Very nicely done Jay,can you open the top?it can get over a 100F on a sunny day with temps near 50F outside,I would open it or put a cover over it anytime temps are above 30F and sunny

Thanks Jim. Its held down by just 4 tent stakes. They keep it held down firmly but it comes off very easily. I think I'll take it off if the temp goes above 40f. Last night it was somewhere between 15f - 19f. I think I'm removing the pot from the sabal birmingham and using this same method but with out x-mas lights. Plus the front yard will look more uniform. I'm big on appearance and so is my landlord.

Jay

Looks good jay everything i have is very happy in my greenhouse !

Outstanding, Jay. You'll have to let us know how it works out for you.

I like the simplicity and elegance of your technique. You've obviously thought about this, so I'd like to tap into your brain. Have you thought about how you'd modify this with a trachy 6' - 10' tall?

Thanks for sharing again.

dln949

Nice job Jay. Looks very nice and neat, clean looking. Not like some of the tackier protection structures that I'm guilty of building lol. I'm trying to figure out if I was to build a structure like yours, only wider, how can I make a support dome for the top so that snow and rain wouldn't accumulate.

I wish you the best of luck and I'm anxious to see your results next spring.

Ryan

Thanks Topher. I hope it works out well for you as I know you put a lot of effort into building it.

dln949 - I think the bigger the tree the bigger the structure. Just measure and build according to the size of the tree. However, once the palm becomes more established I plan on less or even no protection at all. Although in you're zone heavy protection will always be required. If you have a bigger palm then just modify the size of the enclosure.

Islandbreeze - I thought about that after I was done and realized how flat the top is. I guess we could form more wire to make a dome but I think the lights put off enough heat to melt what accumulates on the top anyway. It snowed a little today and it melted and ran off pretty quickly. I'll let you know if I modify the design.

Jay

Regarding how to do this with a larger trachy - At first I too thought, If I have a bigger palm, then I just need to modify the size of the enclosure. But then I thought, Where would I find a sufficiently large wire mesh? And, how would I make it be stable enough when I erect it around the tree? And, would it be too heavy and unwieldy for me to try to put around the tree each year?

Maybe this would be easier to do than I am thinking. I'm interested in your thoughts since you've actually done this (on a smaller scale).

dln949

You can find larger rolls of the wire mesh at Lowe's or Home Depot. The smaller roll is $42 and the largest roll is $142. I only bought a small sheet (4ft X 7ft)for like $6.50. I think the larger the enclosure is, the deeper you would have to anchor it. The sky is the limit as long as you can find a tall enough ladder and tie downs that are strong enough. Like I said to Jim in another post, "we all need to just move to Florida". LOL!

Jay

Heck, we don't even have to move that far south, even just southern Tennessee to Virginia Beach. They can grow butias and sabal palmetto in VB with no protection.

It's pretty amazing these zones are getting warmer year after year.

My trachy has a warm and cozy companion now. I constructed the same type of enclosure for my Sabal Birmingham yesterday. Here's some pics.

Sabal Brazoria still hangin' tough after 15f last night. I'm impressed but its still early.