Palm Maintenance

Cleaning palms is never an easy task. The main palms which require attention in Melbourne are the classic Canary Island Palm (Phoenix Canariensis) and the Cocos palm (syagrus romanzoffiana).

Canary Island palms may only require work once every 5 years. Very often, inexperienced operators will remove too many fronds. Green fronds on Canary Island palms should not be removed as this will cause the trunk to narrow in years to come.

Cocos palms can cause problems for home owners, particularly as garden designers like to plant them around pools. The annual fruiting will then attract bats which make a mess and the fruit/seeds will require constant cleaning. Cocos palms also do not self clean as the dead fronds remain attached to the palm making them unattractive. Ideally we try to remove the pods before they open so there is no mess, this is generally done in late spring.