Palm trees can be a beautiful addition to your garden, but they must be trimmed to prevent fire hazards and accidents. Regular frond trimming also reduces the risk of pest infestation and redirects energy to healthy areas of your palms. Ultimate Palms is Australia’s premier palm pruner and sculptor of Canary Island Date palms (Pheonix canariensis). Contact us today for a FREE quote. For quality palm tree shaving and shaping Adelaide, check this out. Fruit Stalk Removal Some palms produce large amounts of fruit and seed pods that can be messy and potentially dangerous. Professional tree services can help reduce hazards to your property by regularly removing ripening or overripe fruit and the associated branches. Palms that have finished producing fronds can also benefit from having their fruit stalks removed to conserve energy and avoid creating a mess or attracting pests. In addition, wilting or discoloured fronds can indicate watering needs, and reducing frond coverage allows water to reach those areas more efficiently. For fan palms (Rhododendron luteum) that have developed rough webbing on their trunk, a technique known as skimming can be done to smooth the appearance of your palm trees. This technique removes the husk base that sticks to the trunk and gives your palm a “pineapple look” seen in many commercial and upscale resort properties. It is also an effective treatment for the common palmetto weevil infestation that causes a stippled appearance. Canopy Reduction Palm trees produce fronds and flowers, which can take energy away from the tree. They also attract pests and are a fire hazard. By removing these and reducing the number of leaves, we can help make the tree healthier and safer. For quality palm tree shaving and shaping Adelaide, check this out. The symptoms of blights, such as palm leaf rot and black scurf, are dark, water-soaked spots on the leaves. The spots enlarge and turn black. Other signs of the disease are wilting, yellowing or browning fronds and petioles that twist and droop. The blights are caused by fungal spores carried in the air by ants, and they develop more quickly on palms with low humidity. Symptoms first appear on older or lower leaves in the canopy, but even upper leaves and new green fronds may later turn brown. Regular pruning, avoiding wounding the tree, and sanitizing tools before cutting are effective preventative measures. Often, a fungicide treatment is not necessary. However, if the disease has already developed, fungicides may be helpful. Formative Pruning While every tree has its natural growth habit, many trees need formative pruning to maintain or improve their structure. This is especially true of fruit trees, which tend to produce a cluttered crown and require a robust and balanced shape to support heavy crop loads. This process involves removing unwanted branches and creating a framework of solid and evenly spaced branches. It is most commonly performed on young trees and can be continued for several years as the tree develops. Formative pruning can be done on all types of trees but is especially important for fruit-bearing varieties as this will allow them to bear heavier crops without putting too much stress on the trunk or branches. The pruning techniques used vary depending on the rootstock type and vigour of the tree. For example, stone fruit trees do not respond as well to formative pruning compared with apple and pear trees. A horticulturally trained tree service will know the best techniques for your trees. For quality palm tree shaving and shaping Adelaide, check this out. Storm Damage Cleanup Palms that are overgrown and have fronds dangling pose a significant safety hazard to people, cars, and pets. They can also break or fall during storms, causing property damage and creating dangerous debris. Shaving a tree regularly removes the fronds and prevents them from building up and becoming a fire hazard. This is especially important if you live in an area with high winds or fire dangers like lightning strikes. You can take advantage of local councils’ waste pickup schedule, including green waste such as cut fronds and palm leaves. Your tree services company can pile this up in front of your home and have it collected as part of your regular waste removal. This saves you time and effort. It also ensures that the waste is disposed of correctly and efficiently.