UF/IFAS: Trim Your Trees and Plants Before Hurricane Season

Florida - Saturday April 22, 2023: The UF/IFAS St. Lucie County Cooperative Extension staff reminds residents and businesses that now is the time to trim vegetation prior to hurricane season.

If trimming has to be done during hurricane season (June – November), it should be done prior to a storm developing and being within the cone of uncertainty for our area. Residents should not leave vegetative debris piles out for pickup days before a storm is projected to impact the Treasure Coast, as this debris can block drains and cause unnecessary localized flooding.

Say "no" to the "hurricane cuts" for palms Extension staff commonly see "hurricane cuts" in landscapes throughout the area, but it is not a recommended pruning practice for palms.

The term "hurricane cut" can be very misleading. It might seem like what we should do for palms before hurricane season, but it is not healthy for palms. UF/IFAS research suggests that the "hurricane cut" or "pineapple pruning" actually weakens palm trees and they could become more vulnerable to storm damage.

The recommended pruning practice is cutting only brown, dead fronds hanging below a horizontal line (such as 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock hands on a clock) - if you chose to trim your palms. In other words, leave as much green as possible. Not only because those green fronds are essential food banks for the palms, but it also allows palms to sway and be blown more naturally, potentially protecting the actively growing tissue in the top of the palm (crown) when storm events occur. Self-cleaning palms such as Christmas Palms or Royal Palms do not need to be trimmed, as the oldest fronds will fall off by themselves.

Best practices such as proper pruning can reduce the stress on our palms. Proper pruning is important because other stressors affect our palms such as nutrient deficiencies and diseases such as lethal bronzing. Also, pests such as the giant palm weevil, a destructive insect, can be attracted to stressed palms. Keeping our palms as healthy as possible is a good idea.

Here are some UF/IFAS links that may be helpful to illustrate and explain proper palm pruning:

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/EP/EP44300.pdf

https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pruning/pruning-palms.html

http://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/nassauco/2017/07/04/q-proper-way-prune-palm/