well, its getting close to that time of year again. even though we still have a couple months left of good weather (at least here in virginia), i would assume now is the time to start thinking about winter protection. i am far from an expert on all the ins and outs and am thankful there is a place where someone like myself can go and get advice from more experienced palm growers. the 2 palms that i am most concerned with are my jelly and mexican fan palm. the jelly is about 2 1/2 feet tall and i have built a cover for it in which i will add artificial heat - my question is: for a tree still this young, when should i start adding heat (about what temp) and how much? how much should i raise the temp? now to my washy: it is about 5 - 6 ft tall, so covering it is a little more difficult. i know i will need to add lots of protection and was wondering what would be the best method in doing so.

i have serveral banannas as well. when do i actually cover these beautiful plants? i was planning on covering with mulch than a layer of plastic then a large plastic container. when do i do this? is this enough? do i wait till they have turned brown and wilted?

i know this is a lot of questions, and i appreciate anyone who taked the time to answer.

good luck!