Palm trees are one of those plants that thrive best and beautifully when they are only cut back very rarely. To ensure that the southern plant ambassadors are not damaged during this care measure, various points must be taken into account.
How to trim palm trees correctly?
When cutting palm trees, you should remove dried leaf tips and dead fronds, but do not cut into he althy green areas. The ideal time is late autumn or before winter dormancy for indoor palms. Use sharp and disinfected tools for a clean cut.
When is it allowed to cut?
The unique spatial effect of palm trees is based on their attractively shaped, lush green leaves. Even if they are never completely cut back, occasional pruning is necessary. In this article we would like to address the following aspects in detail:
- How to deal with brown, dried leaf tips?
- How to properly cut off dead fronds?
- What happens to plants that are too big?
- Special case Yucca
Trim unsightly leaf tips
In many types of palm trees, the tips of the leaves change color as a result of the aging process. They turn brown and dry out, which can seriously disrupt the appearance of the palm tree. You can shorten these unsightly ends at any time. However, be sure not to cut into he althy green areas so as not to weaken the plant unnecessarily.
Remove dried leaves
Palm trees do not branch, the leaves only grow back from the middle and the base of the dried fronds forms the increasingly thick trunk over time. In nature, the leaves slowly sink to the ground and eventually break off. This creates the characteristic crown and a he althy trunk.
When is the best time to trim the fronds properly?
Prune the palm tree preferably in late autumn, shortly before you bring it into the house to overwinter or, for indoor palms, initiate hibernation. This allows the plant to recover in peace from the strain of care and quickly sprouts new, strong fronds in the spring.
What can you cut back?
If possible, the foliage is only cut off when it has completely dried out. This allows the palm tree to extract all usable nutrients and use them to form fresh greenery.
The brown leaves can often be easily picked off by hand. Alternatively,
- a knife with a smooth or serrated blade
- sharp secateurs
for professional pruning. In any case, the cutting tool must be very sharp so that you do not injure the plant with this care measure. It is also recommended to thoroughly disinfect knives or scissors. This will ensure that no pathogens or fungi are transferred from other plants to the palm tree.
Procedure
- Cut leaves close to the trunk.
- Alternatively, break off carefully with your hand.
- Cut leftover leaves on the trunk smoothly.
This is very important because fungi and pests can settle in the small pockets of the remaining leaf axils. Well protected from environmental influences, diseases and insects can multiply rapidly here and cause massive damage to the plant within a very short period of time.
Exception:
If a palm tree transplanted outdoors shows frost damage after the winter, these fronds are cut off immediately. The damaged plant parts form an open entry point for fungi and other plant diseases and, in the worst case, can result in the plant dying.
The palm tree is getting too big
The crown of the palm tree is its growing point of the plant. If you trim the plant here, you risk it dying. Here too, the leaves are only removed when they are completely dry.
With large palm trees, the only thing that helps is to give them a location where they can develop freely. Be happy, because such a magnificent palm tree plant in living rooms or in the garden is not only rare, it is also an extremely attractive room decoration that not everyone has.
Special case of Yucca palm
The yucca, which is often found in our homes, is not a real palm tree, but belongs to the asparagus family. The plant, more correctly known as palm lily, is extremely robust and usually grows vigorously and quickly. After just a few years it will exceed the space available and has to be cut back.
In contrast to palm trees, you can shorten the yucca considerably; the separated trunk sections can even be used for propagation.
Tip
If you want to cut the palm tree because it has a lot of brown or yellow leaves, you should take a close look at the plant. At best, only natural aging or air dryness is the cause of the discoloration. However, sometimes pest insects have settled on the plant and the attractive fronds die for this reason. Then first use a pesticide and only then cut back.
