Trying to grow tropical palms in sub-tropical and temperate climates means cold damage is inevitable. This year’s cold weather is not atypical for Florida. For example, in the late 1970s and early 1980s, a series of hard freezes destroyed much of the citrus industry located north of Orlando, which is why that industry pushed south to Immokalee. During that same time period, severe freeze damage occurred on palms throughout the state. The only difference between then and now is that there are a lot more palms planted in communities that did not even exist in the early 1980s. So, for many people, this is their first experience with severe cold damage. Continue reading →