Question
QUESTION: I have several large foxtail palms. Should the seed pods be removed from the palms? I have a neighbor who says they sap the strength of the tree and should be removed.

ANSWER: Hi Sue, You should remove them when they are in the inflorescence stage (flower), just so you don't have a mess when the seeds appear and they drop all around the base of the Palm; as far as "sapping the strength of the Palm" you can tell your neighbor that they don't effect the growth of the Palm at all, it is just a natural method to propagate. Fertilize them 3 times a year and spray the fronds once every 3 months with a Copper fungicide and they will thrive nicely for you. Nick  

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QUESTION: What fertilizer would you recommend?

Answer
Go to any of the box stores,,,,,Lowes, Home Depot etc....and you will see a 20lb bag of fertilizer specifically for Palms; this is important, for it will have all the Micro nutrients needed for Palms, in addition to the Macro nutrients that all plants need.