Worker in a bucket lift trimming brown fronds from a tall palm beside a Central Florida home

Palm Tree Trimming in Orlando That Leaves the Palm Healthier, Not Bald

Brown fronds hanging over the pool deck, seed stalks dropping fruit on the driveway, a tall fan palm wearing a shaggy skirt. Call the free line any hour and get put through to an independent, locally owned company in the Orlando area that trims palms.

Call (689) 407-5379 Common questions

Searching for palm tree trimming near you in Orlando usually starts with a palm that looks untidy: brown fronds hanging down, fruit stalks dropping seeds on the patio, a fan palm wearing a shaggy skirt. The fix is simple to describe and easy to get wrong. A good palm trim removes only what is dead and leaves the green crown that feeds the tree and holds it together in a storm.

Tree Service Orlando FL is only the phone line in the middle. Nobody from the line climbs, cuts or quotes. Ring (689) 407-5379 at any hour, say how many palms need attention, roughly how tall they stand and which town you are in, and the automated assistant connects you with a palm trimming business based in the Orlando area. You settle the price and the visit with them directly.

The palms you see around Orlando, and what each one needs

Sabal palm, also called cabbage palm. Florida's state tree by a 1953 law and native across the state. UF/IFAS describes it reaching about 40 feet with a full, round canopy of fan-shaped leaves. Sabals are also among the palms hit by lethal bronzing disease, so watch for discolored fronds and a dead spear leaf.

Queen palm. Widely planted for its fast growth and feathery fronds. UF/IFAS notes it is not self-cleaning, so dead fronds hang until someone cuts them, and its orange fruit is messy when it drops. Queen palms are also prone to nutrient deficiencies.

Washington palm, or Mexican fan palm. A fast, tall fan palm that UF/IFAS says can soar to 100 feet or more. Dead leaves stay on the trunk like a hula skirt unless they are removed, which is why so many need a lift or a trained climber.

Pygmy date palm. A small palm, around 12 feet at most according to UF/IFAS, and often planted in clusters. UF/IFAS lists it as hardy from USDA zone 10A south and says it can survive in zone 9 with winter protection. Small size makes it the one palm on this list that rarely needs a lift.

Canary Island date palm. A massive palm that can pass 50 feet. A form of Fusarium wilt is named for it and travels on pruning saws, so it is the palm where clean tools matter most.

Queen palm and a taller palm in a sunny Orlando-area front yard, with a bucket truck in the driveway

What should come off, and what should stay

University of Florida palm research and the ANSI A300 pruning standard point the same way: less is more.

Reasonable to remove

Fronds that are completely brown and dead
Flower and fruit stalks, which UF/IFAS says sends the palm's energy back into leaves and stops fruit drop
Fronds touching the roof, a screen enclosure or a service line, handled by the right people

Should stay on the palm

Every green frond pointing above horizontal, the 9 o'clock to 3 o'clock line in the ANSI standard as UF/IFAS cites it
Yellowing or spotted older fronds, which are feeding the new growth
The central spear leaf, which holds the palm's only growing point

Why the "hurricane cut" backfires

You have probably seen it on a neighbor's palm: everything stripped but a small tuft of fronds pointing straight up, sometimes called a hurricane cut. The idea is that fewer fronds means less to catch the wind. University of Florida research found the opposite. In its pruning guide, UF/IFAS reports that palms severely pruned before storm season were more likely to suffer crown damage in the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes than palms with full canopies. The young fronds left at the center are not hardened yet and have lost the support of the older fronds around them.

Heavy pruning costs the palm in other ways too. UF/IFAS explains that it cuts the palm's ability to make food, and over time the trunk can narrow. Because a palm has a single growing point and cannot repair or thicken its trunk the way an oak can, that damage stays.

Sabal palm left with a full, rounded crown of green fronds in front of a one-story Central Florida home, the shape a careful trim keeps — A full crown on the left. An over-pruned "hurricane cut" on the right.

Yellow fronds usually mean hungry, not dead

The most common reason a palm in an Orlando yard has yellow or spotted older fronds is potassium deficiency. UF/IFAS calls it perhaps the most widespread palm nutrient deficiency, very common in sandy, leached soils. Symptoms always show first on the oldest fronds: translucent yellow or orange spotting on some species, dead leaflet tips or frizzled leaflets on others.

The palm is moving potassium out of those old fronds and into the new ones. Cut the yellow fronds off and the palm simply starts stripping the next set, which UF/IFAS warns can lead to early death. The fix is a palm fertilizer, which UF/IFAS gives as an 8-2-12 analysis with 4 percent magnesium applied every three months for mild to moderate cases. Expect it to take one to two years or more, because the palm has to grow a whole new canopy. A good trimmer will tell you this instead of cutting the problem away.

Spikes, saws and spreading disease

How the trimmer gets up the palm and how the tools are handled matter as much as what is cut.

No climbing spikes on a living palm

UF/IFAS warns that climbing spikes leave permanent wounds in a palm trunk that can let in disease and pests. A palm cannot close those holes. Ask how the company reaches the crown: a bucket lift, a ladder for short palms, or climbing gear that does not puncture the trunk.

Clean saws for every palm

Fusarium wilt kills queen, Washington and Canary Island date palms. UF/IFAS says it moves from palm to palm mainly on infested sawdust left on pruning tools, and recommends a new or disinfected saw for each palm. Ask the crew what it uses between trees.

