"Rattus The RAT" wrote
in t:

Hey,

I got a nice cycad this spring and it's doing really well right now on
my patio, 13 new leaves came out this week (so fast!). Can these guys
survive freezing in winter? I live in Dallas, we get a few freezes
every winter. I would not like to bring it inside my apartment with
all the bugs that might live in that huge pot, also its kinda big! But
I'd hate to lose it, its such a great plant...

thanks




No, they're very tender despite the tough look. In a pot, they really can't
handly anything below 45° F., and would appreciate never seeing below 50°
F.

--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

My experience is that they are much hardier than 45F, even in pots.

I live in NW FL, Zone 8b. We get frosts and freezes here every year; most
years the coldest temps we get are somewhere in the mid-upper 20s, but some
years they go as low as the lower teens.

Sago palms (Cycas revoluta) are grown *everywhere* around here. I've got
several myself (some dating from 1992-1993), which I have *never* protected
from the cold. In the coldest winters, some or all of the foliage dies
(turns brown). We simply prune off the damaged foliage and they sprout new
leaves in the spring. In mild winters, the foliage usually takes no damage
at all.

Some people protect their especially nice (heavily branched and full) sagos
from all frost - but they do it for strictly cosmetic reasons.

But don't take my word for it:
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening..._revoluta.html

http://www.floridata.com/ref/c/cyca_rev.cfm

http://www.junglemusic.net/palms/cycas_revoluta.htm

http://www.sunpalmtrees.com/Cold-Har...Sago-Palms.htm

These are planted in the ground. Plants in pots would be more susceptible to
cold, but they can still take much more cold than 45F.

My mother, who lives several miles north/inland of me, kept several outside
in 3-gallon pots for about 3 years. Their only protection was provided by
the oak tree they sat under. None of them suffered any lasting harm (just
some frond damage), despite temps in the 20s each winter.

Also, the local plant retailers sell them year-round here. They leave the
potted sagos (1 gallon size and up) outside, unprotected, except during the
very hardest freezes. I've shopped many times after a frost or freeze and
seen row upon row of healthy green fronds soaking up the sunshine - very
cheery on a cold January morning.

Yes, Dallas winters would kill a potted sago. The OP should plan on bringing
it inside each winter. But I think he can safely leave it outside until just
before the first frost, not just until the nighttime temps drop below 50F.

Laura

David,
Wrong, while some did freeze out in temperatures below 17F, this
cycad and many palms will survive a freeze what matters are the
lengths of time below freezing. I manage over one thousand in Las
Vegas....




On Fri, 22 July 2005 11:03:08 GMT, David Bockman
wrote:

"Rattus The RAT" wrote
in t:

Hey,

I got a nice cycad this spring and it's doing really well right now on
my patio, 13 new leaves came out this week (so fast!). Can these guys
survive freezing in winter? I live in Dallas, we get a few freezes
every winter. I would not like to bring it inside my apartment with
all the bugs that might live in that huge pot, also its kinda big! But
I'd hate to lose it, its such a great plant...

thanks




No, they're very tender despite the tough look. In a pot, they really can't
handly anything below 45° F., and would appreciate never seeing below 50°
F.

Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

.....and need some lessons in checking my grammar before
posting...ouch!



On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 15:47:27 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

David,
Wrong, while some did freeze out in temperatures below 17F, this
cycad and many palms will survive a freeze what matters are the
lengths of time below freezing. I manage over one thousand in Las
Vegas....




On Fri, 22 July 2005 11:03:08 GMT, David Bockman
wrote:

"Rattus The RAT" wrote
in t:

Hey,

I got a nice cycad this spring and it's doing really well right now on
my patio, 13 new leaves came out this week (so fast!). Can these guys
survive freezing in winter? I live in Dallas, we get a few freezes
every winter. I would not like to bring it inside my apartment with
all the bugs that might live in that huge pot, also its kinda big! But
I'd hate to lose it, its such a great plant...

thanks




No, they're very tender despite the tough look. In a pot, they really can't
handly anything below 45° F., and would appreciate never seeing below 50°
F.

Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

I lived and gardened in Dallas for 6 years. Sago palms are not hardy
there. Most winters have night temperatures in the 20's for a week at
a time, and can have temps in the single digits for 8-10 hours at a
time. They are not reliably hardy and very expensive in that part of
the country. A one gallon sago sells for about 20 dollars in a
discount store.

So, it isn't wrong. 7b is not the same on Long Island, as it is in
Texas. And what you said is the key, how long do those average low
temperatures last. Sago is not reliably hardy, based on this, in
Dallas.

On Fri, 22 Jul 2005 15:47:27 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

David,
Wrong, while some did freeze out in temperatures below 17F, this
cycad and many palms will survive a freeze what matters are the
lengths of time below freezing. I manage over one thousand in Las
Vegas....




On Fri, 22 July 2005 11:03:08 GMT, David Bockman
wrote:

"Rattus The RAT" wrote
in t:

Hey,

I got a nice cycad this spring and it's doing really well right now on
my patio, 13 new leaves came out this week (so fast!). Can these guys
survive freezing in winter? I live in Dallas, we get a few freezes
every winter. I would not like to bring it inside my apartment with
all the bugs that might live in that huge pot, also its kinda big! But
I'd hate to lose it, its such a great plant...

thanks




No, they're very tender despite the tough look. In a pot, they really can't
handly anything below 45° F., and would appreciate never seeing below 50°
F.

Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 14:06:58 GMT, Bourne Identity
wrote:

So, it isn't wrong.


temperatures given by David were 45-50F, wrong!

After reading Dallas historical temps, it's likely C. revoluta could
be used in a microclimate....

"Temperature range is from 15 to 110 degrees F (-11 to 42 C).
Temperatures in the high teens may frost-damage leaves which may turn
yellow or brown. Remove these to reduce stress on the plant and
encourage new leaves in the spring. If temperatures fall below 15,
the sago may die, however, as long as the trunk and leaf crown is hard
wood, it should recover. If the trunk turns soft, your sago may be
damaged beyond recovery. Our field of sago palms survived 11 degrees,
a century low in South Texas, however large live oak trees planted
throughout the "sago patch" provided some protection. We removed all
the damaged leaves and the sagos grew new ones the following spring.
"
Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. To plant a pine, one need only own a shovel.
-- Aldo Leopold

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 08:00:20 -0700, Tom Jaszewski
wrote:

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 14:06:58 GMT, Bourne Identity
wrote:

So, it isn't wrong.


temperatures given by David were 45-50F, wrong!

After reading Dallas historical temps, it's likely C. revoluta could
be used in a microclimate....

"Temperature range is from 15 to 110 degrees F (-11 to 42 C).
Temperatures in the high teens may frost-damage leaves which may turn
yellow or brown. Remove these to reduce stress on the plant and
encourage new leaves in the spring. If temperatures fall below 15,
the sago may die, however, as long as the trunk and leaf crown is hard
wood, it should recover. If the trunk turns soft, your sago may be
damaged beyond recovery. Our field of sago palms survived 11 degrees,
a century low in South Texas, however large live oak trees planted
throughout the "sago patch" provided some protection. We removed all
the damaged leaves and the sagos grew new ones the following spring.

I think a big point you may be missing is that these are considered to
be specimen plants and for that application are not practical to use
as a foundation specimen or in a design because they are not reliably
hardy in Dallas, TX. It indeed would not be worth the money or time
investment you'd need to make in the landscape.

wow, um... I made an error, I apologize. My comments were made from
personal experiences raising Cycas revoluta in shallow containers both in
Chicago and here in northern Virginia.


--
David J. Bockman, Fairfax, VA (USDA Hardiness Zone 7)
email:
http://beyondgardening.com/Albums

On Sat, 23 Jul 2005 19:26:31 GMT, David Bockman
wrote:

wow, um... I made an error, I apologize. My comments were made from
personal experiences raising Cycas revoluta in shallow containers both in
Chicago and here in northern Virginia.

Wow, um, not outside you didn't.