UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail:  dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

May 23, 2007

Feature Article - for release the week of  May 27, 2007 

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

 

Memorial Day -  a time to leave your CABBAGE palm alone

Memorial Day for Floridians is not only a time to remember all the brave men and women that have served our nation so well, but it’s also the time to get your hurricane preparations done.

Anyone who moved here in the last three years may not appreciate the wrath of these tropical tempests.  And to help you get ready, Florida's sales tax holiday on hurricane preparedness supplies is scheduled for June 1- June 12, 2007.

One item that is not on the list is pruning poles.  While there may be some need for safety pruning of oaks and pine trees, the evidence is building that “hurricane pruning” on palms does not improve storm safety.  It may actually be detrimental to the health of these symbols of the tropics.

Last winter I received a question from a lady who wanted to know about palm pruning.  I gave her a short answer back then, but now is the time to follow-up with the long answer. Here goes:

I have a question for you about cabbage palms. I have heard people say that I should trim the fronds in order to have bushier growth. Others say you need do nothing but remove the dead leaves. Is the trimming just a way for the landscapers to make more money or is there credence to the pruning? - Thank you, Jeanette

The Long Answer

There is a lot of discussion out there, and researchers are just beginning to come up with factual evidence on the effects of pruning on palm growth of palms.  Here are some of the points that I have heard about over the past few years:  

*       Pruning will not produce bushier growth on a palm tree.

*       Sabal or Cabbage Palms (Sabal palmetto) that are being transplanted will usually have all fronds removed.  This is thought to be a water conservation practice, as the palm will need to re-grow all its roots, and the fronds will dry it out.

*       Other palms may have the canopy reduced when they are dug and replanted, with the remaining fronds tied up to reduce moisture loss.

*       Removing dead (i.e. all brown) fronds is an aesthetic choice.  In some cases (like with cabbage palms) they will blow off in storms, or eventually fall off under the force of gravity. Few palms in our area (other than Royal Palms) have fronds heavy enough to cause harm if they were to fall on someone.  In the case of a tropical storm, there will be so many other items of flying debris out there that smaller fronds will not make a difference.

*       Brown fronds may support certain forms of wildlife, some desirable, some not. Near a house or in an urban environment, most folks do prune off the brown fronds for aesthetic reasons or for fire safety considerations. 

*       Often tree "pruners" take off an excessive number of green fronds.  These are the leaves that produce food for the palm.   If you limit the amount of food, you limit the growth of the palm.  In certain species of palms (i.e. date palms), naturally yellowing fronds are a source of plant nutrients, and their removal will hinder growth unless supplemental fertilizer is added, In other cases, yellowing may be a sign of a disease or nutrient deficiency (see the references on our webpage).

*       Some landscapers feel that excessively pruned palms may develop a thinning of the trunk. The cause of this “penciling" may be due to pruning or possibly other causes.  The result can be a problem during storms, as the trunk can easily be broken where it is thin

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*       "Pineapple pruning" is where a chain saw is used to cut off everything except the top 3 or 4 fronds. This "hurricane cut" may expose the bud of a palm to excessive wind damage, making it more susceptible to failure or death and the loss of the leaves will slow its recovery by removing the food making organs of the palm.

*       Pruning of palms (and many other plants) is an excellent way to transmit certain diseases from one plant to another.  Few of these diseases can be treated once the plant is infected.  To prevent this kind of problem, either sterilize the tools between cuts, or don’t cut the palm in the first place.

Pruning and Palm recovery

My technique with Cabbage palm pruning is to use a "light-cut" approach.  I remove (with a pruning pole, not with a chain saw) all hanging brown fronds, plus any that are half brown that hang below the horizontal line, and all the seed heads that I can reach.  (Seed heads make for good bird food, but are messy on driveways and lead to palm sprouts in planting beds).

I found after the 2004 & 2005 hurricanes, even with a "light-cut" approach, the regrowth of a full canopy was more rapid on Cabbage Palms where no pruning was done than with the light cut approach.  And neighboring “pineappled palms” are still not back to their former condition, 2-3 years after the storms. The implication is that the unpruned “head” provided a lot more protection to the bud.  Take a look at the photos, and see what you think.

My observation is that pruning palms is a way for uninformed landscapers to make money at a time when grass does not need to be cut.  If these folks would adopt the light-cut approach, it is likely that palm growth and health can improve.  And for professional tree trimming companies, more visits could translate to more business.

 More information on palm pruning is becoming available.  There are several websites on our home page for those who are not yet convinced of the need to “leaf” those palms alone.  Jeannette - Good luck with your decision!

I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee Extension webpage, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu.  If you need additional information on pruning palms, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469.  Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons.  GO GATORS!