Question
Hi there,
My palm tree is doing better now that we've moved it to the sun room of our Eastern Maryland home.  It has many shoots coming out..it's a very thick plant.  Is there any way I can prune it down so that it has only a few big branches coming out?  I love seeing palm plants that have just a few dramatic branches (or whatever they're called).  Or if I cut down some branches, will more and more pop up?  Or will I risk killing the plant? It's about almost four feet high and there are lots of shoots concentrated in a small space.
Would it be better to send a picture?
Thank you!
Eileen

Answer
Hi Eileen,
  Glad to hear that your palm is doing better.
When pruning a palm you can prune off or cut back individual palm fronds (That is what branches/ leaf sets are called) that are growing out from down on the stems/trunks of the palm, but you cannot prune off the top growing tip on any stem/trunk. If you remove the growing tip/top off of a main palm stem/trunk, it will stop growing and will die. So that means you can not cut down any of the height off the plant but you can remove fronds growing out further down off from the stem/trunk.


I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy