think I will set it out next spring,I want to get some good growth on it before I set it out.I have a pretty harsh growing enviorment for plants,full sun and no wind breaks at all.Thanks again for all the info. you have given me.

I wouldnt cut your pindo anymore for a few more days (at least until it sees some really sunny warm weather). I hope it makes it.

Good luck (with your Wagnerianus too!)
-Alex

I think I will give it another week at the most,it's got a foul smell thoe.The waggie is very happy,it's dark green with no bad looking fronds,tips,or splits on the fronds.It looks 100 percent better than my Trachycarpus Fortunei.I dont know what's up with it.It just seems to be sitting there not growing,but not dying.It's not had spear pull,so I guess that's a good thing.Time and the heat of summer will tell.

Jim,

I really applaud you efforts and wish you all the luck with those palms. So far it looks good!

Like you, I always seem to want to push the limits no matter what the books say. After all, plants can't read! I try and sometimes fail but when I succeed, it's so worth it! Hey, somebody had to be the first to find out how hardy various plants are - probably most of what we all grow routinely now. I'm into hardy cactus, yuccas and camellias at the moment. Already killed a trachy, sabal McCurtain, needle palm and Musa basjoo. But my camellias are doing great, and first winter for hardy Gardenia and it looks perfect. Sometimes we can rewrite the books and make the "experts" scratch their heads! Keep up the great work!

Applauds, Jim!

Hope they'll have enough warmth, food and time to recover and the new ice age will not come in our lifetime... ;)

Didn't mind care for palms because your palms seems to have a lot of it.

Much regards,
Antti

This is sooo noteworthy and indeed palm tree surgery. You have a intuitive knowedge of palms.

The Trachy that saw -2f and pulled late this past winter and is regrowing should be documented. Foam is a great insulator. I would guess once a palm has a lot of growth above grow its best to heat it to at least 5-12* so she can survive the strain of regrowth.

You shame our plam compalints in zone 7 ...lol.

Haha
I think this year(for the most part),I will go with more insulation and less concern for light in conjunction with a Thermocube(on 35-off-45).
I will still use some mini g-houses as I am still interested in how they would work during a mild winter-if we see one of those again sometime soon!