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Prune Palms? ... Do Not Remove Green Fronds
We see it every day – palms routinely pruned in a hurricane cut
(eleven o’clock to one o’clock position) that strips fronds up
the trunk to the head of the plant. Note that this is proper
practice only when transplanting native sabal palms. Unless they are completely dead, palm fronds should
not be
removed. Do not be fooled by slight discoloration of palm
fronds. This is a common occurrence, significant of nutritional
deficiencies to which palms are prone.
Common results from over-pruning palms include:
- Plant stress that invites the attack of insects, such as
palm weevils or fungal disease, such as Ganoderma.
- Pencil-pointing, a narrowing or decrease of the trunk
diameter.
- This makes the palm trunk highly susceptible to
breakage in wind events.
- Many people mistakenly believe that
pruning is a safety precaution for storm events, but the
opposite is true.
- Reduced winter hardiness, most palms you see in Sarasota
County are not native to this area. Our region is at the
northern most range of many palm species, and cyclical
freezes that are part of our climate destroy significant
numbers of plants, particularly those not located on our
more temperate barrier islands.
- Palm fronds protect the very fragile "bud" at the center
of the fronds at the top of the trunk.
- Since palms are monocots, injury to this single bud
will cause the entire palm to die.
- Over-pruning often causes over-flowering of palms, which
also stresses the plant.
- Palms are commonly susceptible to potassium and other
mineral deficiencies.
- The fronds and supporting boot of palms also act as the
plant’s stabilizer and shock-absorber.
Only Prune Flower and Fruit Stalks or Brown Fronds
Proper pruning practice for palms also requires:
- No Spikes or other wounds, unlike trees, palms do
not produce secondary wood and cannot form calluses over
wounds.
- Make certain your plant maintenance team does not use
climbing spikes on your palms and takes care to avoid
mechanical and other wounds to the trunk.
- Sanitation – disease easily spreads to palms
through infected pruning tools.
- You should soak all tools in a 10% bleach solution
for 10 minutes after each tree is pruned.
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