Pruning is one of the most misunderstood aspects of palm culture. For some reason, some people believe that they can indiscriminately hack at palms, including the periodic removal of most, or nearly all, of the fronds or leaves. This is not a recommended pruning technique on established palms. Improper pruning can harm any plant or tree, including palms.

Like trees, palms manufacture their food through their leaves. But palms are not as efficient as trees at storing their food for needy times. So palms are more dependent on their leaves to provide necessary food for growth. With relatively few leaves, compared to trees, removing even one green frond can significantly reduce the palm's ability to feed itself.

Many palms maintain a set number of live fronds. The older palm fronds will eventually turn yellow and die and will be replaced by new ones at the top of the plant. These dead fronds are not detrimental to the health of the tree. If your palms have an excessive number of fronds dying in a single year, determine the cause before pruning. There could be a

To improve the appearance of palms, many gardeners will remove the dead lower fronds. A rule of thumb is to remove fronds that are more than half chlorotic, or yellow. Do not remove green fronds or the palm could become stressed. Remove fronds by cutting them close to the petiole base. Be sure not to damage the living trunk tissue.

Palms move nutrients from the older fronds to the new growth. Removing an older frond too early will remove the source of much of the nutrients that palms need for continued health. As a result, nutrient deficiencies can develop. These nutrient deficiencies can be difficult to correct.

Another recommended pruning practice is to remove the flower or fruit clusters. This eliminates the need for the palm to expend energy in developing its fruit. By removing the flowers or fruit, you can also reduce the number of seedlings. If seedlings or sprouts do occur, remove them.

One look around local landscapes and you'll see the tendency is to over-prune palms. One commonplace practice is to remove all but the top tier of fronds. In coastal areas, this is called "hurricane" pruning. It is typically done just prior to the hurricane season with the intention of protecting the palms from high winds.

In reality, established palms need no protection from high winds. Their flexible fronds and excellent wind resistance makes them nearly stormproof.

Severe pruning stimulates an unhealthy survival response in palms. When healthy leaves are removed, the palm expends energy to produce new fronds as quickly as possible to replace those lost. Instead of storing food, palms that are severely pruned begin depleting their reserves of energy. If this happens on an annual basis, the palm's trunk gradually decreases in diameter and becomes weak. It is more likely this weakened trunk will break or shatter in a storm.

Finally, it's very important that the trunks of palms not be injured. Palms should never be climbed using spiked or cleated climbing shoes. Palm trunks should never be nicked by lawnmowers or string trimmers. Any puncture or wound on the trunk allows the entry of pathogens that can kill a palm.

Palms are monocot and, as such, do not produce successive layers of growth in their trunks or stems. The trunks may enlarge with time, but not because new wood is being created; rather, the trunks increase their diameters with expansion of the tissues first formed. This fact has one important implication- injuries to palm trunks are permanent and are not repaired by the plant. Theresa Friday is Santa Rosa County's Environmental Horticulture Agent. Theresa also coordinates the Santa Rosa County Master Gardener volunteer program. Volunteers complete an intensive course to learn about gardening. These trained volunteers then advise County residents on proper horticultural techniques.

Theresa is a graduate of the University of Florida with a degree in Environmental Horticulture. She has been at the Santa Rosa County Extension Service since 2001.