PRUNING PALM TREES IN ELCHE

[ILOVELADYGAGAernest]

love palm trees ! i want to too work in palm triming

[Dougbugnaples]

Using spikes on a living tree and removing green fronds are palm abuse!

Not the work of a certified arborist!

[RedSphereBlueSphere]

My palmtree is a miserable three meters tall but triple this one in trunk radius. I'm pretty sure mine is older too (it's like 25 years). They rise fast if you prune them this way but they will never be very thick. I prune them as the leaves start to die and that's it.

[jeeperos]

whats the name of the tool these guys use to prune the palms?? its not an axe, sort of spatule with a sharp edge??

[birdman143]

Sorry for the delay,I have been trying to find out about the tools.The one he is using in the video is called a Corbillote and looks like a chopper with a tapered blade.the other tool is a Gumia which has a long handle and a curved blade.I only have the Spanish names.Rgs Ken

[handa75]

@jeeperos se llama corvellot

[outofmytr33]

Those are Phoenix caneriensis. The palms whose "skirts" can collapse are Washingtonias (robusta & filofera). Disease transmission can be greatly reduced by bleaching spurs and tools between trees.

Palms are made of vascular bundles and as such are less likely to suffer fluid disruption from spur wounds than hardwoods.

Not the best pruning techniques but by no means the worst either.

Damn hard work on your lower back. Those boys will be in major pain at the end of the day.

[1royalpalm]

@outofmytr33 The first palms look more like Phoenix dactylifera to me. Not that it matters, though, as far as the workers go, as both species have vicious spines.

[takenotes315]

i wish there where palm trees in new york =(

[silkyroad9876]

@takenotes315 There will never be , because of its cold weather in winter the thing which such kind of trees can't afford and if it did , it grows so badly, giving poor product if it really survived.

[krisachar]

Nice visuals...Keep up the good work !

Love,

kris.

[dahur]

The previous poster is right. There should be a law against climbing those palms with climbers(spikes) on. That damage to the trunk doesn't heal, and could open it to disease.

[birdman143]

Well in this city of Elche they prune millions of palms like this every year and I have not heard of any accidents.Regards

[eastonsteve]

From what I've read pruning a palm tree like this is extremely dangerous. The frond falls on the trimmer suffocating him. But I don't thing about palm trees here in Illinois.

[StevenFritz7]

That is really scary being up there in the tree that high!

[birdman143]

Yes it looks dangerous but I suppose they are used to it.

[thepalmtreelover]

i love palm trees

[bj616]

I'm with ya! I love Palms too and have a garden full of them.

[scw1217]

I hate to see anyone pruning a palm tree. They are meant to be round in shape and when pruned look very unnatural.

[sullydudeismyhomie]

dude i have them in the back yard

[birdman143]

You have a good point there but I suppose they have always done it like that and in many places it would be difficult to do it in any other way.regards

[Engineer10211]

Pruning wearing climbing gaffs (spikes) like this joker is ENTIRELY improper. Working like that produces hundreds of puncture wounds in the trunk, each of which is a potential pathogen entry point. This work should be done either with a lift or a ladder.

[1RAMIRO]

i think plants in general grow healthier when the dry and dead is trimmed off. It gives them room for new growth and it provokes new growth. Also, cutting remaining pieces helps keep decease out. Removing some of the green for an aesthetic reason is ok as long as not more than a small percentage is taken. the plant should still photosynthesise. Trimming may be done for functionality in tight spaces or to keep rodents or marsupials out...or snakes, wasp, or to keep them from falling on your car

[birdman143]

Thanks a lot for that interesting information on the palm trees.

[tetsunosuke1]

Would you happen to know how many leags a usual palm tree has? Im trying to make a money tree as a gift for my good friend, she mentioned once wanting a pink palm tree, so I decided it would be cool to help her with some debt and give her the palm tree she wanted heh.

[1RAMIRO]

The question, as I understand it,is: How many fronds grow on it? I guess aruound 10 per row, there may be more than 3 rows. maybe even 5 0r 6.The top rows only grow a few because that is where they originate. So more at the bottom, and the next row,then maybe 6, then 4, the top has 2 or 3 and one, half developed in the center. I guess you may have to start around a stick but working from the center one, and inverting the process i just explained as you go down, since they overlap.

[bj616]

THat is awesome, thanks for the great bit of info. I live on the extreme south west coast of Canada approx. 1,000 miles north of Los Angeles and this area is full of palm trees. We have a moderate enough climate where we are able to grow certain species. I grow them ny the thousands from local seed. You could say I have a palm nursery, I ship over 90% of my bare root seedlings to the south eastern US at a rate of 100 per week. I love Palms! Cheers

[birdman143]

Its amazing to think of palms growing in Canada;I think a similar thing occurs in SW England where the ocean currents make it a relatively mild climate and palms thrive.Growing palms in this area is big business and the farmers have field upon field of them.One thing I find is that because they see palms growing in the desert they dont realise they need a lot of water to start them off and as a consequence many of them die.Best regards.

[bj616]

The pinnate species are Phoenix dactylifera palms native to the Middle East. A true Date Palm that produces edible fruits. The other species with the Fan type fronds is a Washingtonia filifera, the only native species of palm to California. They are beauties.

[birdman143]

Thankyou for the info;as a matter of interest the palms in Elche were planted by the Moors who came to Spain in the 8th century and the irrigation system they introduced is still in use today.There are over 200,000 palms in the city and many more in the surrounding area and it is now a World Heritage site.One practice you may not like is that they tie up the top branches and cover them with black plastic to produce the white palms which are used for Palm Sunday.I have made a video of this.

[bj616]

I love palms and I hate when people butcher them. I call that ruining and not pruning. Palms should have a full crown and not a few fronds sticking out just at the top of the trunk. Also fronds should only be removed when they are brown, it is better for the palm. Just got back from Southern California a few days ago and most of the palms were pencil pruned. Thicker fuller crowns look much better in my opinion. Palms are beautiful.

[blinktheworld33]

god palm trees are so amazing if i could just somehow be one i would

[Etrician55]

palm trees are gorgeous

[birdman143]

They love the palm trees in the city of Elche and it is an offence to cut them down.

[moonkid1982]

GOOD! I hate it when people have their palmtrees unpruned, they are a fire hazard if lightning hits them and they can also grow pests in between the dead leaves. Not to mention they look like overgrown weeds. PLEASE trim your palms!!!

[birdman143]

I agree with your comments;in Elche the council workers do a great job pruning thousands of palms all around the city.

[SeaSharkGull]

Can they be pruned all year round if not when are they pruned?

[birdman143]

Thanks for your interest.The leaves grow from the centre of the tree every year and the ones below them from previous years die off and need to be pruned to make the tree look tidy.Because of the vast number of trees they work on them all the year round.Best wishes,Ken

[soccerfan39]

wow thts high, how on earth did u climb tht?

[birdman143]

They use the belt shown in the video plus spikes in their boots;there are millions of palm trees in this area so its a never ending job.

[soccerfan39]

tht is really cool i never knew tht!