The Canary Date Palm is one of the palm species that is very easy to care for. It thrives easily indoors and beautifies the terrace or balcony during the summer months. In its natural home on the Canary Islands, it can reach a height of over twenty meters and can also reach a considerable height indoors. But can it be circumcised if it has grown too big?
Dried plant parts can be removed at any time
Does a cut back hurt?
If possible, you should not cut back the attractive palm tree, because the Phoenix Canariensis often never recover from this care measure. The reason: palm trees only have one vegetation point in their trunk. If you injure it or accidentally cut it off, the plant will wilt and eventually die.
Trim roots to control growth
Like any houseplant, the Canary Date Palm needs to be repotted occasionally. This is the right time to clip the roots, as this will slow down growth.
If you keep a close eye on your palm tree, the height of the plant can be controlled in this way and you can enjoy your dense and bushy growing specimen for many years.
However, only trim the lateral roots. The downward reaching taproots must remain intact. If you injure them or cut most of them off, you could damage the plant so lastingly that it subsequently dies.
Cut out dead plant parts
In any case, you should cut out dried or diseased leaves, because they deprive the plant of a lot of nutrients and use up unnecessary strength. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Using a sharp and clean cutting tool, separate the fronds about an inch from the trunk.
- If only the tips of the leaves are brown, you don't have to remove the entire leaf. It is sufficient to cut off the dry part at an angle. However, do not cut into the green area, but about an inch above it.
- Take this opportunity to check the palm for pest infestation, because leaf wilt can also be caused by scale insects and other sucking insects.
tips
The hard, pointed leaf ends of the Canary date palm can lead to painful puncture injuries. Therefore, wear gloves for all care measures and put on glasses for large specimens to protect your eyes.