Tree VS Palm

[miamicuse]

I want to share some interesting predicament where a palm was planted too close to a big tree.  I purchased this property several years ago and on each side of the yard I have a shaving brush tree (Edobombax Ellipticum) that grew big and are getting too close to palms.  These trees have a very large root system, one of it's roots pushed up a 40"X40" concrete slab on which my air conditioning compressor sits and tilted that slab by about 10 degrees off level.  That slab is over twenty feet away from the tree and the palms are right next to or on top of the tree.

WEST SIDE YARD

On the west side here is an overall view.  On the left is the palm, not sure what species, may be a Christmas palm, on the right is the tree.

A closer look.  You can see there is a crack vertically from the base all the way up through the palm.

View from the other side of the crack and you can see at the base the tree and palm are basically touching.

This is another angle and if you look close enough, you can actually see through this crack.

and if I look up the cracks continues into multiple small cracks as high as 20 feet up.

What is amazing to me, is that this palm is still alive and shooting out spears on top like nothing is happening.  I am guessing this wasn't intentionally planted, may be a palm seed germinated close to the tree.  Then it grew and as the tree grew it pushed up on the palm and cracked it into two from the base.

EAST SIDE YARD

On the other side is also an Edobombax Ellipticum and adjacent to it is a pair of Livistona Chinensis.  These were probably intentionally planted as the Livistona Chinensis are planted in series at equal spacing.  But the one closest to the camera is right next to the Edobombax Ellipticum with the main trunk 24" in diameter.

Side by side shot.

At the base.

Do you think the palms will be lifted up and cracked like the other one?  Just a matter of time or they may coexist peacefully?

Edited September 5, 2021 by miamicuse

[WaianaeCrider]

Wow!  That's one NASTY tree.  I'd get rid of both of them.  I had a banyan that was cracking cement 45 years ago.  It was about 4'diameter and I hired a guy to cut it down.  Not so sure about the palm.  Looks like you can see straight through the crack to the other side.

[Kailua_Krish]

Nothing to add but Pseudobombax are beautiful trees. I’d just wait and see on the palms, the cracked one looks thin enough not to do mage too much if it fell

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

I'd remove both of the  Edobombax Ellipticum trees.  They are definitely beautiful trees, but they are the wrong choice for a smaller space / close to a home / driveway etc.    As you are experiencing they will damage homes / driveways, walkways / patios, and apparently other trees as well.   This is a case of wrong tree wrong place. 

[Silas_Sancona]

10 hours ago, Kailua_Krish said:

Nothing to add but Pseudobombax are beautiful trees. I’d just wait and see on the palms, the cracked one looks thin enough not to do mage too much if it fell

^ X2 for the Pseudobombax  ..w/ out any hesitation., particularly if the pink flowered variety ( far rarer, harder to find )..  Leave what palms are there to live out what life they have but not add in any others.

Another option ( if you have the room somewhere else ) Pseudobombax can be started pretty easily from cuttings and/or seed.  Way too unique of a tree to completely get rid of.

[Kailua_Krish]

10 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

^ X2 for the Pseudobombax  ..w/ out any hesitation., particularly if the pink flowered variety ( far rarer, harder to find )..  Leave what palms are there to live out what life they have but not add in any others.

Another option ( if you have the room somewhere else ) Pseudobombax can be started pretty easily from cuttings and/or seed.  Way too unique of a tree to completely get rid of.

I didn't know that about the cuttings/seeds. There is one at the hospital here that was allegedly planted by the Queen's (of Hawaii's) personal physician and Ive thought about seeing if I could grow one.

[Silas_Sancona]

12 minutes ago, Kailua_Krish said:

I didn't know that about the cuttings/seeds. There is one at the hospital here that was allegedly planted by the Queen's (of Hawaii's) personal physician and Ive thought about seeing if I could grow one.

Can't remember the persons name atm but there is someone there in Hawaii ( or on one of the islands ) that sells both seedling ( occasionally ) and cutting -started ( more often ) plants.. Pretty easy from cuttings w/ lots of heat.. Seed is as easy as Floss Silk / other species of Ceiba / Bombax.  Seedlings are often stronger than cutting started plants though, or is what was explained to me in the past. I'd grow either myself ( seed esp. if i knew of a reliable source for them. ).

