Once again, the annual slaughter of our palm trees is about to occur. I know people object to the seeds all over the ground, but the hurricane cuts are abominable! We lose our shade for the rest of the summer. The following is from an article given to me by one of the gardening specialists in the park.
"Unfortunately for Florida, the ignorant, harmful and totally unnecessary practice of trimming cabbage palms has become commonplace. Do not allow anyone to trim your palms. Trimming green fronds weakens the palm, making it susceptible to disease, pest infestation, and storm damage. The flower/fruit stalks should not be trimmed either as these are critical food sources for migrating songbirds and other wildlife. Dead (brown) stalks are important habitat for mosquito-eating bats and should be left as well. Cabbage palms are self-pruning - winds will remove fronds that are ready to go (and frond will not damage your home).
"Keep your palms strong and healthy. Avoid trimming unless there is a serious access or visibility problem. Plant palm tree where dropping fruit and fronds won't be a problem."
This is an article on recommended practices from the University of Florida extension office. We do not necessarily have to adopt ALL of their recommendations, but I do believe that Regency Cove should put some thought into the tree-trimming that will be occurring soon. Our goal is to retain the beauty of the community, while keeping it ecologically sound. THINK GREEN!
4 comments:
very interesting, I hope we can make this common practice
More people need to voice their opinions!
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN ST. PETE. OUR STREET WAS LINED WITH PALM TREES. THEY WERE NEVER TRIMMED AND SURVIVED VERY WELL WITH NO DAMAGE TO ANY HOME BY THE FRONDS. WHILE WORKING WITH FLORIDA POWER CORP. AT THE GULF BEACHES WHERE THERE ARE A GREAT NUMBER OF PALM TREES I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THEM BEING TRIMMED FOR HURRICANE SEASON AND NO HOMES OR MOTELS DAMAGED BY THE FRONDS. IT WOULD SAVE THE PARK A LOT OF MONEY IF WE STOPPED THIS UNNECESSARY TREE TRIMMING AS SUGGESTED BY THE UF EXTENSIION SERVICE. HOPEFULLY THE BOARD WILL GIVE THIS ISSUE SOME SERIOUS THOUGHT.
Its not the fronds that are the problem...its the berries or seeds. ed bedore
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