I got mine off ebay for only about 7 or 8 dollars plus 15 dollars shipping, which is a great price for a palm that size. Now they have the same palms for 9.00 in 3 gallons.
I dont think Im going to mulch the entire trunk to the top, but Im going to go about half way up. The biggest concern I have for my pindo is it rotting from the cold rain we get, so I dont want to mulch it too much just in case, but I would definately cover all the exposed roots if I had any on my palms.
Im still wondering if its better to put a layer of burlap with lights, and then another layer of burlap, or not. I think windmill palms should be okay if they are wrapped in burlap and given mulch, but pindos definately need more protection. Ill probably put lights followed by burlap on my windmills, and burlap, lights, and more burlap on my pindo. I will turn on the lights for my windmill if nights go below 15, and turn the lights on my pindo if nights go below 20. If the lights I find heat up too fast, then I would definately use less burlap because I dont want a fire.
Hopefully this winter wont be bad and they all do well. I will definately give an update on all my palms in the fall, and another in the spring to see how they do. Good luck with your palms!

tz7,
Glad I asked about the mulch, b/c I didn't realize you actually bury the trunk somewhat in mulch? I thought that might rot the tree, but I've never done any of this before. So you leave the trunk mulched all winter and it's ok in spring? I'm probably going to have a tarp or canopy or something over mine during some of the winter, b/c I'm worried about those winter storms when we get a lot of rain without high temps to dry out the soil.

If you mulch too much it can rot the tree which is why I will definately keep as much of the palm dry as possible. My hopes is that the tarp (that will cover the ground where my pindo is) will keep the soil almost completely dry so rotting wont be a problem. The good thing with pindos is that they are very drought tolerant so they can go throught much of the winter without water, the bad thing is most zone 7s on the east coast are warm enought to get rain before snow, or all rain on some storms, but only by a few degrees which means whatever rain falls freezes in the ground the next night.

Im going to keep it dry starting early november so the ground is completly dry by the time the awful rain and snow comes in. I also hope the rocks will help warm up the ground on sunny days.

Thanks for the info. I can't believe you got a Pindo that size for $8! From the Pindos I've been checking out, that's certainly a steal. I just checked ebay and didn't see any kind of deal like that.

I think they still have some. They are the 3 gallon ones. Type in pindo palms and they should be there. Now theyre 9.00, but still a great price. Ive seen some smaller for about 70 dollars.
That seller also has some really nice queen palms and philodendrons for a really good price.
Good luck finding them!

You definitely need a 3"-4"covering of mulch during the winter,if that much would rot the trunk,your palm is to wet anyway.It is best to keep palms on the dry side during winter and moisture out of the crowns,so,extra covering during cold rain/freezing temps is a good idea,esp the first 2-3 years.If you have x-mas lights on the outside of the burlap and there is any breeze it won't provide much(if any)heat.

Thanks alot for the info. Ill put the lights on the plant followed by a lot of burlap so it says nice and warm even when the air is bitter cold. I hope this winters not bad because I would hate to lose a nice palm like that.

I gather the leaves together and put a little frame around mine so the bulbs are(pointing in) not touching the plant itself,then wrap the frame in burlap,then insulation,then plastic to keep moisture out.The winters here are much more severe,so,more protection is needed.I did this for my Washys last winter.I planted Butia eriospatha this spring.

Thats a great method for protection especially if you can get a washy to survive a zone 5b. I dont think I need to go through that extent of protection in my zone 7, but a cold frame with leaves inside is a great idea for my area. Ill look around and see what supplies I can find by november and use whatever I can. I should be able to find burlap, mulch, and maybe some materials to make a cold frame. The pindo palm I have is at an ideal size for protection which makes it much easier.

I got my burlap from the coffee house next store,I'm sure a place that sells bulk rice,etc,would have some too.

A first winter 3 gallon Butia from seed died completely despite 2' of mulch. A similar Butia planted against a south-facing wall and well mulched around trunk survived it's third winter with just a few fronds left.

Thanks for the help. I didnt know they sold burlap at stores like that and now I think I will go up to the top of the trunk with mulch. If rain doesnt seep through the tarp, I dont think the pindo will rot.

I don't know if they sell burlap but some coffee houses that grind/roast their own beans have empty burlap bags laying around,same with places that sell bulk food items like rice that comes in burlap sacks-(-:

Oh. I guess thats why I never saw coffee houses selling burlap before! Thanks for clearing that up.

Where in zone 7 are you? are you in GA, SC/NC or se VA?

I think you are over-worrying somewhat, pindos are quite hardy in the Southeast in general.

But, do you know if you got the sliver/blue leaf form or the green form of a pindo? The green leaf is less cold hardy.

tz7,
I read where you and jimhardy were discussing the method of leaves and a frame. If you want to see some pics of this method and the outcome (on a trachy not a pindo) in zone 7, check out my posting "windmill winterization". It's on page 6 on the message board right now. She got hers through the Knoxville, TN winter with no problem with pet fence, pine needles, and xmas lights. I just got some wire for a frame for one of mine from a friend who had a pallet of stone delivered. It had 4' tall metal wire holding the stones together, perfect for this stuff. By the way, thanks for the tip on the ebay seller. I just got 4 more 2' windmills from him. They came in 2 days after ordering and condition was excellent. I already have them in the ground. I paid $51 total delivery and all for 4 of them! I can get one of basically the same plant at my local nursery for $55 with tax.

