The High Art of Pruning Palm Trees in Phoenix

There are over 2,600 species of palm in the world, but only one is native to the Sonoran Desert. The Washingtonia filifera, or California Fan Palm, has proliferated here since the end of the last ice age. To see it in its indigenous Arizona habitat though, you will need to drive 90 miles due west of downtown Phoenix to the steep canyons of the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.

Here in the Valley, there is no shortage of imported palm trees on the skyline. They shade our swimming pools and remind us that we are back home after traveling to northern climates.

Palms do require pruning if you desire a clean, green silhouette above your yard. Trimming is usually performed annually or on a biennial (two-year) schedule.

For most homeowners, it is best to hire out the task when palm trees grow beyond ladder height.

There are also a few practical reasons to have your palm trees coiffed. When fronds turn brown they will droop below the canopy and amass against the tree’s trunk forming a dense skirt. Heavy, dead fronds located 60 feet up in palms can be a falling risk to homes, pets and passers-by.

Pesky roof rats like to build nests high up in the dead frond skirts of palm trees away from predators. That is enough motivation for most homeowners to get the project done.

Trimming is a quick and affordable when you hire a professional.

I met Jeff Wetzel recently and got a primer on pruning palm trees. Wetzel is an expert tree trimming contractor here in Phoenix.

His 3-man team is equipped with climbing harnesses, boot spikes, hard hats, safety equipment and specialized cutting tools to tackle maintenance on the largest palms around the Valley.

Some of the tallest palms that he sees in the Valley are in Sun City. “Those trees are probably 85 feet tall. They are narrow at the top and bend in the wind,” said Wetzel. “It gets a little exciting that far off of the ground when the palm tree is moving.” Sun City, founded in 1960, is in the west Valley. It was the first master-planned active-adult retirement community in the world.

A popular time to have palms trimmed is June and July according to Wetzel. This is when the palms are flowering and falling debris from fronds is heaviest.

His team handles care for all varieties of palm in the Valley including King Palm, Piru Queen Palm, Mexican Fan Palm, Foxtail Palm, Date Palm, Pygmy Date Palm and Mediterranean Palm, among others.

Pricing depends on Valley location, tree height, density of dead palm fronds and the final look that the homeowner has in mind. I hired Jeff’s team to trim two palms in the front yard. After describing the look I desired, he shouted “High and tight!” to his crews who had already scaled the palms.

Each tree was about 30-40 feet tall and I paid a little less than $50 per tree to trim them up. Wetzel and his team hauled the debris away. Work was wrapped up within 45 minutes.

If you don’t want to send the debris to the landfill or wait for heavy trash pickup day, you have another option. Shredded palm fronds make a long-lasting garden mulch because they don’t biodegrade quickly. This durable quality is why palm fronds are chosen for thatched roofs.