African Tulip tree

[gnjswfla]

Hello, new here and need some advice please. We live in Southwest Florida. Had a guy come to trim limbs off of our African Tulip tree. Instead of trimming, he topped off the 3 trees. I’m very concerned with the way they grow that topping it off has weakened the tree when strong winds come with the hurricanes. Will it still bloom? Should I just cut them down now? So very frustrated and any advice would be greatly appreciated. TIA 

[Cindy Adair]

I think these are beautiful trees and when I lived in Virginia I enjoyed my little one in a pot (moving it in and out of my heated greenhouse) despite knowing it would never bloom.

Now that I live in Puerto Rico I still think they are pretty, but wish there were none on my farm. At least in the tropics these are quite tough trees!

Actually they are weeds, growing new ones if cut pieces are left on the ground. They resprout from the base even if cut flush with the ground. They do often break with strong winds, but pop back soon.

I would think the blooms are delayed, but here, whether you want them or not, in a year they would look just fine again. Maybe someone in your gardening zone will chime in too.

And congrats on your second post on PalmTalk!

 

 

 

[greysrigging]

Not the flavor of the month in the parts of Australia where they thrive.... regarded as a weed and Declared as such in some States. A reasonably common planting in and around Darwin.... another one of the 'old school' plantings in the city and suburbs pre and post Cyclone Tracy in Dec 1974. The trees themselves tend to sucker from their roots, popping up where they're not wanted, every termite and pest insect likes to feed on 'em, and they suffer from dieback, then drop large limbs/branches unexpectedly....... very dangerous in urban areas.
Their worst feature in Australia is their reputation as 'bee killers', particularly our native bees who are poisoned by the toxic nectar in the flowers, thus our native pollinators decline in areas where the tree is prevalent.
https://www.bobthebeeman.com.au/information-documents/african-tulip-tree-ebook/?fbclid=IwAR2h9zfA3x5Dwrp_B4sjN4W_aWQi0ErI6kaXkimX1qxi6sFJziYv3vC7wao
https://www.redlandcitybulletin.com.au/story/6188312/striking-flower-but-its-a-death-trap-for-bees/

[tropicbreeze]

2 hours ago, greysrigging said:

Not the flavor of the month in the parts of Australia where they thrive.... regarded as a weed and Declared as such in some States. A reasonably common planting in and around Darwin.... another one of the 'old school' plantings in the city and suburbs pre and post Cyclone Tracy in Dec 1974. The trees themselves tend to sucker from their roots, popping up where they're not wanted, every termite and pest insect likes to feed on 'em, and they suffer from dieback, then drop large limbs/branches unexpectedly....... very dangerous in urban areas.
Their worst feature in Australia is their reputation as 'bee killers', particularly our native bees who are poisoned by the toxic nectar in the flowers, thus our native pollinators decline in areas where the tree is prevalent.
https://www.bobthebeeman.com.au/information-documents/african-tulip-tree-ebook/?fbclid=IwAR2h9zfA3x5Dwrp_B4sjN4W_aWQi0ErI6kaXkimX1qxi6sFJziYv3vC7wao
https://www.redlandcitybulletin.com.au/story/6188312/striking-flower-but-its-a-death-trap-for-bees/

I have a related tree, Fernandoa magnifica, African Flame (same family). It's not supposed to be weedy but I'm keeping a close watch on it. That article on the bees is a bit of  worry. Going to have to watch its flowers now to see if it does the same. I've a lot of bee species on my place and they're more important to me than this tree.

[chinandega81]

In Florida they aren't weedy. Our poor sandy soils make them grow tall and leggy. They have weak wood and will naturally break apart and be topped on their own or tip over altogether. I think topping them is common in tropical America and they grow back densly and flower better. If you give them a natural open branchin look they are week and are like a sail and more prone to blowing over. I would top mine too or at least cut back tall vertical branching to encourage more horizontal growth and fertilize for them to come back quick and full.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

GNJSWFLA, as you can see, The African Tulip has its problems.  If you think your has problems, wait a year for it to grow out new sprouts and then call a CERTIFIED arborist.  If there is a hazard, the arborist can remove the excess sprouts.  There is no danger now.