Palm 'Hurricane Cuts' Are Hurting Your Palms. Here's How to Trim Them Right.

You've seen them all over Orlando: palms stripped down to a few fronds pointing straight up, often called a hurricane cut. It looks tidy and feels like storm prep. In reality it does the opposite of what homeowners hope.

Why over-trimming hurts palms

• Green fronds are the palm's only food source. Removing them starves the tree.
• Palms pull nutrients like potassium out of older fronds before they die. Cutting yellowing fronds early robs the palm and can worsen deficiencies.
• Repeated heavy trimming can cause the trunk to narrow, called pencil-pointing, which creates a permanent weak spot.
• A full, healthy canopy actually helps protect the palm's bud in high winds.

How to trim a palm the right way

• Remove only fronds that are fully brown and dead, plus flower and fruit stalks if they're a nuisance.
• Leave green fronds alone. A good rule of thumb: don't cut anything above the horizontal, the 9-to-3 o'clock line.
• Never use climbing spikes on palms. The wounds are permanent and invite disease.
• Clean tools between palms, especially where diseases like Ganoderma are a concern.

How often should palms be trimmed?

Most Central Florida palms only need trimming once or twice a year to remove dead fronds and seed pods. More often than that usually means green fronds are being removed.