Palms are a prominent part of our Florida landscapes. They are often included because they are considered low maintenance. It is important to remember that low maintenance does not mean no maintenance.
One of the maintenance tasks which must be performed is pruning. Palms require regular pruning to keep them attractive and safe.
Knowing how palms grow is critical to understanding how to correctly care for them. Palms are unique in their growth habits. Unlike most other plants, palms produce new leafy growth only from their apex (top).
Most plants develop new growing points when they are pruned. In this way, gardeners are able to maintain their plants at a desired size. Palms do not develop new growing points and cannot be pruned to control size. Pruning the top off of a palm will ensure the death of the plant.
Improper pruning of palms damages both the health and beauty of the tree. While it may be tempting to clip that extra frond, restraint and care will pay off in the long run.
Removal of dead and dying fronds is an important reason to prune palms. This not only improves the appearance of the plant, but it also is important as a safety feature.
Dead and dying fronds are loosely attached to some palms and can place people and property at risk. Ideally no live or green fronds should be removed from a palm.
The green leaves are the source of food (photosynthates) for plants and are the storage sites of many essential nutrients. Removal of green leaves deprives the plant of these needed resources.
If live and healthy fronds must be removed, such as for safety reasons, only those which are growing downward at less than a 90-degree angle from the trunk should come off. Avoid removing those fronds which are growing horizontally or growing upward.
Fronds should be removed close to the base of the petiole, but care should be taken not to damage living trunk tissue. Palms do not have a true bark and are unable to seal over wounds. Wounds and trunk injury will never go away.
The practice of “hurricane pruning” a palm is “no” and “no.” Hurricane pruning entails the removal of most leaves on a palm, and on some palms, like the Canary Island Date Palm, leaving a pineapple-like shape at the base of the fronds.
This practice does not prevent damage to the plant in the case of high winds. In fact, in the long run, it may promote wind damage. Repeated over-removal of leaves weakens the plant, making it more prone to mechanical damage and more susceptible to insects and disease.
The one time when most of the fronds on a palm should be removed is when transplanting. Certain palms like Sabal and Washingtonia transplant best when all of their roots are removed. The removal of roots removes the source of water uptake for the plant.
Leaving fronds on the palm creates a problem because of continued water loss through transpiration. Removing the green fronds at transplanting reduces the loss of water from the plant, and actually allows the plant to survive.
An additional point on pruning is the removal of flower stalks and fruit clusters. Falling flower and fruit debris can be messy as well as hazardous.
Additionally, several palm species produce large amounts of seedlings near the base of the plant. Removing flowers or fruit reduces the number of potential seedings.
Palms are wonderful additions to Florida landscapes, but they must be properly maintained to keep them looking their best.
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