Palm trees

by Pat Casey

I have two potted palm plants. They were exposed to frost over the winter, the leaves dried up and fell off. I've done this before and the plants have always recovered. This year, they seem stagnant. Is there anything that I can do to motivate recovery?


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Hi Pat, unfortunately, palm trees are mostly grown in quite tropical climates so don't have any defense against frost. Depending on the degree of cold, you may have lost your plants. I recommend simply being patient, as sometimes things appear dead, but still have a little life left in them and they can recover.

In future, if you can protect the roots by wrapping the pots in some kind of insulating layer - even a large box with leaves in will be enough, and then cover the top part of the plant with something to protect it from the cold.

Unfortunately, if they sustained too much root damage, they may not recover, but don't give up too soon. Patience is the best strategy in cases like this.

Good luck,
Jacki