Q: I have a pygmy date palm that looks like it suffered damage from the frost we had this winter. The stems are still green, but all of the leaves are brown and dry. Is there anything I should do to help it regrow? If I pruned off the fronds the palm would appear totally bare.

A: Pygmy date palms, Phoenix roebelenii, should be grown only in south Florida as it is too cold here. Because this winter was so cold we may see some death to the Queen palms as well. Unfortunately, the attractive little pygmy date palm has been added to landscapes in many residential areas here in Northeast Florida so your loss is not the only one. The bad news is there is little that can be done right now except to wait and see. The palm may recover but we may see no progress until late spring or summer.

Palms are different that most other trees. In fact, they are more closely related to grass than hardwood trees. They have only one point of growth which is at the top. If this area dies or freezes then the whole palm will die. Palms generally go into dormancy period during cooler temperatures and no growth will occur until warmer temperatures are consistent. Apply palm fertilizer in late spring, summer and fall on an annual basis. The fertilizer should be a configuration of 8-2-12-4 (N-P-K-Mg). For right now, just wait and hope for the best. I would refrain from removing any fronds as you stated there is still some green on them. We should remove only totally brown fronds from any palm. Attached below is a publication from the University of Florida on pygmy date palms. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ST441

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