I have heard it reduces cold hardiness and then I have also seen/heard it dosent so IDK..it not hard to do you need a sharp box cutter and some time.

I've also heard mixed opinion about whether or not it significantly reduces cold tolerance or not. I'm sure that keeping the fiber on the trunk will benefit it a bit when it's cold out, but they seem to be hardy even when the trunks are cleaned. In a zone 8b, you don't really have to worry about Trachy hardiness though so if you want a cleaner trachy trunk, go for it!

To clean the trunk you have to start from the bottom and work your way up. It's time consuming for sure. Most people cut the "boots" as close to the trunk and start pulling out the fiber and cleaning up that a bit. After thats done the older boots should come off with some pulling and cutting.

Make sure you do not clean the trunk all the way up to the crown. You should probably leave the top 2 feet (at minimum) of trunk alone since you don't want to get too close to the crown where the palm is growing.

Good luck!
-Alex

it will be a beautiful color when your done so take lots and lots of pics...cus it will turn brown and look normal really soon after lol

I'm not sure why..but I've seen plenty of Trachys here in California- very old ones- that lost much of that fiber..not all,but much. So,it can't be needed for survival here,and the palms seem to know it. In places like Seattle where they have been planted for a century..I've never seen or heard of one that lost its fiber..but I know some have been stripped of it by hand and..no problems reported. If your in a very cold climate for them...you might need every last degree of fiber protection is just my guess.

Don't do it. It can affect hardiness. And on another palm board one gardener attributed his windmills stunted growth to over zealous defibering. The fibers add texture to the garden and give their trunks a more sturdy, robust appearance. Without, they seem scrawny. IMHO.

ð think without fibers they look more great.But i think hairs protect the top of palm.Hairs protect top and leaves.Remember when we want to protect our palm from cold,We protect just leaves like this photo:

I don't completely remove the fiber, but I DO give them a haircut twice a year. I use a sharp pair of fabric scissors and just trim tight to the trunk. Start from the bottom and work your way up to the lowest fronds. It takes a little while but they look nice and tidy when finished. There's still plenty of fiber left to insulate if you're concerned about reducing hardiness.