Plant Doctor Archive

Trimming a queen palm

I have two queen palms about the same age. One is about 7 ft tall and the branches are growing straight up — it looks healthy. The other has branches bending right out. Can I trim the branches? Will it stall growth?

Yes, you can trim the untidy looking lower branches and the growth of your palms will not be affected. This is part of the normal growth habit. In their natural habitat, the branches would eventually drop off, but in the garden, where we like plants to look a bit more orderly, we can help by trimming.

Advice by Dr Dan Blanchon from Unitec's Diploma in Sustainable Horticulture and Bachelor of Resource Management.

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