Palm tree trimming in Tauranga
A palm that’s held on to its dead fronds for years wears them as a brown skirt under the head. We cut off the skirt, the seed heads and the fronds over the roof, leave the green crown full and take every frond away.
We’re Bay of Plenty Tree Service: James and the crew, locally owned and based right here in Tauranga.
All 7 of our Google reviews are 5 stars
- Qualified arborist, fully insured
- Every frond and round hauled away
- Free quote, no travel charge
What a palm trim takes off
The fan palm in this photo stood beside a client’s house with its dead skirt hanging most of the way down the trunk and bougainvillea growing through it. That brown skirt is the first thing a trim takes off.
- The dead skirt: every brown frond hanging under the green ones
- Seed heads and fruit stalks, before they drop
- Fronds lying across the roof, the gutters or the pool
- Spiny low fronds beside a path or a deck
The green crown stays. A palm cut back to a handful of green fronds is weaker, not tidier: in Florida’s hurricanes, over-trimmed palms lost their heads more often than full ones.
How often palms need it
Whenever it starts to look untidy, or on a regular round such as once a year. Fan palms grow new fronds faster than most, so their skirts build up quickly.
Dead fronds come away easily in a strong wind and get thrown about, so they’re best off before the next big blow.
Tell James roughly when the palm was last done. He prices each trim at your place, free, with no travel charge in our area.
Why the skirt matters
On a fan palm the dead skirt can hang a long way down the trunk, and it gives rats and other animals a place to hide. On a queen palm or a Canary Island date palm it never falls off by itself: every dead frond has to be cut.
A Mexican fan palm keeps its skirt until it’s about 9 m tall, and trimming it off takes away the cover it gives. Every frond that comes off goes on our trailer, not in your green bin.
What goes into the price
A trim is priced at your place, free. What moves it:
- How tall the palm is, and how many there are
- How big the skirt has grown
- Whether the seed heads and fruit come off too
- What’s under the fronds
- How close the trailer can get
Palm rules around Tauranga
- Street palmsPalms on the berm or in a reserve belong to the city council, and only the council can approve work on them.
- Power linesFronds within 4 m of Powerco’s lines are cut only by Powerco’s approved contractors.
- Green binPalm fronds can’t go in Tauranga’s green garden-waste bin; the transfer station takes them as general waste.
Palm questions
Will trimming make my palm look bare?
No. Only the dead fronds, the seed stalks and the fronds in the way come off. The green crown stays full.
Can palm fronds go in the green bin?
Not in Tauranga. Palm fronds aren’t allowed in the green garden-waste bin, and the transfer station charges them as general waste. We take them all away with us.
How long does a trim last?
Until the next dead fronds and seed heads build up. Palms that are looked after properly are often done once a year or every six months.
What if the fronds touch the power lines?
Within 4 m of Powerco’s lines, only its approved contractors can cut, so mention the lines on the form.
Something else on your mind? Ring 0800 166 034 or write it in the form below for James to answer.
Send James your palm
Tell us about the palm and the part that’s bothering you. James rings you back, comes round to see it and prices it, free.
Got it, thank you.
James will ring you back to talk about the palm and set up a visit to price it. Rather talk now? Call 0800 166 034.
After you send it
- James rings you backHe talks the palm through with you and books a visit to see it.
- A free quote on siteHe looks at the palm, what’s under it and how the trailer gets in, then prices the job.
- Down and goneThe crew climbs it, takes it out or trims it, and drives off with every frond.