Palm Tree leaves

[Billy G]

Why do the palm trees on main roads, have so many dead leaves hanging down?

[Indydealmaker]

Why do the palm trees on main roads, have so many dead leaves hanging down?

Those are called Bearded Palms. Leaving the brown "beards" hanging there is supposed to make the Palm tree more stable in high winds.

[Lovey2]

Glad I stopped in. All this time I was thinking they were cabbage palms, which we ALWAYS trimmed up. I'll take a better look when I'm next out and maybe stop feeling they look a little ca-ca. Thanks...

[Billy G]

Thank you for the info, but they do look a little unkempt.

[graciegirl]

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https://www.talkofthevillages.com/forums/landscape-talk-129/what-do-you-think-about-palm-trees-around-villages-41458/?highlight=bearded+palms

[duffysmom]

They appear as nature intended and are beautiful to my eye.:thumbup: They are also a haven for our wildlife.

[Miles42]

Read Palm rats

[Serenoa]

Glad I stopped in. All this time I was thinking they were cabbage palms, which we ALWAYS trimmed up. I'll take a better look when I'm next out and maybe stop feeling they look a little ca-ca. Thanks...

You are correct, the vast majority of the palms along TV thoroughfares ARE sabal palmettos, or, as you say they are sometimes called cabbage palms. To my knowledge there is no palm species known as "bearded palm".

Those are called Bearded Palms. Leaving the brown "beards" hanging there is supposed to make the Palm tree more stable in high winds.

Sorry, but that makes NO sense. Leaving the dead skirt, or "beard" on the sabal palm or any other palm would only result in an increased surface area to catch additional wind, thereby making the palm LESS stable in high winds. That's why, when a hurricane is known to be on the way, many palms will be "hurricane cut" by removing all but the very top two or three fronds so the high winds won't bend the trunks, or worse yet totally uproot the tree. The skirts left on palms in TV are simply the developer not wanting to spend the money for the continual pruning/trimming. Personally, I prefer the dead skirts instead of the over-pruned palms that are left looking like pineapples.

[Lovey2]

Hmmmm, yeah I've been looking at them and have now convinced myself the fronds are different. I don't know. I just know we always kept ours trimmed up...not to near bald, but neat. Being on the water they were a haven for rats if not and they surely were filled with roaches in that dead part. I didn't lose one of them in Hurricane Charlie, but I did lose a huge carrot wood tree, and some of my chickee hut, and lots of neighbors lost their pool cages (not me thankfully).
My husband always says they aren't trimmed because of the expense, and we actually heard from somewhere (maybe read on here) that Grandmother Morse liked them looking full, so they won't trim them in her honor.

[Indydealmaker]

You are correct, the vast majority of the palms along TV thoroughfares ARE sabal palmettos, or, as you say they are sometimes called cabbage palms. To my knowledge there is no palm species known as "bearded palm".



Sorry, but that makes NO sense. Leaving the dead skirt, or "beard" on the sabal palm or any other palm would only result in an increased surface area to catch additional wind, thereby making the palm LESS stable in high winds. That's why, when a hurricane is known to be on the way, many palms will be "hurricane cut" by removing all but the very top two or three fronds so the high winds won't bend the trunks, or worse yet totally uproot the tree. The skirts left on palms in TV are simply the developer not wanting to spend the money for the continual pruning/trimming. Personally, I prefer the dead skirts instead of the over-pruned palms that are left looking like pineapples.

You can learn about this tree by watching this video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyZkcGrndA0

[duffysmom]

Enjoyed the video, thank you.

[Mleeja]

You can learn about this tree by watching this video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyZkcGrndA0

Thanks for the video Steve! Here is another one along the same lines. Be sure to watch all the way for the Alternate Ending.

So much for ragging on the developer again....

How to Prune a Cabbage Palm - YouTube (http://youtu.be/cAL19Dz11rI)

[Bogie Shooter]

You are correct, the vast majority of the palms along TV thoroughfares ARE sabal palmettos, or, as you say they are sometimes called cabbage palms. To my knowledge there is no palm species known as "bearded palm".



Sorry, but that makes NO sense. Leaving the dead skirt, or "beard" on the sabal palm or any other palm would only result in an increased surface area to catch additional wind, thereby making the palm LESS stable in high winds. That's why, when a hurricane is known to be on the way, many palms will be "hurricane cut" by removing all but the very top two or three fronds so the high winds won't bend the trunks, or worse yet totally uproot the tree. The skirts left on palms in TV are simply the developer not wanting to spend the money for the continual pruning/trimming. Personally, I prefer the dead skirts instead of the over-pruned palms that are left looking like pineapples.

The Developer does not pay for trimming the palm trees.

[Challenger]

[QUOTE=Bogie Shooter;1085185]The Developer does not pay for trimming the palm trees.[/Q

Why do you keep quoting facts when people so love ad hominem attacks on "The Developer"?:loco:

[Serenoa]

After looking at a few YouTube videos last night I'm pretty sure I saw a few Livistona chinensis (Chinese fan palm) & Washingtonia robusta palms along the streets & thoroughfares of The Villages, and they both would also develop skirts of dead fronds if left untrimmed. But still, the vast majority of the fan-leafed palms are the Florida native, sabal palmetto.

Sorry if I was mistaken on who pays the bill for the landscape maintenance, but regardless, I would still think they're left natural mainly to save money.

[cunch]

I believe it is a money issue plus the fact we get no Hurricanes here. They trim the palms in southwest Florida to keep the hurricanes from blowing the dead material all over, and they look better in my opinion.

[JohnN]

They do look unkept. They can be trimmed, but this is the "natural" look - and cheaper.
Those are Washingtonian palms aka Mexican fan palms.

The Cabbage Palm is aka Sabal Palm, that's Florida's state tree, they may have a few dead fronds but their fronds fall off, so it doesn't get the unkept look.

[JohnN]

PS - the unkept part is sometimes called a "beard" but there is no bearded palm as someone noted.