How to prune moluccan fishtail palm

Remove dead fronds year-round; cut spent dead canes in spring. Clip dead fronds at the petiole base with clean loppers. Once a cane has completely died after flowering, cut it to the ground. New suckers will replace it from the cluster base. Protective gloves are essential around fruiting material.

Dead fronds: as needed. Dead canes: only after natural senescence per stem. Moluccan Fishtail Palm is a large clustering species. Pruning means removing fully dead fronds and, eventually, entire canes that have completed their monocarpic lifecycle and died. Leave all green and yellowing fronds in place. Never cut the growing tip of any live stem, and always wear gloves when handling fruit, which contain irritating oxalate crystals.

Clip dead fronds at the petiole base with clean loppers. Once a cane has completely died after flowering, cut it to the ground. New suckers will replace it from the cluster base. Protective gloves are essential around fruiting material.