Taking stock of frost damage.

[Gin]

I would not be quick to get rid of them what looks like toast may not be .When I lived in So. Calif my passiflora would lose all it's leaves and come back bigger then ever it was in the ground and reached to the gutter and onto the roof .. Gin

[stefpix]

my wandering jew was toast frozen - is coming back from the roots

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Gin

I would not be quick to get rid of them what looks like toast may not be .When I lived in So. Calif my passiflora would lose all it's leaves and come back bigger then ever it was in the ground and reached to the gutter and onto the roof .. Gin

I agree.

Mine did the same thing a few years ago. The one I have now is still the same plant that had massive damage from when Arctic winds blew across So Cal.

Same with the bananas. They recovered too.

Your tree fern doesn't look like it's going anywhere either.

[epiphyte78]

Wow, as others have mentioned, the Trichoglottis doesn't look that bad...especially when compared to the other plants. I've wanted to try to grow one outdoors here in SoCal but didn't think it would take the cold. So far the coldest it has gotten here is 33F.

[Bolero]

That is very disappointing, hopefully they all recover. Interestingly my Australian Tree fern leaves turned brown because I had the opposite problem......to hot recently (reached 45C here one day). So now I'm hoping new branches to start forming from the crown.

[Angurek]

I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Junebug. Pretty much every tropical in my neighborhood is burnt, too (save a couple of Ravenalas planted near a nearby building, oddly enough).

One of the plants in my collection that suffered any damage was my Bollea lawrenceana. It lost five leaves, but the roots look Ok, and the rest of the plant is just fine. One of my zygos also decided to drop leaves, but I suspect that, in its case, it wasn't the cold.

Anyway, as far as the bananas go, I'm sure they'll be green and leafy come summer. The bananas here always look dreadful after cold fronts, but they seem to spring back into shape during the spring and summer. In any event, I hope your plants made it. Perhaps it's just a cosmetic thing.

[Connie Star]

That is just awful! I wasn't feeling too sorry for you Floridians from up here in New England, but now I am really sad.

[Junebug]

Thanks to everyone for your concern and words of encouragement.

It's been almost two weeks since my original post and the weather has warmed considerably. There have been a few night temps. in the low 40's but nothing in comparison to the 2 week freeze.

This is my latest frost damage update:

My Tree Fern still looks bad but she's producing new fronds.

The Mango Tree has managed to hold onto a few precious leaves. The dead leaves are still attached to the tree. The thicker branches and 3" trunk are still showing signs of green, so I'm expecting her to recover.

My little Ponderosa Lemon Tree (not previously mentioned) lost a few leaves and is already sporting new growth.

The Passiflora looks bad but the main stems and larger branches are green. This one should recover too. After the foliage died I could see that she'd produced 3 fruit. I sampled them even though they were a little underripe. They were juicy, sweet/tart and delicious.

The Avocado and Banana Trees look absolutely awful. In 2008 they nearly got drowned by 6 days of standing water courtesy of Tropical Storm Fay, then they suffered a bit of frost the following winter. The banana trees never made a full comeback and it wasn't until the end of summer 2009 before the Avocado showed signs of progress. The recent 2 week cold spell just added insult to injury and I expect their recovery to be slow at best. The bananas are currently planted in a spot that would be great for a small garden. I'll probably transplant their rhizomes into large flower pots and and replace their former growing space with a few varieties of vegetables and herbs.

The brown spots at the base of my Trichoglottis leaves have increased in size. Her main stem and roots look healthy, but I don't think she'll be blooming this year. With the extent of damage I expect keikis instead.

To my surprise, there is no evidence of frost damage on my 2 Orange Trees. One of the trees had a few fragile blooms when two weeks of freezing temperatures struck. The blooms held and there are now a few dozen tiny oranges in place of the flowers. This is a huge contrast to last year, when just a few random nights of freezing temperatures, destroyed every bloom and most of their foliage.

[Connie Star]

Thanks for the update- it sounds like mixed but mostly good news.

[gsytch]

Do not worry about citrus. They will be fine. It was not nearly cold enough. Hack the bananas to the ground and give them a fresh start. You will be amazed at their regrowth. Feed heavily once the weather warms. When it warms some, Give your Mango a fresh cut. Chop off some of the top and recovery will be swift. The tree will get fuller. Mine still looks awful and it is 25 feet tall, but it will recover. The leaves hang on forever, though. Greg in fffrrreeeezing Tampa Bay