Thanks for sharing that tnwindmill. I didnt see that post and it looks like a great way to protect it. Pine needles are really easy to find in my backyard. Also happy to hear you found the seller I was talking about. He has great prices.

Regarding my location, I live in the mid atlantic right along the coast. Most winters stay above 5 degrees, and some dont go below 10. Record lows are only a few degrees below 0 which is similar to southeastern cities, but it doesnt warm up as fast during the day and I get alot more frozen precipitaion. I still think it has a chance, but will need much more protection than a zone 8 in the southeast and even some zone 7s

I've got a sad story to share. I'm in zone 8 and I got a pindo in early spring last year, a lot bigger than the one in the picture. It was doing fine, had new leaves and all. Then winter came, I didn't protect it since I was told that it would survive the winter in the Seattle area, it did ok the first few snows. It survived until March when we got another freezing cold, then it died. So I'm glad you guys have plan to keep your palms alive. I'm going to try a mule palm this year and hopefully it won't die.

Thanks for telling. All stories are always helpful. Also just to make sure I dont lose my pindo I bought another one that Ill be keeping in a pot to take in this winter so if the one in the ground doesnt make it, it wont be a complete loss.
Good luck with your mule palm, but they are only cold tolerant to a zone 8b (some 8a) so you may want to add a little protection for its first winters to make sure you have a big healthy palm.

I thought a mule palm is supposed to be hardier than pindo because it is a hybrid. I guess it all depends who you talk to, huh?

Mule palm is cross of queen palm & pindo palm. Result is a palm that inherits some of the graceful characteristics of a queen palm, but has greater cold tolerance than a queen palm. Guessing zone 8B.

From what I heard some mule palms are more cold tolerant than others. The ones that look more like butias are more cold tolerant than those that look like queens, so most nursuries rate them as a zone 8b plant.

Great info! Thank you.

tropicalzone7, in my view your zone 7 looks like zone 8a or more.

I wish all my winters were zone 8 winters. Some winters are a zone 8, but most are a zone 7b with mimimals of 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmest winter I could find was from 2001-2002 where the coldest mimimal night temperature was 20F or a zone 9a, but the 1980s did bring temperatures below 0F. I looked back at records and in the 1980s some stations recorded temperatures as low as -10F and others in the area as low as -11F while others recorded mimimals of only -3F for all time record lows. I know a pindo palm definately cant handle sub zero without protection, but we have not had lows in the -0F category since the mid 90s. I am also really close to the water which adds a degree or two to the stations that are a little farther inland. I am hoping that with protection they can handle a typical winter mimimal of 5F, and enjoy our warmer winters.

I am also trying 2 windmill palms which is in a very good microclimate near my pool, against a concrete path, away from winds, partially under a tree, and in afternoon sun. Snow rarely sticks in that area so Im assuming that it will do really well, but I will be giving that protection just incase.

So far all three palms are growing well and seem to be setting their roots in pretty quickly.

Pindos are realy nice here's mine

Pindos are now one of my favorite palms for its cold tolerance, color, and elegance. Yours looks great. Mine seems to be a green form. The other pindo I bought from the same ebay seller has more arch and is bluer which proves how different each pindo palm is.

USDA 7 could be a risk for this Palm....if wet even more.

They are bulletproof, or you will most likely never see them die because of cold tempature, at zone 8b. In zone 7b you can grow them with winter protection only in cold snaps where the tempature goes below 10 degrees, I am in zone 7a/7b and I wrap them if the temp gets below 10 degrees.

I'm a zone 6 Pa gardener just reading your posts here. Though we haven't had any palms in our big box stores here, we have had many zone 7 and 8 flowering plants, some Cannas, some flowering plants I can't recall the names of and Crape myrtles rated zone 7, as well as a new zone 6 Crape myrtle. I am sure that anyone who doesn't know any better would be very disappointed after buying these plants and realizing they are in our local stores but aren't in our local hardiness zone. I am happy for the fact that we can buy some of these plants locally, and perhaps overwinter them in the basement in front of a south facing window, or possibly cover them well and use heat-releasing lights in winter if it gets just a bit colder than the plant can take. But, I am still just trying this overwintering these zone 7 maybe zone 7b plants in zone 6a, with protection. I am not sure just how much any protection will help with any "hardy palm" I may try, they are sold online, not in our stores, but, lately these labels in the big box stores, you have to double check that it is really hardy in your zone, like a Crape myrtle labeled zone 7 sold in zone 6a Lowes.

How did you pindo end up doing?

I am going to guess that the Pindo hadn't fared too well since the OP hasn't given us an update. I saw what seemed to be a Pindo palm in Virginia Beach a couple of summers ago, it was in the parking lot of a seafood buffet only a few miles from the Beach, now I am not sure BUT I THINK that would be a zone 7b.

would it survive in zone 8a?

If you can keep moisture out of the crown, that would be a big help in Zone 8.

I grow mine containerized in a Zone 7 where recent winters range from subarctic to subtropical. In a "cold" Zone 7, winter precip is an issue more than the cold, and my winters can be very rainy and snowy, and unstable. I will experiment one year with one of mine if winters if continue to be as mild as they have been of late. Hoping my Trachycarpus makes it through its second winter outside.

Still, this is one of my vigorous and strongest growing palms, but I move mine into a large, loft garage in the winter (December-February).