On 3/12/12 1:50 PM, mtuk100 wrote:
I have two very large palms (Cordyline australis, the Cabbage Palm) at
front and rear of my house. They are around 15 feet high and blocking
light to my house and potentially causing subsidence. Can they be
pruned back to half their size (would require removal of all foliage)
without killing them or do they need to be removed? Thanks. Martin

Cordyline is not a true palm. It is more closely related to century
plants (agaves) and yuccas. The cabbage palm is Sabal palmetto.

Cutting a true palm will usually kill it. It will not produce new
shoots from the old trunk.

Cutting a cordyline will often cause it to produce new shoots. However,
I generally take the top, remove most of the lower leaves, and then root
it as a cutting. I then discard the base.

It would be best to have your plant carefully identified before cutting
it.

I'm not sure why any plant would cause subsidence. Some trees cause
heaving by their surface roots, but that is the opposite of subsidence.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary