Hi,
I have a gorgeous, huge bamboo palm - 12 feet high - taking advantage of the 12 foot ceiling in my current apartment!!!

Sadly I'm moving to a new apartment with normal ceiling height: 8 feet.

Am I going to mortally damage the tallest fronds by cutting them down?

What's the best way to do this to minimise any lasting damage?

Will the cuttings grow if I re-plant them?

Last question: How to best protect the plant from the cold during the move? wrapped in newspaper?

Thanks for any advice!
cheers,
Stephen in Toronto, Canada

The bamboo palm, aka Chamaedorea Seifrizii, the fronds will most likely need to be trimmed down because once they bend the will be no good. The plant can take shaping very easily and actually does better if you do it ocassionally to help it keep its form better. When trimming it, I wouldn't trim more the a 1/3 of the total plant off so it doesn't go into too much shock. As for transporting it, wrapping it in newapaper of paper is best, never use plastic. Limit the time it is exposed to the elements and never leave it in a cold/cool vehicle or or moving van for very long. The cooler it is the shorter amount of time it takes to kill tropical plants.

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Operational Manager at
Earl May Nursery and Garden Center in Ames, Iowa