Many palm tree owners and palm tree trimming service providers have adopted hurricane cutting.
Does it help or protect palm trees during hurricane season? Or is it just another way for tree services to generate business.
Let’s examine the technique.
What is Hurricane Cutting Palms?
Hurricane cutting palms involves removing all the fronds from your palm tree and leaving only the youngest leaves to make a wind-resistant palm tree.
Your palm will have a greater chance of survival if there are fewer leaves for the wind to grab on to.
Many palm tree growers are against hurricane pruning. Actually, hurricane cutting in certain states is a crime. Tree removal and fines can be imposed for violating these rules.
Is it possible?
Hurricane pruning refers to over-trimming the palm tree. While it is fine to trim palm trees one per year to remove deal fronds and seed pods as well as low hanging leaves, over-pruning can cause problems for the palm tree.
Most lawn care companies think they are doing the homeowner a favor by hurricane cutting. The theory is that if you prune most of the leaves, the palm will have a longer time to recover from a hurricane.
People endanger their palm trees by hurricane cutting, which is not a good idea. Over-pruning palms can reduce the tree’s ability to produce food. You will also deprive your palm tree’s ability to produce the food it needs by removing the fronds. It takes palm trees a long time to grow into full-fledged trees which can be detrimental for them.
This can cause weaker palms after a hurricane hits and can also lead to growth abnormalities such as trunk shape defects.
The pros and cons of hurricane cutting palms
Here are some pros and cons to hurricane cutting palms
Pros
- None!
Pruning palm trees properly is very important, but don’t over-prune or over-treat them.
Cons
- You are denying your palm tree the nutrients it needs to grow.
- This reduces the trunk width of the palm trees.
- You destroy the nesting areas of insect-eating bats, and other birds.
- The tree will be more susceptible to being blown over and snapped in strong winds if it is made weaker.
- It’s not pretty
- Roots and anchoring to the ground can have an impact on the tree’s ability to root.
How to Properly Prune a Palm Tree
It is very simple to prune a palm tree.
Below is an example of proper palm pruning. Also, see the gallery of properly trimmed palm trees.
Are palm trees susceptible to falling over?
Palms are a remarkable species of tree. They can withstand hurricanes and other tropical storms.
Because they are monocots, palm trees have a close relationship to grass. They do not have hard-woody tissue, like other trees. They have a porous trunk and are flexible.
They are also able to thrive in sandy soils and can withstand salty soils or air.
Although palm trees can sometimes fall, it is not common. Usually, this happens when the tree has been exposed to a disease such as Thielaviopsis which causes trunk rot.
However, palm trees that have sustained extensive insect damage can become fragile and may fall in strong winds. Palm trees are able to withstand winds of 75 to 150 miles an hour under normal conditions.
When is it time to trim palm trees
Some palm trees do not require trimming because they shed their leaves naturally, like the Alexander Palms. However, it is best to have an expert trim your palms every other year.
To ensure safety and safety when pruning your palms, you should hire a certified arborist. This will make sure that the job is done safely and to the benefit of the tree.
This post was written by a professional arborist at Arbor Wise Professional Tree Care. Robert Miller is the owner of Arbor Wise Professional Tree Care, a locally owned and operated tree service company that offers superb lawn care by the most experienced Arborists. Arborwise Tree Services is a largo tree removal company that offers stump removal, tree pruning, stump grinding, fertilization, and tree restoration. We have an extraordinary lawn care industry notoriety covering the Pinellas county area.
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