How To Stop A Palm Tree From Growing Taller? Try These 5 Tips!

You might have seen palm trees once in your life. They are associated with the tropics, but some may also grow in more temperate climates or indoors.

Whenever you picture a tropical scene, it probably will always include palm trees. Many home gardeners cultivate palms to add an instant tropical flair to almost any space, whether indoors or outdoors.

Not only do these palm trees add a tropical vibe to your space, but they also beautify and refresh the space with their presence.

These trees are capable of growing for over a century and have different varieties; around 3,000 species from more than 200 genera and range in height from as small as 3 feet to more than 200 feet tall, depending upon the species.

Most of these trees are also well-known for their large sizes.

They have ever-green, long, and large leaves that are used for various purposes. These trees love moist soil and require a lot of water for their growth.

Although palm trees appear tough and strong from the outside, they have a fragile trunk, which, if damaged, can result in the whole tree dying in a few days.

Hence one must be very careful while pruning these trees to upgrade the space outlook.

With that said, many people have been questioning, “how to stop a palm tree from growing taller Continue to read so you know why people stop palm trees from growing tall, and 5 easy tricks for how to do so.

Why Stop Palm Trees From Growing Tall

One of the reasons for this question to be asked so frequently is because if you allow palm trees to grow by themselves unwatched, they will grow as tall as they can, and you may find your palm trees growing into your neighbors’ spaces.

Since no one wants to get complaints regularly from their neighbors about how the fronds are littering their compound or how the fruits falling into their compounds are attracting pests, one must find ways to stop them from growing tall.

Another important reason for stopping palm trees from growing excessively tall is that they use the same energy to produce fruits and flowers that the tree uses to grow taller.

To have a greater yield of flowers or a blooming garden of trees full of flowers, it is necessary to channel the tree’s energy in doing so by limiting the height of the tree. 

And lastly, because the beauty palm trees add to the space, many people want to keep them as indoor plants and hence want them to stop growing taller.

If you are also someone who is facing such problems problem with the size of your palm tree, then we will help you by providing you with some ways and methods to keep the palm tree short in size.

This will maintain the tropical vibe of your space while allowing you to let them grow to the height that best suits you and your space.

How To Stop A Palm Tree From Growing Taller?

1. Grow Short Species Of Palm Trees

The simplest and easy way to stop a palm tree from growing taller is by simply growing species of palm trees that are smaller in size in the first place.

It will not only give the tropic vibe but will also add grace to your space while keeping you safe from the hustle of pruning, cutting, and shaping it every other day.

There are about 3000 palm tree species, or even more than that. This great number allows you to choose from a large scale when it comes to planting palm trees.

The palmetto, parlour, and licuala are two well-known dwarf species of palm trees. These trees grow about one foot a year only.

Also, the parlour is the most miniature palm tree available. It only grows about 2 feet long and then stops growing.

It is one of the best species of palm trees to keep indoors and on rooftops to add greenery and freshness to the space.

If you are looking for palm trees to keep outdoors but are also not too tall to occupy other people’s space, you may choose between pigmy dates, hard Mediterranean fan palms, or windmill palms that are also prized for their drought-hardiness.

These are also from the small side species and grow to a maximum height of 9-12 feet.

2. Cut The Palm Tree

If you have already planted a palm tree, that too from the taller specie, then you can keep the tree short by cutting it.

A particular cutting style is used for this method. This style is known as the hurricane-cutting method.

It is a method where by you prune palms by removing all the fronds of your palm tree, leaving behind only the youngest few leaves in an attempt.

The best way to execute this method is by clipping the fronds you have planned to cut. When they turn yellow-brown, cut them down.

This way plant’s nutrients will be transported to other fronds, and you will not waste them by cutting the green fronds.

This will halt the growth process, and your palm plant will stop growing in height.

The hurricane method would also create a more wind-resistant palm tree. The fewer the leaves, the less wind has to grab onto them.

This way, you will not only have a palm tree just of your desired height but also one that has a better chance of survival in heavy winds and storms.

Also, it is said that if you trim the palm tree fronds often, then the tree will eventually shorten in size.

3. Stress Train Palm Trees

Palm trees grow smaller in size if they are stressed and trained. To do so, bend the stems of the tree once it reaches about 6 to 7 feet tall.

The bending pressure should be enough to cause the bending effect towards the plant’s pot but not be strong enough to cause the stem to break.

You would need to keep bending it daily to see the desired results. The tree will stop growing or at least have a shorter size with the passage of time.

This method is significantly effective if you are working on indoor plants. Stress training stops their height from increasing and will also add up to the overall volume giving your space a fuller look.

4. Less Sunlight

Palm trees thrive when exposed to sunlight. Like all other plants, they grow taller in the direction of light. If there is less light, they will most likely grow slowly.

Considering this, a smart move would be to plant the palm tree in your garden where the sun exposure is minimal.

You can also control the palm tree height by using LED lights. There are many other light options available too, but LED lights are not too strong and will not burn the plant.

You can effectively control the Palm tree’s height by controlling the direction of the LED light, too, which affects the plant growth in late hours.

5. Roots Manipulation

Another thing that you can do to stop your palm tree from growing taller is to manipulate your tree roots. Dig into the soil near the palm tree to expose the roots of the tree.

Then, cut the extensive and intense roots of the tree and leave the small root. In this way, they will not get too many nutrients and stop growing taller.

You can also slow an indoor palm plant’s growth by creating conditions that crowd its roots. Instead of transplanting your palm into a larger container as it grows, leave it in the smaller container.

 If the roots don’t have room to grow, the palm’s growth will slow down. The same holds good for outdoor palms in planters.

If your palm is already in a large container, it will be better to transport it in a smaller container. While you are doing this, ensure to cut the long solid roots.

This will also cease the growth of your palm plant. However, be careful if the outdoor palm tree has grown high enough that it’s threatening to impact power lines or another overhead hazard; in such circumstances, it should be done only by a professional company.

The Bottom Line

All in all, palm trees have a large variety of trees that you can choose from. If you do not want your palm tree to grow too tall, then it is suggested to simply buy the dwarf species of the tree.

However, if you have already chosen from any of the other species and you are looking for tricks to slow or cease their growth, especially the height, you may try trimming the palm tree by hurricane method, stress training them, manipulating their roots or plant them somewhere with less sunlight.

Lastly, it is up to you to decide which way suits you the best according to the space you have.