Pruning a palm tree like a tree is doomed to failure. This guide explains why this is the case and when you should still use scissors.
How do I prune a palm tree correctly?
Cutting a palm tree should only be done if the leaf tips are brown or the palm fronds are dried out. Cut off the brown leaf tips with bypass scissors just before the green plant tissue. Remove dried palm fronds at the base with sharp scissors or a folding saw, leaving a short frond base on the trunk.
Palm lace caps are taboo
It is characteristic of all real palm trees that they can grow from a single point of vegetation - the so-called plant heart. The vital core is located within the palm tip and controls the growth of the evergreen crown. If you use the scissors in this area, you will inevitably bring down the palm tree.
In contrast to the trees we are familiar with, palm trees do not have sleeping eyes from which they sprout again after being pruned and branch out happily. The classic shape and maintenance pruning to promote growth and branching is therefore counterproductive for a palm tree. Only growth problems on the magnificent leaves can make a cut worthwhile.
Precisely cut off brown leaf tips
The most common reason for pruning palm trees is dried, brown leaf tips. Drought stress or low humidity causes the widespread problem. Once the tips of a frond are affected, there is no chance of regeneration. This is how affected palm leaves shine in their former glory:
- Best cutting tool: household or garden scissors with two sharp, straight blades (bypass scissors (€9.00 at Amazon))
- Cut off brown leaf tips
- Important: do not cut into the green plant tissue
Cut off dried tips on palm fronds to within a millimeter of the green leaf tissue. Otherwise, the leaf will continue to dry out and the cut will become a “bottomless pit”. We recommend spraying the fronds of your palm tree every two to three days with soft water.
Remove dried palm fronds systematically
Evergreen palm fronds do not have a lease on eternal life. As long as the heart of the plant remains undamaged, the leaves are continually replaced. This process can be recognized by the lower fronds shrinking and drying out as fresh leaves sprout at the top of the crown. At the right time you can cut off a dried palm frond. This is how it works:
- Wait until a palm leaf has completely died and dried out
- Cut off at the base with scissors or knife
- For leaf stems with a diameter of 3 cm or more, use a folding saw with Japanese teeth
- Clean and disinfect cutting tools carefully
- Important: leave a small piece of the leaf stem
The typical, rough trunk appearance of a palm tree results from the remains of dried leaf stalks. A short frond base should remain on the trunk, and not just for visual reasons. This incision also prevents the trunk bark from being injured. Palms do not have a cambium, which forms wound wood when the bark is damaged.
Tip
The Yucca palm is in a different league when it comes to pruning because it is not a real palm tree. As an agave plant, the popular houseplant tolerates any pruning measures well. If a yucca grows over your head or annoys you with overly long octopus shoots, simply cut off the offending branches. The palm lily sprouts reliably from sleeping eyes.