Madagascar Palm Pruning

[BobStrauss]

Any suggestions on how to prune these safely? So that the main plant survives, but also the cutting is able to root? I’ve got one in my backyard in San Antonio, and it’s getting too tall now for me to protect over winter - now close to 10’ tall. If I could chop this back to fence level it would be sooo much easier.

[Stan]

No problem,they take to pruning very easily. Root the top by letting it set a couple of weeks to callus,then put in pot of pure perlite. No soil needed. Keep that in a warm area and it should root just fine.
The trunk will sprout a few new branches..most will fizzle out and maybe three or so will become branches.
What they hate is being dug up and moved btw in my experience. Everything else about them makes them easy to keep as you know with a 10' plant in a pot.

[BobStrauss]

Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately my plant is no longer in a pot, it is indeed in-ground here in San Antonio. But I do have a heated grow area with lights in my garage where I could potentially root the cuttings.

Is it a bad time to prune for the main plant however? Will it be okay being pruned, then covered now for winter?

[Stan]

Near November is very late I would think to prune an outdoor subtropical like P.lamerei. Maybe just protect one more winter? I don't know how warm it stays in old San Antone this time of year,but it sounds iffy to tell you the truth. Sounds like a spring endeavour.
I've pruned them,and even re rooted a base that had root rot ( pure perlite ) successfully but always in the warm season.

[BobStrauss]

I really appreciate your advice here, and plan to put off any pruning till maybe April of next year. On Sunday I cut back just the leaves, wrapped in frost cloth, wrapped Christmas lights around that, and then wrapped with some wire fencing, covered in burlap. It can get pretty cold at times here and I was hoping the two layers would be enough to get it through to spring again. Let me know if I did anything horrendous.

I’ll revisit this again next spring if all goes well. Much appreciated!

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