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68 | Gazette Life | February 2026GAZETTE | GARDENINGDavid Riebold offers pruning tips and suggests other ways to preserve and maintain Lanzarote%u2019s unique palm trees. I have read that there are more trees on Earth than stars in our galaxy - unfortunately that%u2019s not nearly enough trees! As well as planting them, existing trees need care, which includes intelligent pruning.There are many reasons to prune a tree: obviously removing any branches that have become diseased or that cause an obstruction is important, but it also pays to think ahead. If a branch is growing towards a pathway or a nice view, remove it before it becomes a problem. It is simple to prune properly, but a bit easier to do it badly, and the sad results of poor pruning are everywhere.One thing I have learnt from a lifetime of science teaching is that something is best remembered if the reasons behind it are understood, so here is a quick explanation of the way a tree copes with damage or disease. Trees lack the active immune system of humans, which involves antibodies - chemicals that are precisely designed to counteract whatever invading germ gets inside us. The best explanation of a tree%u2019s response to infection was developed by the pioneering tree scientist Alex Shigo, in a theory he named CODIT (Compartmentalization of Decay in Trees). This means that when a branch suffers damage or infection, the tree forms internal barriers that seal that area off from the rest of the tree, limiting the spread of decay. Eventually, the damaged branch may dry up and fall off, and the final step is the growth of bark to seal the wound left by the missing branch.Understanding and using this sealing mechanism is the key to successful pruning. As the diagram above shows, there is often a clearly visible %u201cbranch collar%u201d, a slightly thicker region where a Palm problemswww.mandragoragarden.com %u2022 mandragoragarden@yahoo.es %u2022 Tel.: 659 81 27 53SPECIALISTS IN NATURAL & HIGH QUALITYARTIFICIAL GRASSLanzarote%u2019s palms have had a tough time recently.