Palm trees are fairly low maintenance plants that are perfect for homeowners that do not have a lot of time to tend to the garden. There are hundreds of different types of palm trees that range in size from small to very large and tall. Aside from fertilizing palm trees the second most important thing to know about palm trees is how to trim them for looks and viability. Gardening is hard work but with proper techniques and knowing how to trim a palm tree properly you can have a beautiful yard that is fairly low maintenance.
Trimming Sago Palms: Sago palms are one type of palm tree that requires quite a bit of trimming each year. While most palm trees will shed their dead fronds, the sago palm typically takes a very long time to actually shed the dead frond and the entire time that the dead or damaged frond is attached to the tree it is essentially sucking the life out of potentially healthy parts of the tree. To trim the fronds of a sago palm, first make sure that you wear a pair or gardening gloves as these fronds have thorns at the tips that will cause an itchy rash if they poke you. Using gardening sheers or prunes, cut away the dead frond from the sago tree beginning at the bottom frond and working your way up. Do not cut real close to the trunk of the tree but make sure that you take off as many dead or damaged fronds as you can. Sometimes, with sago palms this will equate to taking all of the fronds off. This is ok because sago palms will grow a whole new and healthy set of fronds if they are trimmed properly.
Trimming Queen Palms: Queen palms are another common type of palm tree that need trimming at least a few times per year. Queen palms tend to grow quite tall so trimming the tree can be a bit more difficult than trimming a sago palm which typically stays under 8 feet tall. To trim a Queen palm tree, take off only lower fronds that are damaged greatly or dead completely. Use a pair of trimmers to cut away the frond completely without damaging the trunk of the palm tree. You will likely need a ladder to reach the upper fronds of the Queen Palm and for extremely tall trees you may need a combination of a ladder and a trimmer that is on an extension pole. A saw type tree trimmer works well for trimming this type of palm tree.
Trimming Pony Tail Palms: Pony tail palm trees are very simple to trim. These palm trees tend to remain quite short although they can grow in excess of ten feet tall on occasion. A pony tail palm has very thin fronds that are delicate and not as tough as a typical palm frond. To trim the fronds off of a pony tail palm you can usually just cut the frond with a pair of scissors. First try to pull the dead frond from the trunk of the palm tree. Many times the fronds will come loose just by slightly tugging on the frond however if this doesn’t work then you can use scissors to trim the frond close to the trunk.
Trimming Washingtonia Palms: The Washingtonia palms are usually very tall and will likely require the assistance of a professional to trim. If you have a Washingtonia that is not real tall and you can reach the frond then to trim it you will simply use a saw to cut off the dead frond about 2 inches from the trunk. Make sure to leave two inches between the cutting and the trunk to assure that you do not leave the trunk of this palm tree open to disease and insects. Washingtonia palms will grow to be very old and very tall as long as they are properly trimmed and the trunk is not damaged.
