Palms are everywhere on the Gulf Coast: the native sabal palmetto along the bay, Washingtonias lining driveways in west Mobile, pindo and Canary Island date palms in front yards from Spring Hill to Fairhope. They need less than people give them. The dead brown fronds hanging below the crown, the seed pods that drop and sprout everywhere, and the loose boots on the trunk come off; the green fronds stay. The rule of thumb is a clock face: nothing above a line from 9 to 3 gets cut. A palm pruned up into a feather duster has lost the leaves it uses to make food and the buffer that protects the growing bud, and it goes into the next storm weaker than it would have been untouched.
Palms are also good in wind. Sabal palmettos bend and shed fronds rather than breaking, which is why they're still standing on Dauphin Island after storms that took the pines. The exception is a palm planted too close to the house or a line, or a Washingtonia that has grown past 60 feet and started to lean; those are removals, and a tall palm comes down the same way a pine does, in sections from a bucket or with a crane.
Timing is simple: trim after the seed pods form and before hurricane season, usually late spring, and again in fall if the dead fronds have built up. Palm fronds don't chip well, so they're hauled rather than mulched, and the City's trash rules mean a pile of fronds longer than 6 feet won't be collected at the curb anyway. We take them.
What's included
Dead fronds and seed pods only
The brown fronds below the crown and the pods come off; green fronds above the 9-to-3 line stay.
No hurricane cuts
We don't strip a palm to a few upright fronds. It weakens the tree and the bud it protects.
Boots cleaned on request
Loose trunk boots removed for a cleaner look, or left for the native texture.
Tall palms from a bucket
Washingtonias and Canary Island dates trimmed from a bucket truck, not spiked.
Palm removal
Overgrown or leaning palms taken down in sections, stump ground.
Fronds hauled
Palm fronds don't chip and the City won't collect them at the curb. We haul every one.
Palm trimming cost in Mobile, AL
| Job | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sabal palmetto, trimmed | $75 – $200 | Fronds, pods and boots |
| Washingtonia or Canary Island date, under 30 ft | $150 – $350 | From a bucket |
| Tall Washingtonia, over 30 ft | $300 – $650 | Bucket or climbed |
| Row of palms, each | $60 – $150 | Setup shared |
| Palm removal, with stump | $400 – $1,500 | Height and access set the price |
| Frond haul-off | Included | Nothing left at the curb |
These are 2026 Mobile-area ranges to help you budget. Your written price is itemized (climb or bucket work, rigging, chipping and haul-off, stump grinding, crane time, the City permit when one applies) and good for 30 days.
Recent work
Questions we get about palm trimming
Should I have my palms cut back before hurricane season?
Dead fronds and seed pods, yes. Green fronds, no. A palm stripped to a few upright fronds is weaker in wind, not stronger, and the bud it protects is exposed. Sabal palms survive hurricanes by bending and shedding; let them.
How often should palms be trimmed?
Once or twice a year: late spring after the seed pods form, and fall if the dead fronds have built up.
Why are the lower fronds turning yellow?
Often a nutrient deficiency, especially potassium and magnesium, which is common in sandy Gulf Coast soil. A palm-specific fertilizer helps; cutting off the yellow fronds doesn't, because the palm is pulling nutrients from them into the new growth.
Can you remove the seed pods so they stop sprouting?
Yes. Cutting the pods before the berries ripen ends the sprouts in the beds, and it's included in a trim.
Do you climb palms with spikes?
No. Spikes wound the trunk and the wounds never heal on a palm. Tall palms are trimmed from a bucket truck.
Can a leaning palm be straightened?
A young one, sometimes. A tall Washingtonia that has started to lean over a driveway or a line is a removal.