Palm....Bush? Tree?

11 years ago

Hi, I have what appear to be two palm 'bushes'. We're not native Texans, and so are unfamiliar with these beautiful plants. I have tried to leave these bushes alone, but now that we've lived here for a while, I've noticed that other people trim the bottom of these palms. I was hoping some of you could tell me if that's the recommended thing to do with these bushes? Does this promote vertical growth or is this somehow beneficial to the plant, or is it mostly for visual appeal? They are both growing quite large, so wanted to kindly ask for your help before trimming (or potentially harming) these plants out of ignorance.

Thanks for your replies - have a good weekend.

Featured Answer

plantsman56

11 years ago

You have two Cycad revoluta also known as king sago palms, which are not palms at all, but are cycads native to Japan and other islands south of there. Once you cut off lower leaves, you will not get any again. It is a matter of what you like to look at. Personally, once the stems are 4 ft tall, I think they look better as a tree form instead of a big bush. As far as the plant goes, the more leaves it has, the more energy it can produce for itself.

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Comments (6)

BirkdaleSteve
Original Author
11 years ago
Thanks plantsman! That's a big help.
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timintexas
10 years ago
You know, I think if I was the owner of your Sagos, I might be inclined to remove the lower leaves only because they have been cut/damaged pretty badly. They will look a lot fresher. Each year I end up cutting most all my leaves off my Sagos- they sustain pretty bad freeze damage up here in Z8a Texas. I never worry though, come early June, a whole new crown emerges. You should not usually have that problem since you are South of me. Just remember, only cut leaves- never the trunk. Wear heavy gloves...those guys are pretty spiny! BTW... Sagos are tough plants...amazingly so.
8976375
9 years ago
Can you tell what this is ? Our association says its a Palm Tree ( TREE?!) and says we are in violation because it's a tree~
palmbob
9 years ago
though it can grow up to 20' tall, it will take decades to get there. What is their cut off?
Josue (Zone 9b, Central, inland California)
9 years ago
Yep, it's a Mediterranean fan palm (chamaerops humilis). Over the course of many decades it may grow to peek above that cinder brick wall.