The Canary Island date palm is one of the palm species that is very easy to care for. It thrives easily in closed rooms and beautifies the terrace or balcony during the summer months. In its natural home on the Canary Islands, it can grow to a height of over twenty meters and can also reach a considerable height indoors. But can she be circumcised if she has grown too big?
Can you prune a Phoenix Canariensis palm?
Pruning a Canary Island date palm (Phoenix Canariensis) is not recommended because palms only have one point of vegetation and can die when cut. Instead, you can achieve growth control by shortening the lateral roots when repotting and cutting out wilted parts of the plant.
Does pruning hurt?
If possible, you should not cut back the attractive palm tree, because the Phoenix Canariensis often no longer recover from this care measure. The reason: Palm trees only have one point of vegetation in their trunk. If you injure this or accidentally cut it off, the plant will become bald and eventually die.
Short the roots to control growth
Like any houseplant, the Canary Island date palm needs to be repotted occasionally. This is the right time to shorten the roots as this will slow growth.
If you keep a close eye on your palm tree, the height of the plant can be easily controlled and you can enjoy your dense and bushy growing specimen for many years.
However, only shorten the side roots. The taproots reaching downwards must remain intact. If you injure these or cut most of them off, you could cause such lasting damage to the plant that it will eventually die.
Cut out wilted plant parts
You should definitely cut out dried or diseased leaves, because they deprive the plant of many nutrients and cost it unnecessary energy. Proceed as follows:
- Separate the fronds about two centimeters in front of the trunk using a sharp and clean cutting tool (€14.00 on Amazon).
- If only the tips of the leaves are brown, you don't need to remove the entire leaf. It is enough to cut off the dry part at an angle. However, do not cut into the green area, but about one centimeter above.
- Take this opportunity to check the palm tree for pest infestation, as leaf wilt can also be caused by scale insects and other sucking insects.
Tip
The hard, pointed leaf ends of the Canary Island date palm can cause painful puncture wounds. Therefore, wear gloves during all care procedures and, for large specimens, wear glasses to protect the eyes.