White flowered var. is common enough in CA ( and here in AZ ).  Might be more, but have seen pictures of only one pink flowered tree in California myself.. Come across more of those in FL.  Have noticed the White flowered form doesn't go through as attention getting of a color change ( foliage ) that the pink ones do.

[PalmatierMeg]

If I had those trees and they were attacking the foundations of my house & ac - they gotta go now! They will never "make peace" with anyone or anything. I'd toss the cracked Adonidia too. You got so many better choices than a hack palm like that.

One thing I found out from Irma: Most landscape tropical trees are major hurricane hazards that will shatter, uproot and trash anything and everything they can reach. I'm talking rainbow eucalyptus, poincianas, African tulip trees, mahoe, common eucalyptus, tabebuia, silk floss, black olive - you name it and it will fall during a major hurricane. Cost us $3,500 to clean up the mess. Out of 100s of palms, we lost 5. Fortunately, we planted the accursed tropical trees far from the house, which suffered no damage but a bent gutter.

[sonoranfans]

Yeah Im with Meg on this one, after IRMA all I saw getting knocked down was trees, no palm trees at all. I removed a ceiba pink princess(sill floss cross) cause it was too close to the house producing tho3 huge roots and it was apparently not going to be the small tree I was told.  I also removed an ethrythrina variegata which would pro ably have fallen (it was 9' on my house) in IRMA.  Established palms just drop or snap leaves they dont fall down.  The tiny roots of palms don't lift up concrete either, I have 3 large palms at 9-10' from the slab, I am not worried at all.  

[PalmatierMeg]

I credit having layers of large, tall palms surrounding our house on all sides taking the brunt of Irma's winds instead of the house. I saw videos of Sabal palms taking on Ida's winds at landfall. They weren't fazed a bit. Not one frond broke. Unbelievably tough palms.

[chinandega81]

I will take a different view. The palms you have next to the trees are very common and nothing unique. The trees on the other hand are uncommon and beautiful. I would strike a compromise. The one with roots interfering with the AC could go (as well as the cracked palm). That space could be opened up for whatever you want.

The other tree next to the two Livistona could stay. It has a beautiful form. Yes, tropical trees break apart in hurricanes, that is how they have evolved to survive them in their environments. Plenty of palms topple too in storms. Regardless, that is what proper pruning is for, to avoid serious damage. I would take out the Livistona and plant something else under the canopy that would appreciate sun and shade throughout the year.

[D Palm]

If you are like me and enjoy having a house and electricity, axe those trees and split palm. Gumbo Limbo is an excellent replacement as it can take heavy winds. They can, like most trees, lift sidewalks and crack pavement. Non-Native trees that don’t experience high winds in native habitat are a problem for FL homeowners.  Miami has been spared from major hurricanes for a long time, imagine if those trees uproot during the next big one…only palms I have ever seen uprooted were new plantings and poorly maintained Queens.

[mnorell]

While I agree with most of the above about removing big dicot trees that are planted too close to foundations and houses, and keeping palms alone within throw of a house in a hurricane zone, I will add that there is a large Pseudobombax ellipticum planted a couple of blocks from our house on Big Pine Key (Ground Zero for Irma's right eyewall), on a property separated from open ocean by only two houses, with a canal on the other side. To my amazement, that tree held strong while so many other dicot trees around were thrashed or destroyed. It defoliated but leafed back out and is fine today. Mind you this is not only with all that wind (including tornadoes) but being under about 7-8 ft of ocean (higher with waves) in that exposed location. But they are humongous trees if allowed to grow for many years in a warm, humid climate. There are some huge pink Pseudobombax in Key West and one look at them would probably be enough to convince anyone to take care with selecting an appropriate long-term planting site, at least in Florida. In California/Arizona it would, I think, be much less of an issue, certainly in the coastal areas, where they grow rather slowly and probably would never attain such sizes.

