The perfect cut for the date palm

Does a cut back do any harm?

If possible, you should not cut back the attractive palm, because the Phoenix Canariensis often no longer recover from this maintenance measure. The reason: Palms only have one vegetation point in their trunk. If you injure it or accidentally cut it off, the plant will bald and eventually die.

Shorten the roots to check growth

Like any houseplant, the Canary Island date palm needs to be repotted occasionally. This is the right time to trim the roots as it slows it down Growth.

Keep your palm right inside eye, the height of the plant can be easily controlled in this way and you can enjoy its dense and bushy specimen for many years.

However, only shorten the lateral roots. The downward tap roots must remain intact. If you injure them or cut them off for the most part, you could damage the plant so permanently that it subsequently dies.

Cut out withered parts of the plant

Dried or diseased leaves you should in any case cut out, because they deprive the plant of many nutrients and unnecessarily cost its strength. Proceed as follows:

• Use a sharp and clean cutting tool to cut the fronds about two inches from the trunk.
• If only the tips of the leaves are brown, you don't have 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 an inch above.
• Take this opportunity to check the palm for pests, as leaf wilt can also be caused by scale insects and other sucking insects.