How to Prune a Palo Verde
Native to South America and Mexico, palo verde trees (Parkinsonia spp.) stand out with their green bark and bright yellow spring flowers. Depending upon the specific variety, these deciduous trees grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Palo verde trees thrive in full sun and dry, fast-draining soils. Most palo verde trees grow vigorously and have spreading, rounded habits that require pruning at least once per year. The best time to prune is in the late winter while the trees remain dormant.
Put on pants made of thick material, such as denim, a long-sleeved, heavy work shirt, heavy gloves, safety glasses and a hat. Choose sturdy clothing and gear that will cover your skin and shield your face and head, offering protection against the palo verde tree's sharp thorns.
Remove dead branches that have brown bark, cutting 1/4 inch above the branch bark collar, or swollen ring of tissue where the branch meets the trunk. Prune broken branches containing splits, cracks or jagged ends, cutting 1/4 inch above an outward facing lateral branch or bud located below the break. Use pruning shears to cut limbs less than 3/4 inch in diameter, loppers to cut diameters of 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches and a pruning saw for diameters greater than 1 1/2 inches.
Cut off low-hanging branches that droop downward and impede passing traffic. Remove branches growing lower than 5 to 6 feet off the ground if the palo verde tree is growing along a footpath, driveway or street.
Cut out branches in the canopy that cross or rub against other limbs. Remove limbs with crotch angles less than 45 degrees or greater than 90 degrees, preventing these weak branches from breaking and splitting into the trunk.
Remove water sprouts, or shoots growing straight upward in the tree's canopy, that have a diameter of 1/4 inch or greater. Cut out vigorous growing limbs that detract from the overall shape of the tree's canopy.
Prune out any suckers growing from the tree's trunk, base or surrounding ground. Cut the suckers off at or below ground level.
- Trees and Shrubs for the Southwest: Woody Plants for Arid Gardens; Mary Irish
- Arizona State University: Parkinsonia Praecox
- Arizona State University: Parkinsonia Aculeata
- Arizona Cooperative Extension: Mesquite and Palo Verde Trees for the Urban Landscape
- Foothills Community Foundation Desert Awareness Committee: Tree Growth and Pruning
- Sonoran Tree Service: Properly Removing a Branch!
- Do not remove more than 20 to 25 percent of the tree's total growth during a single pruning session, as the remaining branches and bark become more prone to injury from sunburn.
- Palo verde branches on some varieties contain dangerously sharp thorns that grow in pairs near the leaf buds. Always wear protective clothing and move carefully around these trees when pruning to avoid injury.