Florida Palm Tree Trimming & Pruning Tips

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• Tips for Palm Tree Trimming & Pruning
• Proper Palm Tree Trimming
• Palm Tree Trimming when Diseases are Present
• Final Thoughts

Tips for Palm Tree Trimming & Pruning

To ensure the overall health and growth of your palm trees, it is important to trim and prune them the right way. Improper palm tree trimming can have a devastating effect and will severely injure the tree.

If trimming palm trees is done incorrectly diseases such as “Fusarium Wilt” can be transmitted. It can cause the tree to reduce vermin needed for health. Palm trees will have problems during the winter if pruning palm trees is not done the right way.

Proper Palm Tree Trimming

Palm tree trimming should be restricted only to the removal of damaged leaves, yellowing or dead leaves, and flower and seed clusters. Remove as little as possible if the palm tree has no deficiencies, and has a full green canopy right down from the bottom. If nutrient deficiencies exist, do not remove any leaves that are not completely dead.

Always remove no more healthy leaves than will be produced between prunings (palms put on an average of one new frond per month during the growing season).

Mass removal is not healthy for palm trees, when mass removal is done about 80% of the food-producing leaf area is removed.

It is important when palm tree trimming is done to trim as little as possible (even if it seems more convenient to do mass removal, so trimming does not have to be done again until 6 to 12 months). Palm tree trimming should be done only when it is needed.

During palm tree trimming Do Not trim off live leaves that are on an angle originating above the horizon. In other words… imagine a horizontal line from 9:00 to 3:00. 

Dr. Doug Caldwell from the University of Florida demonstrates the proper way to trim and prune palm trees in this video tutorial.

When removing leaves, cut the bases close to the trunk but not so close to where it is into the trunk which will damage the tree, for this can make the tree susceptible to diseases.

Never pull or tear off leaves by hand that comes off easily, because it can cause wounds on the trunk and also make points of entry for diseases.

However, the Boots should be pulled off and not cut using a chainsaw for this can also damage the trunk. Never use climbing spikes to climb up the tree, they leave holes that make the palm tree more susceptible to diseases and insects.

Palm Tree Trimming when Diseases are Present

If there are signs of diseases on a palm tree when trimming, always sterilize the tools used before palm tree trimming is done on the next tree. This will avoid transmitting the disease to the other trees. I recommend using Pine-Sol® to clean and disinfect the tools with a brush. Simply, fill a bucket with water and Pine-Sol®.

The active ingredient in the Original Pine-Sol® Brand Cleaner is real pine oil. It’s the pine oil that gives this product its amazing cleaning power.

A good ratio is, (2-parts Pine-Sol®, to 1-part water). Just scrub the tools you used such as a chainsaw or pruning shears, excessively covering all areas that came in contact with the tree.

Many times trimming palm trees is done incorrectly.

It often leads to problems that can eventually destroy the tree. It is very costly to remove or replace established palm trees.

Final Thoughts

Proper palm tree trimming will keep palms growing healthy, giving that tropical appearance to a landscape. Don’t forget to take a look at this video tutorial where Dr. Doug Caldwell from the University of Florida demonstrates the proper way to trim and prune palm trees.