How to prune an areca palm
Dypsis lutescens
Quick answer
Leave healthy Dypsis lutescens fronds alone. This clumping palm has no routine shaping cut. Only clearly dead or damaged material is a pruning target, while the central bud stays intact.
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How to prune an areca palm
- 01
Choose what to remove
Dypsis lutescens is a clumping, multi-stem palm. Indoors, it does not need healthy fronds removed.
Treat pruning as limited maintenance for clearly dead or damaged material. Do not cut healthy fronds to reduce the clump’s size.
- 02
When pruning will not help
Keep the terminal bud or heart intact and never cut into it.
All areca palm guides
Keep reading
Sources2 references
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Plants of the World OnlineAccepted name and synonymy
- North Carolina State University Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxDescription · houseplant conditions · repotting · insects and diseases
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