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Taking down a fully-grown palm tree all by yourself is a tedious task. This is why most homeowners rather have a tree removal service do the dirty job, even though it costs a penny.
In my opinion, this is by far the best way to get rid of those gigantic palms in or around the yard. And we clearly stated why in this article “How To Remove A Queen Palm Tree.”
So if you’d rather stick with that method, go check that out.
However, this page will discuss a similar strategy, just this time making money with it. I’m talking about having a company remove your palm and buy it for a considerable amount.
We will also touch on some easier ways how to get rid of a palm tree, like burning, using a grinding machine, and going dirty with chemicals.
So stay tuned for all of that!
How To Get Rid Of A Palm Tree
1. Have A Company Remove It For A Quick Bucks
I learned about selling your palms (even without a single fruit), not until a close buddy of mine who lived in Miami sold his.
Then, I had just gone through the most intense removal experience of my life, overcoming my Palmetto-threaten yard —which I also wrote an article on.
Had I known, selling it would have been my best bet. But at the end of the day, I’m glad I didn’t.
Not only did it help me better understand the aggressive and dominant nature of Palmetto, but it also helped me come up with a way to handle it.
I summed up my thoughts on everything about how to remove a palmetto tree.
So YEAH! A few varieties of palm trees are valuable, like the Kentia Palm and Chilean Wine Palms species.
And there is a strong possibility you can make decent money uprooting them rather than destroying them.
Common trees like Queen Palm and Mexican Fan won’t move the market. So you might consider the opposite —paying to get it removed.
It costs a tree company around $500 to $1000 daily for the insurance, equipment, fuel, and labor.
Although, it depends on the tree size and how many they are.
Hence, before this method could work, it must be a sort-after palm species.
I live in Florida, and one of the largest collectors of specimen palms is Sunscape. They have been around since 1989 with an amazing number of customer reviews.
However, if you live outside of Florida, surf the internet for some reliable tree companies that pay well for palm.
Like Suncape, each company has its own requirement. Once met, you can have a deal.
Some will demand:
- Name
- Number
- Address (whether or not your location is accessible and possible utilities)
- Pictures of the palm from a few angles and more.
2. Girdling or Ring Barking
Girdling is a powerful technique to kill a standing tree. And it is also effective on palms.
It is SO effective that it is one of the leading causes of accident tree deaths each year —just chop off the bark, and the entire thing comes scrambling.
You get a much quicker result because of the science behind the action.
When you remove a section of the bark and cambium from the tree trunk, you hamper the movement of water and nutrients in the tree. This stops growth and threatens survival.
Death is inevitable but will take several months.
But to accelerate the process, many gardeners use herbicides after girdling.
Dosing this tree poison into those exposed areas is a surefire way to eliminate a palm.
This is how you do it:
You need a chisel and a hammer. Some use a hatchet.
Select the most accessible section of the trunk. Then begin working from there in a circumference.
Sometimes even girdling halfway could still bring the tree to its roots.
But drill through the vulnerable open and pour in your desired herbicides.
3. Soil Treatment
Targeting the herbicide straight to the soil is another option worth considering. It quickly attacks the plant root, which is faster than the ring barking strategy.
Aside from destroying the main trunk, it kills all existing and future shoots. This is especially usually when dealing with palmetto trees.
The only disadvantage is it also affects the soil’s efficacy in supporting life, as it hampers the pH, nutrients, and microbes.
I’d recommend using Tordon for a faster result.
4. Grinding Up The Palm Tree Stump
If you are left with just the tree stump, you can rest a stump grinder for about $190 to $270 per day. However, you will need a truck to haul it.
Grinding is another DIY alternative, although it involves using machinery and a truck to
This is the fastest way to eliminate a palm tree root. You don’t have to break the sweat using shovels or wait months for any chemical to work.
Conclusion
I have seen most homeowners set their palms ablaze. YES! Burning is another alternative but it should be on your list’s bottom.
It sounds straightforward to do. However, it could run wild and cause your grief if not tamed. Moreover, burning is highly prohibited in most regions. You MUST obtain a permit before you can do anything.
Aside from that, it is not environmentally friendly.
Among all the methods, having a company remove and pay you for the palms sounds like a gold mine.
But if the tree isn’t valued, option two looks promising.
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