Palm trees are relatively low-maintenance when it comes to pruning, however it is good for property owners with palm trees to know when and how to trim them. Unlike most plants, cutting back green fronds will not promote future growth. When caring for palm trees, pruning healthy fronds will actually just reduce the food production for the tree, ultimately weakening it. 

Occasionally, you will need to remove healthy green fronds if they are blocking the road/sidewalk or too close to structures around the tree. Typically, however, you will be pruning brown fronds in addition to flowers and fruits. 

Pruning your palm tree is appropriate for the following reasons and/or purposes. Pruning dead, dying, or damaged fronds will promote the overall health of the palm tree. Cutting away fronds to increase visibility is also acceptable, like if the palm tree is blocking visibility on a roadway. Pruning flowers and fruits that zap the palm tree’s energy is a way to enjoy the production from your palm tree and restore energy reserves to help your palm tree flourish. You may need to prune your palm tree if it creates risk of fire or other damage to structures nearby. 

Pruning is not ideal if you just wish to shape or alter your palm tree for cosmetic purposes. 

If your palm tree is short enough for you to work from the ground, grab your pruning utensils and get to work. If your palm tree is tall enough to require the use of a ladder or cherry picker system, it is best to leave this type of work to the arborist professionals. For taller trees, it is more likely that the fronds will need a chainsaw to cut them through completely. 

When pruning, you always want to cut from the top-down. Pruning lower fronds first could dislodge higher-up fronds and put the arborist in the tree in danger. Some palms are considered self-cleaning. This means that the palm tree will drop fronds on its own whenever they are dead or dying, and need to be removed from the tree to prevent energy zapping. 

If you would like to call in a professional arborist to help you with your palm pruning, consider giving us a ring at Dynamic Arborist. Our team of professionals is highly skilled and equipped for pruning all kinds of trees. We have experience in palm tree pruning, and can service you and your trees with excellence. We look forward to receiving your call.