Recovering Robellini Palms from Frost Damage

Patience Is the Best Medicine

Robellini palms (Phoenix roebelenii) hit by frost often lose all fronds. The key is to wait—sometimes until the rainy season (June/July in Florida)—before deciding if a trunk is dead. New growth emerges from the crown (the "heart") at the top of each trunk.

What to Do Now

• Do not cut the top off any trunk; that removes the growing point.
• Keep soil evenly moist but not soggy.
• Apply a balanced palm granular fertilizer.
• Spray the crown with copper fungicide to prevent bud rot.

Decision Time

If a trunk shows zero green and no spear emergence by mid-summer, cut it at ground level. Multi-trunk specimens often have some trunks survive while others die. The survivors will continue growing.