If your palms look dead, here is how to help them survive (Austin: moving)

[jdevelop2]

I, like many in Austin, love palm trees. The hard freezes this winter did a number on many of the local palms and left them with brown dead looking fronds. If you want your palms to have the best chance of survival, resist the urge to prune them heavily now.

Any frond that still has any green in it is still feeding the rest of the plant and allowing for photosynthesis. Wait until new fronds emerge this spring or summer before pruning the freeze damaged fronds.

A good application of fungicide may also be beneficial.

From a palm expert:

"
This year, you might need to prune twice. First, remove the portions of the fronds that are completely brown. About mid-May, prune the remaining portions only after new growth becomes vigorous.

If you remove too many fronds too soon, you will be placing additional stress. Not only will a vital nutrient source be lost, but growth capacity will be diminished by reducing photosynthesis. All plants including palms make their food through photosynthesis in the green plant parts. The more green leaves, or even partially green leaves, you remove, the less food the palm can produce.

Despite what the labels say, fertilizer is not plant food. Fertilizer is a combination of nutrients. The actual “food” needed for growth comes from photosynthesis in the form of sugars. If you remove too many leaves just because they are ugly, then you are removing the limited food production needed for new leaves."

Good luck!

[eichlerfan]

Oh no, too late. I have a Pigmy Palm that's growing in a pot and I just trimed it back the other day because the days are starting to warm up now. I cut it back to just about the green areas, and fed and watered it. Guess I will just have to give it a couple of months and see how it does.

[G Grasshopper]

Thanks, good information.