Varnish on a palm?

[miamicuse]

I didn't know this is a thing, until I ran into this Craigslist ad.

sylvester palm trees

The ad says "diamond cut & varnish call for pricing today".  I can imagine what the diamond cut is, but don't understand the "varnish" part...but the picture does show the palm with some sort of shiny coating on it.

So I googled it and it appears this is a service that's offered in South Florida, they come and do the diamond cutting, and then they put a coat of something on it.  Some said it's shellac some said polyurethane, not sure but it gives it a "pineapple" look.

Here is a link to a Facebook video made by someone advertising it.  Apparent;y it needs to be done every 5-6 months.  Not my thing but does this harm the palms?

[Merlyn]

You are probably right, they cut it and then immediately spray it with furniture topcoat - either polyurethane or something like spar varnish.  Shellac hasn't been used since the 1950s, so whoever said that is probably wrong.    But that's just semantics, like saying "Kleenex" vs "facial tissue."  Most people use a variety of urethane these days.  Based on the color I don't think they are staining it, but I guess you could use one of the "polyshades" if you really wanted to.  Theoretically it just seals out the air to prevent the normal oxidation of dead tissue, but I'd imagine that it doesn't work 100%.  It might promote rot if water is trapped in there.  But it's probably not a good enough seal to really trap moisture.  So who knows...

[Billeb]

  On 9/14/2022 at 12:28 PM, miamicuse said:

 

 

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It sure looks cool. Is it healthy/ok for the tree??!?….no clue. 
 

-dale

[rprimbs]

Is the varnish to 'seal' the cut ends like you do on a tree when you paint the cut surfaces with latex and water?

[miamicuse]

  On 9/15/2022 at 12:39 AM, rprimbs said:

Is the varnish to 'seal' the cut ends like you do on a tree when you paint the cut surfaces with latex and water?

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The ends are cut very close to an inverted triangle, and whatever varnish they use is applied over the trunk...I don't know if they brush or spray.  But the cut ends being freshly cut will not stain much.  It can't be too healthy for the plant if this is done over and over again as it fades and these services will offer a maintenance schedule to come do it like twice a year.

Edited September 15, 2022 by miamicuse

[PalmatierMeg]

Someone values appearance and decorative “wow” factors over substance & living things.

[Lief]

I planted two Sylvester Palms almost three years ago.   They came with a diamond patterned cut.

I'm unsure if they had been treated with sealers, as it was never mentioned.   The trees are growing nicely and look healthy, but a few diamonds are getting brittle and breaking off.  A friend told me that applying the varnish/polyurethane would prevent this.  I was looking for the right product and discovered this site. I'm finding more questions than answers online, though.  I'll call some of the local nurseries to see what they say.  

 As an observer, it seems a service to the tree, cutting its lower palm branches when they get huge instead of being ripped off in a strong wind. This is just an observation. If you are going to cut them, it's not much extra work to make them into a diamond pattern.   I've seen full-grown ones at resorts that look healthy and beautiful. I've also seen ones that were not maintained with bark that looked blackish, similar to what is happening to the bark that is breaking off.    Does anyone have a definitive answer as to whether there is a product that is safe for the tree?    I wouldn't do it more than once a year and probably push it off every two or three years if it didn't harm the tree.   

 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

I don’t think it’s very harmful otherwise it wouldn’t be such a common practice. Regardless, it doesn’t appeal to me much. I like the natural look and it turns out the same in the long run.