[Silas_Sancona]

35 minutes ago, mnorell said:

While I agree with most of the above about removing big dicot trees that are planted too close to foundations and houses, and keeping palms alone within throw of a house in a hurricane zone, I will add that there is a large Pseudobombax ellipticum planted a couple of blocks from our house on Big Pine Key (Ground Zero for Irma's right eyewall), on a property separated from open ocean by only two houses, with a canal on the other side. To my amazement, that tree held strong while so many other dicot trees around were thrashed or destroyed. It defoliated but leafed back out and is fine today. Mind you this is not only with all that wind (including tornadoes) but being under about 7-8 ft of ocean (higher with waves) in that exposed location. But they are humongous trees if allowed to grow for many years in a warm, humid climate. There are some huge pink Pseudobombax in Key West and one look at them would probably be enough to convince anyone to take care with selecting an appropriate long-term planting site, at least in Florida. In California/Arizona it would, I think, be much less of an issue, certainly in the coastal areas, where they grow rather slowly and probably would never attain such sizes.

Agree w/ this, esp. considering where this tree grows ..pretty much all over Mexico, inc the Yucatan / Caribbean where i'm sure trees are subjected to major hurricanes every so often. Don't recall any of the specimens i remember in either Bradenton or Sarasota suffering serious damage during Irma either..  That said, none were massive. One closest to where i'd lived at that time was planted in a very narrow strip in a parking lot. Don't recall it lifting the Asphalt / planter " curbs "  nearby.  Regardless, part of the reason these can make fantastic Bonsai / Caudiciform-type container subjects is because they can get quite big in somewhat confined spaces.


As far as size in less humid places, that's an interesting thought.. White being the most common out west, there are a few good sized ones around.. Being practically non existent out there, it would be hard to say how big pink ones might get -in an ideal location. Pink form definitely seem to need a little more heat / maybe pouts a little more during cooler wetter winters out there..  Was looking over the iNat profile for the species and came across several large, pink flowered specimens in of all places, Hermosillo, Sonora.. which can be about as hot ( and dry < maybe drier >, ..most of the time ) as Phoenix, yet there are none here ( that i have come across or heard about anyway ).

As far as other dicot trees go, some are definitely stronger than others, even within the same genus.. Rainbow Eucs / many " Gum " Trees commonly planted in CA / here in AZ  are weak wooded / can suffer pretty significant damage easily during high wind events.  On the other hand, Corymbia paupana /  some others are said to be much tougher..  Same rule applies w/ Tabebuia / Handroanthus, ...there are sp. that hold up well while others don't.. Pretty sure most Erythrina / are generally weak..  African Tulip?, weak for sure.

[mnorell]

In re Pseudobombax and the coastal areas out west, I can only speak from my experiences with a 5-6' specimen I planted (P. ellipticum white form) in the Los Feliz district of Los Angeles (eastern Hollywood area) around 1990, and it was slow, though it flowered at that size. And now, after 30 years, it looks from Google Street View to be about 15 feet tall, rather spindly, and in fact looking at Street View history it doesn't seem to have put on much size in the last 15 years. Of course that slow growth could just be from lack of attention. There is (perhaps "was" by now) also a white-flowered specimen labeled as (and may or not be) Pseudobombax grandiflorum, planted at the top of Tallac Knoll at the L.A. Arboretum in Arcadia. That was a pretty large tree in the mid/late '80s when I was tracking a lot of those plants. It flowered every year and was very nice-looking. I believe it was planted in the late '50s. Other than those two, I never remember seeing Pseudobombax planted around L.A. or anywhere in SoCal for that matter, though they are obviously sold by specialty nurseries and must be planted around after all these years. Many I think wind up in bonsai dishes. An under-represented genus to be sure. And I do think there are specimens in Phoenix/southern Arizona, I remember reading posts here about how well they did there during a freeze.

In re the other trees you mention, I can say that on Big Pine Key during Irma, my two large Spathodea, as well a a large tree in a parking-lot on the Overseas Highway, held firm in the ground, though they lost lots of branches to be sure. It was the saltwater inundation that ultimately did them all in. There is an Erythrina variegata v. orientalis a few blocks away that was physically damaged (lost branches) but it is alive today. That species is known for its extreme saltwater tolerance and it held up true to that reputation. Its much bigger problem is damage from the gall wasp, and I have never seen it looking good for that reason.

