Trimming Palm Tree Trunk??

Wish I could help you.But I’m zone 5.Also wish I could grow them because that would mean warm winters. :-)

-- Bon,Hastings,Ont.....zone 5a....Always room for one more

When I lived in So.Cal. I trimmed my Mexican palm all the time. Didn’t seem to affect it in any way. Don’t know about your particular tree, but, my palm grew as follows:

New growth up through the center.
As outter leaves got old and drooped, they were trimmed close to the trunk.
Each new stem grew between two older stems.
When trimmed the wide bases of the leaf stems created the classic “diamond” or snake skin pattern on the trunk.

I would suggest your palm is sheathed in old stems. I would consider trimming the old “bark” down from the top some and expose older trunk underneath. Pull on the tops of the loose “barK’ and see how loose it might be for trimming. You shouldn’t see much in the way of super sensitive inner tree trunk. What is exposed should dry out for protection. As you get familiar with the tree, you could trim back more ‘til the tree is similar in look to the neighbors. You might even look at the trunks of the neighbors trees (up close) and see how the cutting was done.

Looking at your picture, certainly there are long loose bits (looks like a foot or two on some) that can be trimmed off and I wouldn’t worry about hurting the tree at all.

-- arborial reconfiguration specialist......Zone out....(USA 5)

Geez, wish I could help too … but have no idea … :-(

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" --

Maybe this site or folks can help you … just a group that I stumbled on; but have not contacted personally.

http://www.azgardenclub.org/

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" --

congrats on the new home.

Sounds like catspaw has some good tips for you

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a)

I have five of those in the back yard; what I do is pull down on the remains of the frond, starting from the bottom most one. When they have dried out they tend to pull down fairly easily and will pop off, or you may have to cut the fibers at the bottom. Either way, the tree guys say not to remove more than three feet each year. I also remove the seed pods early in the summer to prevent the berries (or flowers) from landing all over the yard and pool.

Good Luck!