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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Palm fronds as mulch?

17 years ago

So we have three big palm trees at our house, and every month or so, my husband has to go trim one or two fronds from each as they slowly dry out and die (I'm told it's normal). The fronds are pretty big, so he cuts the actual leaf parts off the main stem (sorry, I don't know what the real terms are) which is hard and woody enough that I will use them as stakes in the garden. Each big frond results in a pretty sizeable pile of 6" fibrous leaves, though. Would these make a good mulch? Is it possible that they're too tough and water-resistant to do much good? I'm wondering if I should just throw it out, even the city people that collect yard waste to turn it into mulch/compost won't take palm trimmings...

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Comments (6)

dchall_san_antonio
17 years ago
It might make a difference what palm you have. Is it pictured in one of the following links?
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana
Phoenix canariensis
Washingtonia filifera
Mexican fan palm

Some of these might have long spines that would make mulching a hazard for the machine operator, but several could be handled easily with gloves. I would pursue mulching them.

And I wish I had a dime for every fan palm frond I cut. My mother loved those things. They're a LOT easier to cut when they are still even just a little green.
john_bonzo
17 years ago
I would think that shredded fronds would be fine mulch.
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Hi palmbob, I got a reply back from a tree expert: "I have had a good look at the photos and actually relieved to see the tree was in relatively healthy. What I can say is it’s probably worth doing something to try and save this tree, things that you can do yourself could be apply a good layer forest mulch underneath the tree and as far out as you can manage. Secondly head down to the local nursery or hardware store and grab sea sol and water in. The other thing is definitely keep up the water to this palm over the next couple of months, unless you dig the soil and find completely saturated already then hold off on watering." He also suggested a soil injection package at $265 times 2. He didn't mention the wound, but according to a different forum: "if the dripping is coming from the trunks and not the leaves, that's more likely to be a bacterial infection." which may or may not help a bacterial infection, he didn't say. A different blog said "Palm trees do not drip sap so after asking a Tree Doctor he said it looks like "honey"" so it could literally be honey that I am seeing (we do have stingless bees elsewhere in the garden). Still a bit confused!
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I've decided to transform the leaf mould bin into a compost bin sooner rather than later. Instead of emptying out all of the leaves, I've started incorporating grass clippings and kitchen/garden scraps into the bin, making sure it gets a good green/brown ratio. Over time, by turning the existing brown materials in with the new green materials, it should make good compost. The negative about this is that I won't be able to use this stuff for about two years, when I could have actually collected leaf mould in one year. The positive is that compost is more nutrient rich but can also be used the same way, as a top dressing or mulch, for water retention and weed suppression, but giving those plants a boost that leaf mould may not do. I'll work green materials in for about a year (or unless we get it so full that it absolutely can't hold any more) then setup another swimming pool composter up. On appx April 2018, the plan is to collect compost from the first bin. On appx April 2019, I'll collect compost from the 2nd bin. Then, April 2020, from the first bin, and on and on. Meanwhile, I'm slowly building up a small farm, with rabbits, cows, chickens, and eventually, ducks, possibly turkeys, etc. Rabbit poop = instant garden fertilizer + worm food, for vermicomposting, to collect worm castings for the garden, and the worms themselves could feed some fish, for a future aquaponics setup. Cow, chicken, duck, and turkey poop will be composted. As of right now, it's all about slowly moving forward, to try to obtain a balance, where everything works together.
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gardenlen
17 years ago
i used to put my fronds through a shredder that could do the job.

i mostly only had the clean palms - Archontophoenix cunninghamiana where once a frond started to die i could at some stage peel it off while it still had some moisture in it.

with the otehr palms i would cut the leaflet end off the frond before it dies and put that through the shredder, as for in the case of the phoenix palms (dwarf dates) the spikey end went into the rubbish.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page
terran
17 years ago
Down the road there is a Washintonia that has all its fronds covering its torso. Once I really LOOKED, I rather liked the appearance of them still wearing their skirt, so that is the way I left the two we have. I have found that the easiest way to garden is to change my perception. I've also suggested this to clients that I've had; a more relaxed demeanor seems to be the result if the suggestion is taken to heart.

Our neighbor, on the other hand, has theirs trimmed since that is what the previous owner had done. They do not want the fronds so are saved for me. Washingtonias have spines on the 'stems', so I grasp the 'leaf' end to put the stem through the chipper, then the 'leaf' goes into the shredder. The result is 2 or 3 yards of material that I use to cover pathways every year or two.

Terran
no_regrets
Original Author
17 years ago
I think mine are queen palms, the pictures I find online are pretty similar. I don't have a shredder, do you think I could use the "leaflets" without shredding as a coarser mulch?
gardenlen
17 years ago
yes just use the leaflets they will take a bit longer to break down but they will especially if you mulch over the top of them.

len

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