And Tabebuia aurea/argentea/caraiba gets a bad rap, though I think distinctions should be made. My own observations, including those I saw in the Miami area right after Irma, were that younger and/or obviously recently installed specimens were thrown over, while many established trees did pretty well. They have no problem with saltwater inundation. There is a large, established specimen with a large trunk on the western side of Big Pine Key right next to the highway where there was tremendous damage around it, and it did fine and looks beautiful to this day. Old, established trees in Key West also did well. That species, when it is young, has an unusually flexible, almost rubbery trunk and wants staking. It does harden up as the tree gets some maturity. So undoubtedly that factor, plus time to allow deep root-penetration into the substrate, has a lot to do with survival in extreme wind events. I've never seen it planted in the southwestern deserts (I am growing up some seedlings for trial in Rancho Mirage) but I would think they would have a "firmer" growth habit there, and be otherwise very well adapted in hot desert areas that get little frost, since they seem to need some heat and can handle dry conditions admirably.

[miamicuse]

On 9/5/2021 at 11:03 AM, Silas_Sancona said:

^ X2 for the Pseudobombax  ..w/ out any hesitation., particularly if the pink flowered variety ( far rarer, harder to find )..  Leave what palms are there to live out what life they have but not add in any others.

Another option ( if you have the room somewhere else ) Pseudobombax can be started pretty easily from cuttings and/or seed.  Way too unique of a tree to completely get rid of.

Both of them are the pink flower variety.

The flowers are as big as my hand and every spring I round up so many pink flowers to use as mulch around my other plantings.

These two trees survived Wilma and Irma.  During Irma I had one neighbor's 50' tall Oak come down and uprooted and blocked off the street.  I had a mature Nam Doc Mai mango tree came down, and a Queen Crepe Mrytle uprooted as well.

[miamicuse]

Now for the rest of the story.

I struggled for a while on what to do with these palms and trees.  To make matters worse, I have a few other trees that are more problematic then these.  One large Calophyllum inophyllum (beauty leaf) and one Ficus Aurea that was allowed to spread unchecked were particularly troublesome.

I noticed a difference between the two shaving brush trees, one on the left and one on the right.  The one on the right has a very nice and balanced form, and it's roots seem to be deep, while the one on the west side has a lot of surface roots, it was aggressively pruned over the years and was tilted in one direction.  I didn't quite understand why it has so much surface roots (some in excess of 10" in diameter) that caused so much headaches.  Just to give you an idea, besides cracking the palm in two halves, it also pushed up on pavers and bricks.  For example this air conditioning compressor that's tilted to one side about 15' away.

Look at the root under it when I tried to level the slab.

and twenty feet away is the root basically wrapping around the gas service line.

After some hard work digging around the yard, as well as visiting the city's property and permit records, I got my answers.  Whoever planted this tree on the west side, did it right on top of an abandoned septic tank.  Yes, I found the old septic tank 18" below during my digging, and I am guessing when they abandoned the tank to connect to the city sewers, someone decided that it was a good spot to plant a giant tree with only 18" of soil before they hit the concrete lids of the tank.  So this is why this tree could never grow deeper roots and have to turn back up to spread it roots all over.

Knowing this, and knowing the palm that's cracked in half already, I decided to take this tree and that palm down.

The bad news is now I have no shade at all on the west side of the house.  The good news is once I have the area cleared and grubbed, I have a new canvas.

The other side I will leave the tree and palms alone.  I hope they can coexist, I am not sure about the palms, I have a 50 feet tall royal palm removed last year due to Ganoderma butt rot, and that royal was only 15' away from the Livistona Chinensis.  So if they catch the same thing eventually, then it's natural selection I guess.

The east side Pseudobombax ellipticum provides lots of shades to plant shade loving palms, but I am hesitant to plant any more because of the threat of the Ganoderma.

[ZPalms]

I've never heard of Ganoderma rot and it sounds terrifying and annoying, I wonder why they are resistant to chemical control 

Edited September 7, 2021 by ZPalms

[Silas_Sancona]

23 minutes ago, miamicuse said:

Now for the rest of the story.

I struggled for a while on what to do with these palms and trees.  To make matters worse, I have a few other trees that are more problematic then these.  One large Calophyllum inophyllum (beauty leaf) and one Ficus Aurea that was allowed to spread unchecked were particularly troublesome.

