Mexican Palms

Canyonbc · Apr 26, 2007

Mexican Palms...

Being from San Diego California...

Mexican palms are notorious through out the region. I drive around and see palms that have been "skinned" the dead palm frawns are sawed off then the bark or i am not sure of the propper term of what you would call it

Is it correct to prune these or skin them??

2nd

HOW do you prune or skin these palms?

l2edneck · Apr 26, 2007

Washingtonia Robusta

no worries,,i trim them all the time.

skinnin em doesnt hurt aswell as pruning...

becareful because it is easy to smother yerself when trimming the skirt..

as the get taller the boots or petiole will fall off..it doesnt hurt to skin em just dont cut into the cambium layer.....hope this helps

also i wouldnt skin them young......say like 8 ft tall or lower to bottom of the head...

prune them carefully they have spikes.when skinnin its easier to cut from the bottom...always watch for the kick when trimmin the boots.......

as far as the fronds i use a 10 and 2 rule...like on a clock........or till the last row of seed pods are removed.........

dontbasap · Apr 27, 2007

wash palms

trim them to 9 and 3. go up with yer handsaw for the pods.10 and 2 puts you in the hot seat in Broward county.
ps- didn't realize monocots possessed a cambium layer ! time to ask EKKA

Canyonbc · Apr 28, 2007

Just a hand saw with a 9 to 3 motion does it all...wow didnt no it was that easy..

any other tricks to it

hard to believe its that easy

mike

dontbasap · Apr 28, 2007

handsaw

Handsaw The Seed Pods' Only. Or Pruners Or Loppers. The Crap We Have To Go Thru To Work Down Here.clearwater Is Right About The Dangers Of Whole Rings Of Dead Fronds Sloughing Off. They Can Easily Smother The Most Excellent Climber. Whenever Possible, Start At The Top And Work Down.(tcia Magazine This Month) Like The Code Enforcement Guy Said; That's Why God Made Ladders.

techdave · Apr 29, 2007

Most common is the California fam palm.....

Washingonia filifera, not the Mexican.
similar but not the same.

if you see a mature almost 100 feet tall with a slender and clear "trunk", then its probably robusta.

But the native palm, and the one with the stout trunk height usually not much more than 60 feet or so is filifera.

FWIW, Not a major difference. Trim the fronds tothe trunk one year, then go back and remove the basal sheaths to the trunk the next.

Same smother hazard in untrimmed trees of either species. We just lost a guy in SD last year from frond smother.

YMMV, I am a faller and bucker and natural historian, I am NOT an arborist.

So beware what I say about pruning!

ps IMHO the prettiest is the Blue.

pps **&^% borrachos light groves on fire in theremote canyons of Baja!