Q.I Had Damage To My Christmas Palm From The Hurricane, I Had To Trim The Damaged Frons From The Wind. If I Cut The Part Of The Fron
that is attached to the trunk will the tree grow? The frons sustained wind damage from the hurricane, so I cut the fron leaf off the tree, I left the main body of the fron on the tree, but it looked like it was strangling the tree since it could not shed itself. I took a razor knife and carefully trimmed the main body of the fron off the tree, will this kill my tree, or will it recover?
Certified GKH Gardening Expert
Your Christmas palm should be just fine. Trimming damaged fronds after a hurricane is a good move, and as long as the crown (where new growth comes from) wasn’t harmed, the tree will keep producing fresh fronds.
That said, completely removing the leftover base of a frond (sometimes called the “boot”) too soon can leave the trunk a little more exposed than necessary. Usually, it’s best to let those dry out and shed naturally over time. But if you trimmed carefully without cutting into the trunk itself, you likely won’t have any issues.
For future storms, try leaving a small part of the frond base attached when cutting to give the tree extra stability against wind damage. Just keep an eye on new growth, water it regularly, and your palm should bounce back without a problem.