I noticed a difference between the two shaving brush trees, one on the left and one on the right.  The one on the right has a very nice and balanced form, and it's roots seem to be deep, while the one on the west side has a lot of surface roots, it was aggressively pruned over the years and was tilted in one direction.  I didn't quite understand why it has so much surface roots (some in excess of 10" in diameter) that caused so much headaches.  Just to give you an idea, besides cracking the palm in two halves, it also pushed up on pavers and bricks.  For example this air conditioning compressor that's tilted to one side about 15' away.

Look at the root under it when I tried to level the slab.

and twenty feet away is the root basically wrapping around the gas service line.

After some hard work digging around the yard, as well as visiting the city's property and permit records, I got my answers.  Whoever planted this tree on the west side, did it right on top of an abandoned septic tank.  Yes, I found the old septic tank 18" below during my digging, and I am guessing when they abandoned the tank to connect to the city sewers, someone decided that it was a good spot to plant a giant tree with only 18" of soil before they hit the concrete lids of the tank.  So this is why this tree could never grow deeper roots and have to turn back up to spread it roots all over.

Knowing this, and knowing the palm that's cracked in half already, I decided to take this tree and that palm down.

The bad news is now I have no shade at all on the west side of the house.  The good news is once I have the area cleared and grubbed, I have a new canvas.

The other side I will leave the tree and palms alone.  I hope they can coexist, I am not sure about the palms, I have a 50 feet tall royal palm removed last year due to Ganoderma butt rot, and that royal was only 15' away from the Livistona Chinensis.  So if they catch the same thing eventually, then it's natural selection I guess.

The east side Pseudobombax ellipticum provides lots of shades to plant shade loving palms, but I am hesitant to plant any more because of the threat of the Ganoderma.

Roots essentially being walled off from going deeper makes sense.. Surprised they didn't remove/ fill in where the Septic Tank was located when you were switched to Sewer. Imagine that thing caving in would be a bigger nightmare once whatever seals it decays ( if it does ). Surprised the roots didn't try to punch through it as they moved down through the soil.

Ficus ..anything  can be a nightmare  since their roots can travel quite a distance from the trees generally produce a lot of surface root mass to begin with.  F. nitida used to be planted all over the place out here until they started causing issues w/ water/ sewer lines and foundations/ driveways in neighborhoods.. Some big benghelnsis / elastica around town too  and it is much drier here than there in FL.

Never thought of Beauty leaf having aggressive roots. Out of curiosity, you ever get fruit on yours.

For the east side shady spot where you're hesitant of planting bigger palms, might be a good spot for things like Chamaedorea ( perhaps a field of C. metallica and other Whale Tail-type Cham. species ) and various tropical-esque perennial- type things perhaps? ). Roots shouldn't have issues navigating the spaces between the roots of the Pseudobombax there. Can't say Chamaedorea are 100% disease proof but don't recall hearing much about the subject. A thought anyway..

[D Palm]

That tree was massive and very close to the house.  From the follow-up pics, smart choice in sawing it down.  At my old house I had a mature live oak that decided to split for no reason. The branch landed on my neighbors corvette. The tree kept splitting… took it down the next day.

[NOT A TA]

The AC condenser tipping was only a matter of time once a tiny root smelled the 24/7/365 water source of the AC evaporator drain.

[miamicuse]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Roots essentially being walled off from going deeper makes sense.. Surprised they didn't remove/ fill in where the Septic Tank was located when you were switched to Sewer. Imagine that thing caving in would be a bigger nightmare once whatever seals it decays ( if it does ). Surprised the roots didn't try to punch through it as they moved down through the soil.

Ficus ..anything  can be a nightmare  since their roots can travel quite a distance from the trees generally produce a lot of surface root mass to begin with.  F. nitida used to be planted all over the place out here until they started causing issues w/ water/ sewer lines and foundations/ driveways in neighborhoods.. Some big benghelnsis / elastica around town too  and it is much drier here than there in FL.

Never thought of Beauty leaf having aggressive roots. Out of curiosity, you ever get fruit on yours.

