When it comes to palm tree pruning, or palm tree trimming, what is the proper way?
Many tree services seem to think that when it comes to trimming palm trees, More is better. It only makes sense. "The customer is paying me to prune their palm tree, so I am going to cut off as much as I can to provide the best tree service I can". What many don't realize is, More is definitely not Better. Though palm trees have more in common with grass, than they do with trees, this doesn't mean they are able to withstand the same harsh treatment. Photosynthesis occurs in the green fronds. This helps to feed the palm tree. Removing too many green fronds from a palm tree, causes stress. A stressed palm tree isn't able to process nutrients the way it should, resulting in a sick palm tree. As a rule of thumb, we use a clock as a reference. If you can, picture a clock at the top of the palm tree. The proper way to prune a palm tree, is to remove all fronds that hang below 9:00 and 3:00. All fronds above that, should stay. Seeds, and seed pods can be removed, but care needs to be taken not to "nick" (cut the outer surface of stem) the fronds, as this will cause the fronds to break and hang. If Trees Could Talk sets the standard for proper palm pruning. We use only hand saws, no chainsaws, to trim palm trees. This allows us more control, so we can be sure that we don't nick any fronds. This is the type of attention to detail that we pay for each and every one of our customers. My friend Loren once said, "You can tell a lot about an Arborist, by how they prune a palm tree." He used to say that if the person pulled out a chainsaw, he knew then that they weren't doing it right. Well Loren, today, I think I made you proud.
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Matthew NealAn ISA Certified Arborist with 11 years of experience. Expert in problem diagnosis and treatment. Archives
March 2016
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