Ganoderma is a different story

Ganoderma butt rot spreads by spores from conks low on the trunk, not on pruning tools, according to UF/IFAS. Clean tools will not stop it. If you see a shelf fungus near the base of a palm, read about palm tree removal before paying to trim it.

Why trimming tall palms is dangerous

Dead fronds on a tall Washington palm or an untrimmed queen palm can build into a dense, heavy skirt. A federal NIOSH fatality investigation describes a tree trimmer who was working beneath the dead fronds of a 50 foot palm at a home. As he pulled fronds down, the rest of the skirt collapsed around him and he died of asphyxia. NIOSH recommends trained palm workers, bucket trucks or aerial devices with fall protection, and rigging that keeps the worker above the fronds rather than under them.

That is why tall palms are priced the way they are, and why it is worth asking how the crew will reach yours. Keep children, pets and cars well clear of the drop zone while the work is going on.

Bucket lift raised beside a tall fan palm while cut brown fronds fall to a cleared lawn below

What palm trimming costs

Published ranges are a rough guide only. HomeGuide's palm trimming figures, by height:

Palm height	Published range per palm
Up to 15 feet	$50 to $200
15 to 30 feet	$75 to $400
30 to 60 feet	$150 to $900
60 to 80 feet	$250 to $1,100
Over 80 feet	$1,000 to $1,500

HomeGuide notes that palms over 30 feet need a bucket truck or crane and extra safety equipment, and that neglected palms, prickly or wide-trunked species, and palms near buildings or lines cost more. Several palms in one visit often bring the per-palm price down. Real quotes in Orlando vary, so compare them on the same scope: number of palms, what is removed, seed stalks, cleanup and hauling.

Tell the line how many palms you have and roughly how tall they are. The company you are put through to looks at them and quotes before any work starts.

Call (689) 407-5379

Before you hire a palm trimmer

Ask exactly which fronds will come off. If the answer is "everything but the top," look elsewhere.
Ask how the crew reaches the crown, and say no to spikes on a living palm.
Ask how saws are cleaned between palms.
Ask for a certificate of general liability insurance and proof of workers' compensation coverage.
If a palm looks sick, ask for an arborist assessment before trimming.

Check the company yourself. Florida has no state license for tree trimming or removal, so ask the company for a certificate of general liability and workers' compensation insurance, and for the ISA certification number of its arborist. You can confirm a certification with the ISA's credential lookup (opens in a new tab).

How a palm trimming call works

Call any hourAn automated assistant answers (689) 407-5379 and asks what kind of tree work you need.
Describe the jobGive your name, a callback number, your city or ZIP and what the tree is doing, including anything on a roof, a car or a line.
Get put throughThe call goes to an independent, locally owned tree service company, which hears a short summary before it picks up.
Deal with them directlyThat company looks at the tree, quotes, does the work and is paid by you. If it cannot answer, it gets your details to call back.

How this line works: Tree Service Orlando FL is a free phone line, not a tree service company. It does not trim, remove, quote or schedule tree work and holds no license or arborist certification. Calls are transferred to independent, locally owned tree service companies in the Orlando area. Those companies may pay Tree Service Orlando FL a referral fee. You never pay the line. How it works.

Related services

The line takes calls from across the Orlando area:

Common questions

How much does palm tree trimming cost?

Height is the biggest factor. HomeGuide's published ranges run from about $50 to $200 for a palm up to 15 feet, $75 to $400 for 15 to 30 feet, $150 to $900 for 30 to 60 feet, and more for taller palms, with most palms falling around $100 to $650 each. The species, the number of palms, access and whether dead skirts or seed stalks need removing all change the price, so real quotes vary. See the tree trimming cost guide.

Why is palm tree trimming so expensive?

Mostly because of height and risk. Tall palms need a bucket truck or a trained climber with fall protection, a ground crew, and cleanup of heavy, sharp fronds. Neglected palms with years of dead fronds take far longer. Disinfecting saws between palms to avoid spreading Fusarium wilt also adds time, but it is time worth paying for.

Why is trimming palm trees dangerous?

Dead fronds on tall palms can form a heavy skirt. A federal NIOSH investigation describes a tree trimmer who died after working beneath the dead fronds of a 50 foot palm, when the skirt collapsed around him. NIOSH recommends trained workers using bucket trucks or rigging that keeps them above the fronds, never beneath them. This is not a job for a ladder and a pruning saw.

Should I cut the yellow fronds off my palm?

Usually not. UF/IFAS explains that yellowing or half-dead older fronds are most often a sign of potassium deficiency, which is very common in Florida's sandy soils. The palm is pulling potassium out of those old fronds to feed new growth. Cutting them forces it to strip the next set, and UF/IFAS warns this can lead to the palm's early death. Remove fully brown fronds only and fix the fertilizer instead.

How often should palm trees be trimmed in Orlando?

It depends on the species. Some palms shed their own dead fronds and need little more than removal of seed stalks, while others, such as queen palms and Washington palms, hold dead fronds on the trunk. The when to trim palm trees guide covers timing and frequency for Central Florida.

Palms looking ragged? Call the free line

Call the free line any hour. Say what the tree is doing, where you are and how urgent it is, and you are put through to an independent, locally owned tree service company that looks at the job and quotes its own price.

Call (689) 407-5379

Answered 24/7An automated assistant picks up day or night, weekends and holidays.
Free to callYou never pay the line. Any price comes from the tree company.
Ask for proofBefore work starts, ask the company for its certificate of insurance and its arborist credentials.
You stay in chargeThe company looks at the job and quotes first. You decide whether to go ahead.