Cutting the flowers off a palm tree is one of the many aspects of pruning or trimming a palm. This pruning is essential and should come at most once a year. There are many reasons why the palm tree undergoes trimming; one is to get rid of spaces that can harbor pests.
Like the sago palm, some palms bloom only once in four years, and the blooming gives rise to either female or male flowers. These flowers look like cones, and as a gardener, you may find them unappealing.
In this case, you may ask, should I cut the flowers off my palm tree? Well, you can cut off the flowers, but it depends on your situation. We will discuss more about this below.
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How Does the Palm Tree Flower Look?
Some palm trees, like the sago palm, have either female or male flowering parts. The male flowers look like the cone of a pine.
It is erect and can grow up to 61 centimeters tall. The female flowers, on the other hand, has a golden color and is round. If the male and female palms are close by, the male fertilizes the female palm flower.
This fertilization usually occurs in December, and when the fertilization is complete, the female plants will start forming red seeds. These seeds will disperse via wind and bird action. After the dispersal, the flowers will disintegrate.
Should I Cut the Flowers Off My Palm Tree?
First of all, to get to the stage where you would need to cut the palm tree's flowers, it would take 15 -20 years. That is why some palm trees, like the sago palm, stay before they are ready to flower.
The answer to this question depends on you. If you ask us, we see no need to remove the flowers on your palm tree. But if you want to remove the flower, maybe because you feel they are not beautiful enough like typical flowers, you can remove them.
You can also remove the flowers if you intend to use the male flower to fertilize a female plant that is some distance away.
How Do You Cut the Flower Off The Tree?
Get a razor-sharp knife and cut the cone from the base. Store the flower in a cellophane bag.
They can still be viable for two to four days inside the bag. When you want to fertilize the female flower, hold the male flower over an open female flower and shake. The pollen will fall into the female flower, and fertilization will start.
You need to know that cutting off the female flower after pollination is not a good idea. The female flower has to attach to the plant after pollination for water and nutrients. So, let the female flower be till she ripens. Then, you can cut off the flowers or take out the seeds.
Removing the Palm Flower
Palm trees take a lot of years to grow. Their fronds look majestic and give this tropical touch to your garden. The slow-paced growth of the palm tree makes them relatively easy to tend. And the flowers of the palm tree are not like the regular flowers you can find on other plants as most of them look like cones.
If you like getting the seeds from your palm tree, you don't need to take out the flowers. Instead, wait till fertilization occurs and the seed turns red. After this, the flower will easily disintegrate and fall off the cone.
Whatever that remains will decay, leave a scar where a new frond will grow from. It is vital to cut off the flowers if they are attracting pests or if you want to fertilize a plant that is not close.
Conclusion
Most gardeners have the question, ‘should I cut the flowers off my palm tree?’ The answer is simple. It depends on your peculiar situation. If you feel you need to use the male flower for fertilizing a female flower elsewhere, then, by all means, go ahead and cut the flower.
But asides from this, there isn’t any practical reason why you should cut your flower. After all, the flower will fall off by itself after it dies off. When you finally harvest the fruit off a palm tree, soak them in water for some days. Please take out the seeds that floated because they are not viable.
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