Q.Does Cutting Foxtail Palm Fronds Off By About 2/3 Hurt The Tree?
I have 2 Foxtails on one side of my property, so a few of the fronds go over my fence into my neighbor’s yard. I just discovered that he cut all the fronds off on his side, leaving about 1/3 of the frond on the tree. Will this hurt my palms? I know that it cuts down on photosynthesis for the tree, hence I think this may harm it. Help!
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Unfortunately, the laws in your area state that he MUST maintain the portion of trees on his side. It could cause issues for the palm, but any damages caused by the palm would be your responsibility.
It would seem that your neighbor is well aware of the laws in your area. This would be something to take up with your local municipalities.
This may give you a place to start:
I understand about "maintaining" his side, but this is not an unruly bush or tree that needs trimming, it is a palm that needs no maintenance, and it is already pretty tall, about 15 feet tall. So in actuality, there are not that many fronds, maybe 12 in total. So the 4 that go over his fence at a height of about 10-20 feet are the ones he cut by 2/3. My questions is this: will this hurt the photosynthesis of the tree and stunt it? The tree already looks unhappy. I cannot imagine this is good for the tree at all! He is a reasonable man, but has no gardening sense, so I want to make sure this is the case, and then I am going to politely request that he leave my tree alone.
