Cocos palms are an introduced species from South America. The tropical theme must have been all the rage back in the 1980’s as these trees are everywhere! Whilst they do look tropical they are also a nuisance to the urban environment. The crown of these palm trees are nesting sites for indian minor birds and cockroaches a-plenty. The berries are a food source for fruit bats which poop all over your car, the acidity of it ruins your duco! The dropped berries are a food source for rats and are a also choking hazard to your pets and a trip hazard to unsuspecting humans. It doesn’t end there, think a palm tree has a small root system? Wrong! The little finger roots of palms get into all pipes and drainage ditches, their mass of roots will expand to push over walls and encroach on pools.
What to do? We recommend replacing your unwanted cocos palms with Aussie native trees or native palms such as the bangalow palm – a much more gentle and attractive species. The bangalow palm is self cleaning and is much less of a habitat for unwanted nasties as is the cocos palm.
Here is a video showing the first step – repurpose your cocos palm into mulch.