Help with THORNY palm

Hi. We have a palm in our sideyard in SW Florida that has multiple trunks and keeps putting out new shoots. The problems is that the fronds have really seriously sharp and long thorns on them. As we cut them back and toss them at ground level, more come back stronger than ever. I am worried that my husband or one of the city workers who must pick up the debris will lose an eye or end up with a septic arthritis. Does anyone know how to inhibit the new growth and stop the shoot regrowth without killing the main trunks which are nice and which might fall on a house if we kill them?

Thanks much, Sheila

This is a tough one for me because I have virtually no familiarity with palms and you didn't mention which palm you have. I suspect there may exist no miracle chemical out there on the market capable of stopping the plant from putting out new shoots without compromising the main trunks. I hear you loud and clear when you voice what I deem to be some truly valid safety concerns. Kids cutting though your side yard come to mind in addition to your husband and city workers. Septic arthritis is nasty. There is a member out there who hasn't been posting here in Trees and Shrubs lately who goes by the user name of PalmBob. His knowledge is unparalleled in my humble opinion. Perhaps you might send him a link to this thread and ask him to please take a moment to stop in and offer suggestions that might give you some peace of mine. Please don't shoot the messenger though. If he suggests you remove that palm based on the concerns you have expressed in favor of planting a more appropriate palm (and I haven’t a clue what he will suggest), he will be sharing with you his professional opinion. Professional opinions can vary and widely I might add.

Sounds like a Date palm http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/820/index.html . They are being planted in my area more often lately even though the hardiness says z9. I have no idea about the thorns though.

If it was me, I'd plant a barrier bed. Raise the sides with railway ties, rocks, etc to give the visual impression of a barrier. Plant shrubs around the base of the palm so that it makes it harder for anyone to get near the palm.

You might try posting in tropicals, there may be more palm experts over there. I don't think you can control the way palms grow in the same ways you can control normal trees/shrubs, but I'm sure someone who actually grows them could give you better advice!

I grew a few hundred palm liners this year, planted 1, 3, 5, 10 and 15 gallon palms for landscapes. I've found Washingtonia petioles to have the sharper spines and cutting the lower leaves is the best to prevent anyone from running into them. The creation of a growing bed beneath it would be even better. The forum to ask about the palm would be the palms & cycads forum.

ecrane3, I grow palms and have for a long time.

Long thorns? This one has extremely long barbs- Maybe a Rhapidophyllum hystrix?
Potentially zone five. No, I'm not joking.
This is the hardiest palm around, there are specimens in Wisconsin. Again, no joke.
Thorny and suckering beast.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/34622/

But it is a short palm.
There are a load of ones with spines on their petioles, there is no way to prevent suckering other than planting something different.

need a photo!

Hi, Palmbob, I hope you can help. I can not send a picture but I am told, and my checking of pictures confirms, that this is a Phoenix reclinata, or Senegal Date Palm. Supposedly the long, dagger-like spines we encounter are actually lower leaves. This palm is up against a neighbor's fence and in a side-yard that has only about 7 feet between the fence and our house. Is there any way to contain it and prevent more suckering without damaging the main trunks?

Thanks much, Sheila