What to do about those strange pods on your palm tree


It's May 2nd, and there are a LOT of pods on my palm trees. It's spring, and they're just the way the plant produces flowers, but you gotta admit it looks kinda strange, especially up close on miniature palms.

Anyway, first of all, relax, it's perfectly normal, it's just the flowering stage of the plant. The pods will lengthen and open to reveal the tiny yellow flowers. It's kinda pretty, although it can get messy, so as soon as the pods open and the outside gets all shriveled up, I snip the pod off at the base (I took this pic a few minutes ago, and I'm gonna go out and snip it after I finish writing this). Or I may leave it on for a few more days, it really doesn't look bad, do you think?

There really is no sense trying to trim off the pods early. They will just continue to grow out, and look ratty. Yeah, you'll have to be trimming for the next few weeks. It's like "deadheading" any flowering plant, you go out there and trim once the flower has finished blooming. We don't usually think of palm trees as flowering plants, but they are.

If your palm tree is doing this, it's a sign of robust health. It's springtime, and that's what they do! So enjoy the beauty, and trim the flowers off when they're finished blooming. You know, like roses.

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