- 1). Trim in the spring. Cut away any dead or browning fronds growing below the base of the crown. Do not cut too closely to the trunk, since exposing the trunk could cause harm to the tree. You will see that the entire trunk of the palm tree below the green crown is covered by the remains of stems that have died and fallen from the tree, or that have been pruned away. If you begin from the start by cutting dead fronds in alternating lengths or at alternating angles, you will be able to continue a uniform pattern this way, as the trunk grows in height.
- 2). Preserve all green fronds that form a part of the crown. If any of these have brown edges, those may be clipped away.
- 3). Remove any shoots that emerge from the base of the tree.
- 4). Trim previously pruned frond shafts from lower areas on the trunk into your chosen pattern only if the previous gardener has left sufficient material to permit this without risking exposing the trunk. Otherwise, be content to create you own band of symmetrical pruning. This will become increasingly obvious as cycles of spring pruning continue over the years, and will eventually become your signature as a caretaker.
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