Question
Pygmy Date Palm
I live in Houston where we just experienced the worst winter I can ever remember in my lifetime.
I trimmed the brown off a week ago.
Couple of more pics:
Fronds pulled easily out of the top with some white stuff on them:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m5/vidfo12/IM0073591.jpg
As you can see there's still green on the outside of one of the fronds. Is this a good sign?:
http://i100.photobucket.com/albums/m5/vidfo12/IM0073601.jpg
Thank you so much!
AnswerHi Kim, you have my condolences, I am getting reports from all over about the severity of the Winter this year, even here in South Florida! Usually Pygmy Dates are pretty resistant and can take low temps, but even they will succumb to temps below 30 degrees and the fact that the terminal bud pulled out is bad news I am afraid. When crown rot sets in (caused by different afflictions, cold stress being one...) it is usually a death sentence, and when the bud actually releases then it is dead. If just a frond pulled out, thats one thing, but if the actual top of the palm pulled free, then it has rotted. Give it time however and see if anything emerges from the crown, better to wait and be sure, but if you don't see anything in a Month, then it is definitely dead. Nick
