So You Want to Remove Your Palm Tree
Palm trees are a majestic species of trees. Many homeowners will select palm trees for their yard because they are aesthetically pleasing and seemingly don’t require a lot of upkeep. However, as beautiful as they are, palm trees are dangerous to remove and can also cause issues if not properly maintained.
It might seem easier and more cost-effective to perform a DIY tree removal, but this is ill-advised. Because of their height and other unique factors, palm tree removal is a dangerous task that is best left to your local tree removal experts in Scottsdale.
Risks of Palm Tree Removal
There are many reasons why attempting to remove, cut down, or trim a palm tree on your own is dangerous. Without the experience, know-how, and proper equipment, DIY tree removal can lead to injury, damage to your property, or even result in fatalities. Some common risks of removing a palm tree without an expert include:
Power Lines
Power lines are a danger that even professional tree trimmers have to deal with. You might think they are easy to avoid, but it is easy to lose sight of them or become overwhelmed and forget where they are when you are preoccupied with more pressing matters. Electrocution injuries from power lines are often severe and even fatal.
Improper Equipment
Having the proper equipment and protective gear is crucial when it comes to safe tree removal. Because they don’t have the training, homeowners expose themselves to unnecessary risks when attempting a DIY tree removal. All it takes is one misstep for the removal to go awry.
Falling Trees and Fronds
Gravity is often the thing that makes homeowners think tree removal is easy. Just cut and let it fall, right? Wrong. Trees don’t always fall in the direction you think they will. Without the proper equipment and knowledge to adequately lower the tree or pieces of the tree to the ground, you could severely injure yourself or damage your property. Even the fronds of a palm tree can cause a lot of damage when they drop from great heights. Weighing up to 500 pounds, they can easily injure anyone or anything in the way when they fall to the ground.
Palm Tree Removal or Maintenance?
Before jumping to removal, you may want to ask yourself is if the tree is actually dead or dying or if it just needs a little TLC and maintenance to nurse it back to health. If you like having the palm tree and would prefer not to remove it, the below tips could help you identify whether or not the tree is salvageable. If you are ever unsure, some tree service companies have arborists that can check the health of your tree and help save it.
Check the Soil
Many urban environments do not have soil that contains the proper components to nurture a palm tree. Because palm tree roots do not go very deep, they get most of their nutrients from topsoil and from the top of other areas nearby. For this reason, fertilization of the soil is often required.
Proper Palm Tree Watering
Unless your palm tree is newly planted, watering it every day is overkill. A common reason that these types of trees don’t survive is because of overwatering. Too much water can lead to root rot. However, the top reason palms struggle is actually from homeowners not watering them at all. Though palms do well in dryer climates, they do still need some water to survive.
The amount of water your palm needs can depend on the kind of palm tree you have. Though generally, most palms only require watering 2-3 times per week, or only if the topsoil has dried out.
Palm Tree Pruning
Many homeowners think that if the palm fronds are browning that they need to be trimmed or removed. However, palm trees typically shed their fronds naturally, and you should only remove them if they are dead and decaying. If you do trim, you should not trim often or too close to the trunk as it could affect the health of your tree.
Signs a Palm Tree Needs to Be Removed
If you or a professional arborist have taken steps to salvage your palm tree and it is still struggling, it might be time to bite the bullet and have it removed. Below are a few reasons why tree removal may be required:
Tree Disease
Palms, just like most other trees, are susceptible to disease from bacteria, fungus, and insects. Things to look out for would be spots on the leaves, root rot, and insect infestations.
Tree Damage
Many things can cause damage to a tree. Some common factors that result in damage are bad storms, lightning, and strong winds. If your palm tree is broken, split, has portions of it hanging loose, or is uprooted, you will likely need to have it removed.
Root Rot
Rot can occur with the presence of bacteria from disease and insects, but it is also sometimes a result of overwatering. If any part of the tree or its roots have rotted beyond salvaging, contact your local tree service to have it removed.
The Location of the Tree
In some situations, a complete removal might not be necessary. If your palm tree is dying because it isn’t receiving proper nutrients from the ground, it may just need to be moved to a different part of the land or yard. Or, perhaps the tree is blocking the sun from reaching an area of your home or yard that needs more light. In this case, a full removal may not be required if there is space to move it somewhere else.
How PV Trimmers Can Help
When it comes to removing or trimming palm trees, Scottsdale residents should take every precaution. With 20 years of local experience, PV Trimmers have the professional skills necessary to safely and adequately remove palm trees. We’ll remove the trees, haul them away, and completely clean the area of debris. We even provide stump grinding and removal. Contact us today to get a free estimate for your palm tree removal!