How many fronds should be cut off my palm?

Only the ones that are fully brown or broken, plus seed and flower stalks. A good rule is to leave the green fronds that sit at or above a line from 9 to 3 o'clock. Cutting more does not make the palm safer in a storm. It weakens it.

When is the best time to prune palms?

Many people have it done in late spring, before hurricane season starts in June, so loose fronds and heavy pods are gone before the windy months. Palms can be trimmed any time of year if something is dead or hanging. We avoid heavy cuts on palms that are already stressed.

Will my insurance pay to remove a palm that fell?

It depends on your policy and what the palm hit. Many policies treat a palm that falls on a covered structure differently from one that lands in open yard. We photograph the damage and give you a written estimate you can send in, but only your insurer can say what is covered.

Can a palm with yellow fronds be saved?

Often, yes. Yellowing is commonly a nutrient problem like potassium or magnesium deficiency, and the palm can grow out of it with the right fertilizer. Removing those yellow fronds early can make it worse, because the palm is still drawing from them. We will tell you if it looks like disease instead.

What happens to the stump after you remove a palm?

We cut it close to the ground as part of removal. If you want to replant, lay sod or just have a flat yard, we can grind it out. That is quoted on its own line so you can decide.

Worker in a white cap and gray long-sleeve shirt trims old frond boots from a palm trunk with an orange chainsaw beside a stucco house with a tile roof

ServicesPalm Tree Pruning and Removal

Palm Tree Pruning and Removal in Winter Springs

We cut off what the palm no longer needs and leave the green fronds that keep it alive. When a palm is rotting, dying or storm-broken, we take it down in sections and clean up. If there is damage, we photograph it first so you have a record.

Set up a free palm walkthrough at (407) 499-8081

Pruning that helps the palm, removal when it can't be saved

A palm has just one growing point, right at the tip of the trunk. A hardwood can push out new branches almost anywhere, but a palm can't. It also feeds itself by pulling nutrients back from its older fronds. Strip off too much green and you leave the palm hungry and weaker, not safer. So our pruning is simple: brown fronds, seed pods, flower stalks and loose boots come off. Healthy green stays on.

Removal is a different job. A palm with butt rot at the base, a dead crown or a split trunk after a storm can fall without much warning. We section it down so nothing drops on your roof, fence or pool cage, then haul it away.

We are a family-owned, business licensed and fully insured company. That matters most on this kind of work, where a heavy crown is coming down near your home.

What the work includes

Dead fronds and seed pods

We remove fully brown fronds and the heavy seed and flower stalks. Queen palm fruit gets messy and drops on driveways and pool decks, so clearing it is often the main reason people call.

No climbing spikes on palms you keep

Spike wounds in a palm trunk never heal. On palms that are staying, we work from ladders or a lift instead.

Boot trimming on sabal palms

Cabbage palms hold old frond bases, called boots, along the trunk. We can clean them up for a neater look or leave them, your choice. Loose ones that could fall get taken off either way.

Palm removal in sections

We take the crown off first, then lower the trunk in pieces where space is tight. Debris is chipped or hauled, and we rake and blow the area when we finish.

Stump options

A palm stump can be cut flush or ground out. If you plan to replant or lay sod there, our stump grinding service clears it below the surface.

Photos of storm damage

Before we cut anything after a storm, we take clear photos of the palm and anything it hit. You get copies to share with your insurance company.

Landscaper with a clipboard walks a backyard lawn with a homeowner, pointing to an overgrown fence bed while a crew member checks a sprinkler head by the house.

Signs your palm needs attention

Brown fronds hanging below the crown: Dead fronds that droop down the trunk are ready to come off. Left alone, they drop in wind and can hide pests.
Fronds pruned into a skinny feather duster: If a past crew cut the palm down to a few fronds, it needs time and care, not more cutting. We can tell you what to leave alone so it recovers.
Mushroom-like growth at the base: A hard shelf fungus near the soil line usually means ganoderma butt rot. There is no cure, and the palm should come down before it falls.
A crown that has gone gray or bronze: When the newest spear leaf dies or the whole crown turns a dull bronze, the palm may have a disease like lethal bronzing. Those palms usually need removal.
Lean, cracks or a snapped top after a storm: A palm that shifted in wet soil or lost its top can fail later. Have it looked at, and photograph it before anything is moved.

How a palm job runs

1
Walkthrough and honest answer
We come out, look at each palm and tell you plainly whether it needs pruning, removal or nothing at all. You get a written estimate before any work is scheduled.
2
Damage photos first
If a storm caused the problem, we photograph the palm, the break and anything it struck before we touch it. We can explain how claims for fallen trees usually work, but your agent or adjuster decides what your policy covers.
3
Setting up the site
We mark where debris will land and protect beds, sprinkler heads and hardscape near the drop zone. Cars get moved if they are close.
4
Cutting and lowering
Fronds and pods are cut and lowered or dropped into a clear area. For removals, the crown comes off, then the trunk in sections.
5
Cleanup
We haul the debris, rake the beds and blow off walks and the driveway. You walk the yard with us before we leave.

What sets the price

We price each palm after we see it in person. How tall it is and how easy it is to reach usually matter most. The estimate lists every palm and every task on its own line, so nothing is hidden. For bigger jobs, financing is available: you can borrow as much as $100,000, repay it over two to twelve years, and pay it off early without any penalty.

Palm height and species: A short pygmy date palm takes minutes. A tall washingtonia or a mature queen palm takes a lift or more time and gear.
Access to the palm: Palms beside a pool cage, power line or roof edge need careful lowering instead of a free drop. Tight backyards with no gate access add time.
How many palms: Doing several palms in one visit costs less per palm than spreading them out.
Removal and stump work: Taking a palm down, hauling the trunk and grinding the stump are separate line items, so you can pick what you need.

Palm pruning and removal questions

How many fronds should be cut off my palm?: Only the ones that are fully brown or broken, plus seed and flower stalks. A good rule is to leave the green fronds that sit at or above a line from 9 to 3 o'clock. Cutting more does not make the palm safer in a storm. It weakens it.
When is the best time to prune palms?: Many people have it done in late spring, before hurricane season starts in June, so loose fronds and heavy pods are gone before the windy months. Palms can be trimmed any time of year if something is dead or hanging. We avoid heavy cuts on palms that are already stressed.
Will my insurance pay to remove a palm that fell?: It depends on your policy and what the palm hit. Many policies treat a palm that falls on a covered structure differently from one that lands in open yard. We photograph the damage and give you a written estimate you can send in, but only your insurer can say what is covered.
Can a palm with yellow fronds be saved?: Often, yes. Yellowing is commonly a nutrient problem like potassium or magnesium deficiency, and the palm can grow out of it with the right fertilizer. Removing those yellow fronds early can make it worse, because the palm is still drawing from them. We will tell you if it looks like disease instead.
What happens to the stump after you remove a palm?: We cut it close to the ground as part of removal. If you want to replant, lay sod or just have a flat yard, we can grind it out. That is quoted on its own line so you can decide.

Have a palm you're not sure about?

We'll come look at it, tell you what it needs and put the price in writing. If there's storm damage, we'll photograph it before anything moves.

Get your free estimate by phone: (407) 499-8081