Converting a quadruple Christmas Tree Palm to a Triple Christmas Tree Palm

[Sheila Del]

We are currently having a sever shortage of field grown triple Christmas palms in Southwest Florida.  Apparently, our inventory was shipped to some of the various islands devastated by storms/hurricanes this year.  I have a small yard and had planned on putting a field grown 12' field grown Christmas palm in my new landscaping.  I really need the strength of the thicker trunks provided by the palms that are field grown and there are none to be found.  Any thoughts about purchasing a quadruple Christmas palm and cutting off 2 of the 5 trunks?  I realize the shape will be altered but believe the severed trunks can be removed and installed in a manner that the triple palm look is achieved.  I would appreciate some input from those who have done this to their Christmas palms in the past.

Thanks!

[John2468]

I have not done it before, but I’m sure it can be done as Christmas palms don’t clump; they are separate palms planted together.

[Johnny Palmseed]

You can do it but why don’t you just get a quad/quin and leave it alone? When you are talking about removing 1 or 2 you will need to saw it (them) out. It will be impossible to get everything out and you could damage the remaining trunks in the process. Also, you probably will never get the triple look that you desire. It will look like a quad/quin that had 1 or 2 removed. Honestly, you would be better off just buying a smaller triple and letting it grow into the space. Adonidia palms (if that is what you mean by Christmas palm) are pretty quick growers in SFL.

[Looking Glass]

If you need instant gratification, you could get a big multiple, and edit it down, but it will lose its symmetry and you’ll have a cut off stump at ground level for a while, until it rots away over the years.  

If it were me, I wouldn’t even get the triple.   I’d get three small, young, individual singles, prep the site soil very well, plant them close together in the desired pattern, and then push them along with a lot of water and quality palm fertilizer and good amendments.   In the end, you’ll have stronger, healthier, and better rooted trees that way.  But you’ll have to plan ahead and account for mature growth sizes, and care for them, and wait a few years.   
 

 

I’m doing this with these Gaussia princeps, and they are growing fast and filling in nicely.   Gives the roots a bit more space to grow.   

Edited December 7, 2025 by Looking Glass

[Merlyn]

@Sheila Del welcome to PalmTalk!  Given how fast they grow in South FL, you could buy three singles in 1g to 3g, and then just plant them in the pattern you want.  The trunk bases might not be close enough together to get the outwards-to-upwards curve of a triple.  In @Looking Glass' triple you can see the three palms grow mostly straight up instead of having the outwards bow near the bottom.  That may or may not matter to you.

Buying a 4x or 5x planting and cutting 1 or 2 trunks out could definitely work.  The risk to the health of the palms is mostly in the cutting.  If you accidentally cut into the trunk or roots of the 3 you want to keep, it might be a source of fungal/bacterial infection either immediately or some time in the future.  Palms don't "heal" damaged tissue.  A cut root will just die off, but probably not hurt the rest of the palm unless it's just unlucky to get a fungal infection.  To me the only complicated part of cutting 1 or 2 from a 4x or 5x is just finding one that will look "right" with the extras removed.  

As far as actually doing it, I have cut off trunks from clustering palms and multi-planted solo palms with no real problems.  Just be careful with the saw!

[happypalms]

Not a problem with doing that, it should work fine. The only real danger besides apart from accidentally cutting into another trunk is when they start to rot away you may risk a fungal infection, but highly unlikely. Cut away a few years time you won’t even know you cut the other’s away. 

[SeanK]

Ideally, a triplet will space approximately 120° apart. This is Trachycarpus. It doesn't look quite like Chamaerhops, which is a true clumper.

You want them a little different in heights. Start tall enough to aim them apart as they will eventually grow straight up.