It can be confusing to know how to prune cordylines. Little regular pruning is required. Just remove dead leaves and spent flowers. The response to hard renovation pruning is usually good but best undertaken in mid-spring. Cut back to side-shoots, basal shoots or to ground level. After pruning, encourage new growth by an application of balanced fertilizer in spring.
Create multi-stemmed plants by removing the growing point before growth begins in spring. Remove dieback or winter damage just above a new side-shoot, or cut back to a sound point on the trunk (below rot and damage).


Remove only brown and yellow fronds (leaves) of Cabbage palm using a pole trimmer. Wear safety glasses and gloves. Prune the stems away from the truck. Do not remove green fronds. Remove any flowers, seeds or berries from the tree so energy will be conserved for tolerating any green leaf loss during pruning. Pull away loose boots around the trunk by hand. Do not attempt to cut old trunk boots off with a saw because the trunk can be damaged easily. Use well cleaned and sterilized tools to avoid introducing disease when pruning. Use mulch around the trunk base to cut down on weeds and eliminate the the need for weed eaters which can damage the tree. Save old fronds to add to compost or brush piles. Never cut the top off a palm tree because it will not recover.