Question
QUESTION: Hi Nick, me again!!  Hope you are well and this time, I may have real palm issues...My Foxtails took a beating in this last big freeze.  I live in Houston, TX and was not home,so..unable to cover them.  They did well for the first few days, but I think now it may be tragic for them.  Two questions: first, if I find any green left in the trunk, how can I help them??  Second, I heard the Queen palm is heartier.  If I had to replace these palms, which is the best choice?? I have a queen palm on the side of my house that weathered the freeze and is still green...Look forward to hearing from you...Lana

ANSWER: Hi Lana, always nice to hear from repeat questioners, especially the upbeat ones!...We too have just gone through a horticultural neutron bomb!..the feedback I am getting is indicating a lot of serious damage to Foxtails, and next to nothing with Queens, so if I were in a zone 8 or lower, I would definitely replace with Queens, the downside is that they need to be manually cleaned up, whereas the Foxtails shed their own. There really is nothing you can do to help your Palms right now, except to keep them irrigated, for the cold does tend to dry them up, so give them a watering, and watch the crown area, this will be the tale of the tape, if it begins to brown and turn mushy, then rot has set in, and there isn't much hope, but if the area remains green and there are any green fronds that remain green, then it is hopefully still viable and should improve for you. Nice hearing from you Lana, take care, stay warm and good luck!...Nick

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QUESTION: Hello Nick!  Thank you once again for your reliable expertise. I still see alot of brown, but will keep you posted.  I will watch the crown and see how things turn out.  Should I prune the dead fronds or leave them until warmer weather arrives? I cannot thank you enough.  Oh!!  I also had my soil checked.  It seems as though that has been a factor and may have had something to do with my gardenias that died a slow and painful death.  I will soon replace soil in all the beds and hope that may also benefit my precious foxtails.  I'll send pictures in the spring.  Thanks!!

Answer
..you can prune off the brown fronds, but for aesthetics, it won't harm nor help from a cultural standpoint; soil is extremely important, the ideal PH for gardenias is usually below 6.0, if higher they will suffer, but the Foxtails will do fine in just about any soil, as long as they are properly fed and watered. Nick