As a follow up to our last column on the University of Florida recommendations for properly pruning palms, I wanted to discuss what to do with all the old basal portions of those cut fronds that some decide to take off to finish the annual pruning effort. While there is little research to support whether this is a good or bad thing, there is lots of anecdotal information on why it is not a good idea to systematically remove those palm “boots.”
The word “boot” refers to the part of the palm frond that wraps around the palm trunk. When someone cuts off the frond itself, this is what is left still attached to the trunk and held firmly in place. To remove it is not always an easy task and done improperly (using a chain saw) leads to injuries to the trunk that never heal.
I’ve seen nothing in print to suggest removal is necessary or desirable except for aesthetic purposes. It, of course, makes it easier to move a palm with them off and it is necessary to remove them if you are to brace that palm properly once transplanted. In other situations, the question to ask is “might they serve some useful purpose to the palm by leaving them on?”
The first possible purpose is to protect that trunk from injury. Since the trunk of a palm does not cover over with cambium tissue when it is injured, as hardwood trees do (i.e. no real bark ever forms), leaving the boots in place would serve to protect that trunk from injury. This is what probably happens in nature where they stay on for some time after the frond itself breaks off.
During a severe drought a few years back, I observed that palms which had their boots stripped off, seemed to suffer from stem cracking. It was my thought at the time, that these boots might keep the trunk protected from excessive drying and heating during extended drought.
Finally, these boots catch organic matter, much like bromeliads in trees which allows them to make a protected habitat for things to exist there. They serve as a home for small animals (snails, tree frogs, lizards, etc.) and are an important feature in any wildlife-friendly landscape. Some homeowners actually put soil in the sharp angled cup they form and then grow plants like ferns in them. I found this interesting and attractive.
Bottom line – why remove them? Stop the aesthetic thing! For every person that says they like the looks of a clean palm trunk there is a person who sees the value of leaving them on and feel the palm looks better that way. I think it is a “no brainer” – leave them be until they fall off themselves.
Want someone to answer a specific plant question for you? Go online to http://clay.ifas.ufl.edu and under the heading “Horticulture” (left hand side of page) left click on “Ask a Master Gardener” and a reply will be sent plus a hyperlink to the appropriate University of Florida Fact Sheets. Please send us a digit picture of the problem. To speak to someone by phone, call (904) 269-6355.
