You Should Really Be Washing Your Palm Trees. Here's Why

Palm trees are a wonderful addition to your outdoor areas, and aside from their notoriously tropical aesthetic, they can also live for more than a century with proper care. Palms of all varieties have been around since the beginning of recorded time, even showing up in hieroglyphs as being symbolic of eternal life. Though you may not have been previously aware, giving your palms a good scrub now and then can help keep them healthy and dislodge hidden insects from their foliage.

Amazingly, some varieties can grow up to 200 feet tall, equal to a building with 20 stories! Many species even grow edible fruit like dates and coconuts. While they can tolerate dry climates and prefer full sun, many can be grown and will thrive indoors as well, to add that island vacation vibe to your space. All that said, here are details of why and how to wash your palm trees.

There are actually multiple reasons to wash and keep your palm trees clean, not the least of which is keeping pests to a minimum. Many insects love to hide in the foliage, for example, mealybugs, mites, scale, caterpillars, and aphids, are all common inhabitants that can usually be dislodged with a good washing. Moreover, dirt and other debris after trimming can also be removed by literally washing the palm trees with soap and water on a regular basis.

Scorpions are also known to enjoy lounging around the base and bark of palms, so trimming this area is a big part of cleaning them up. Even worse than that, rats love dead palm fronds. This is why it's important to remove dead, brown foliage right away. Keeping your outdoor palm trees in a clean, well-manicured condition is a valuable asset, boosting curb appeal and offering visual proof of a sense of pride in the property. Promptly removing dead fronds and generally keeping the trees nicely clipped will also reduce the risk of accidental fire or property damage from fallen limbs.

For best results, trim all the dead fronds and bark before washing. To wash your palm trees, grab a ladder if needed and a bucket of warm, soapy water using mild dish soap. You can use either an organic, plant-based dish soap or an insecticidal soap — mix about an ounce of soap to a gallon of warm water. You'll also need a scrubbing brush and a garden hose. 

First, take the hose and spray down the entire tree. Then take the brush and bucket and climb the ladder to where you can reach the top of the tree, or as high as you can safely reach. Use the brush to give all the parts of the tree a nice, gentle scrub. When you're finished washing the palm tree, take the garden hose and thoroughly rinse from the top to the bottom. There's no particular amount of time to wait in between washes, but as a general rule of thumb, do so after each trimming. Palm trees are fairly drought-tolerant once they're established, but it is beneficial to spray them off with the hose now and again, particularly on dry, hot days.