Your cardboard palm doesn't need pruning for shape; it will naturally assume a pleasing, rounded mound. That number varies widely among species. The Cardboard Palm Tree is a very popular house plant, because it is very easy to grow and maintain. Some diseases, such as fusarium wilt of Canary Island date palm (Phoenix canariensis) (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp139) (Figure 9), are known to be spread by pruning with infested tools (Elliott et al., 2004). Like most cycads, it looks something like a pine cone. While you won't need to do it often, it's important to know when and how you should trim your palm trees to keep them healthy and looking their best. If you're not able to do the job yourself, remember that you can always hire a certified arborist. Excessive pruning is not advisable as it can prove detrimental to the palm tree. This will lighten the total weight and reduce overall stress on the plant. If it's mush, get the shovel out. I live and work in Florida where I have a house with a big tropical garden full of palm trees. Is this possible? The tips of the palm fronds may turn brown, but that's a natural part of the plant's growth. Dig a hole in the soil to insert the lower part of the root ball. Prune the leaves carefully, so as to avoid any damage to the trunk. I wanted to know whether pruning would help. Half-dead old leaves that remain on the palm for months at a time are usually deficient in potassium (K) (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep269) (Figure 5) and should be fertilized (https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep261) to prevent this problem. Select a root with a sunny window where the temperature stays between 65-75F. 3. She travels widely and has spent over six years living abroad. Elliott, M.L., T.K. If there are no dead or dying fronds, broken fronds, flowers, or fruit stalks, your palm tree doesn't need to be trimmed. Begin at the bottom of the foliage and look for dead, dying or broken fronds. 1987; Oyama and Mendoza 1990). Otherwise, the cardboard palm will start to grow lopsided. Leave the female sago palm flower head until she is ripe. The circular crowns of leaves looks like a cross between fern and palm tree. I have an indoor cardboard palm that hasn't gotten a leaf in two years. The temperature range for germination is at least 65 F. (18 C.), but growing cardboard palms from seed is a finicky business. While this tree can withstand cold temperatures, it does require lots of sunlight on a daily basis. Seed cone on the left | right one seed cone with seeds exposed. Slide a shovel under the root to sever any bottom feeder roots. University of California Museum of Paleontology: Cycads: Fossil Record, University of Nevada Cooperative Extension: Cycads in Southern Nevada, North Carolina State University: Hemispherical Scale, Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia: Palms, Pests and Diseases II. Share it with your friends! {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b6\/Trim-a-Palm-Tree-Step-1-Version-6.jpg\/v4-460px-Trim-a-Palm-Tree-Step-1-Version-6.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b6\/Trim-a-Palm-Tree-Step-1-Version-6.jpg\/aid1466740-v4-728px-Trim-a-Palm-Tree-Step-1-Version-6.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":259,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":410,"licensing":"