For the east side shady spot where you're hesitant of planting bigger palms, might be a good spot for things like Chamaedorea ( perhaps a field of C. metallica and other Whale Tail-type Cham. species ) and various tropical-esque perennial- type things perhaps? ). Roots shouldn't have issues navigating the spaces between the roots of the Pseudobombax there. Can't say Chamaedorea are 100% disease proof but don't recall hearing much about the subject. A thought anyway..

They all presented different challenges.

The Pseudobombax's root hit concrete and failed to punch through.  The septic tank lids are very thick concrete (close to four inches) and the city told me typically they required the owners to first punch through the bottom of the tank, then fill the tank with gravel or dirt, so there is no chance of a cave in.  Sometimes the owners would continue to fill to grade, or they may put the tank lid back on then fill to grade.  In this case they put the lids back on, then finished the back fill.  So the poor tree can't get deep enough and had to grow horizontally, pushing up on pavers, wrapped around gas lines, and air conditioners.  I thought the decision to take that one down was a correct one.

The beauty leaf tree fruits twice a year, around May, June and September, October.  It drops round green fruits about 1.5" in diameter.  Lots of them.

The ficus is my biggest headache.  When I bought the property that tree has already expanded into a massive cluster covering an area of 20'X20', this is not the canopy, but the area of the roots exposed above grade.  It also drop fruits twice a year, red figs that rain down by the hundreds every minute.  The fruits are soft and puffy, so when they drops on my chicago brick driveway, they burst into a mess that cannot be sweep with a broom or blow with a blower.  It stains the clay bricks.  Then many of the figs drop into my fish pond, and they must be removed manually from the pond surface immediately.  One time I waited a day and the figs sank down to the pond's bottom, started to ferment and I could smell "wine" in the pond, fish got sluggish and came up struggling for air.  I have done several heavy pruning of it for two years to try to get it under control.

[miamicuse]

2 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I've never heard of Ganoderma rot and it sounds terrifying and annoying, I wonder why they are resistant to chemical control 

There is a thread on this here:

 

I lost quite a few mature palms to it in 2020, 2021, and from what I was told, once you see that unique fungus growth protruding from the base of the palm it's all over.

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, miamicuse said:

They all presented different challenges.

The Pseudobombax's root hit concrete and failed to punch through.  The septic tank lids are very thick concrete (close to four inches) and the city told me typically they required the owners to first punch through the bottom of the tank, then fill the tank with gravel or dirt, so there is no chance of a cave in.  Sometimes the owners would continue to fill to grade, or they may put the tank lid back on then fill to grade.  In this case they put the lids back on, then finished the back fill.  So the poor tree can't get deep enough and had to grow horizontally, pushing up on pavers, wrapped around gas lines, and air conditioners.  I thought the decision to take that one down was a correct one.

The beauty leaf tree fruits twice a year, around May, June and September, October.  It drops round green fruits about 1.5" in diameter.  Lots of them.

The ficus is my biggest headache.  When I bought the property that tree has already expanded into a massive cluster covering an area of 20'X20', this is not the canopy, but the area of the roots exposed above grade.  It also drop fruits twice a year, red figs that rain down by the hundreds every minute.  The fruits are soft and puffy, so when they drops on my chicago brick driveway, they burst into a mess that cannot be sweep with a broom or blow with a blower.  It stains the clay bricks.  Then many of the figs drop into my fish pond, and they must be removed manually from the pond surface immediately.  One time I waited a day and the figs sank down to the pond's bottom, started to ferment and I could smell "wine" in the pond, fish got sluggish and came up struggling for air.  I have done several heavy pruning of it for two years to try to get it under control.

Good to know that filling abandoned tanks is required or at least advised so there's no future risks..  As much as i like these trees, would have removed such a problem specimen myself.. Just too much of a risk w/ so much of it's roots close enough to or at the surface, esp. if growing near/ through where any gas / major electrical lines are laid. You have the other one to continue enjoying..

Ficus are definitely messy, lol..  Remember a few in neighborhood behind where i lived in Bradenton that did the same exact thing ( copious fruit staining the road below ). Recall the same smell coming from where fruit would wash down into a nearby ditch that would flood if it rained enough. Beautiful trees,  just not in small spaces.

[chinandega81]

Hopefully you can tackle the Strangler Fig next. People tend to treat native trees (which area everywhere) as sacred and act like they are superior for yards. Not true at all. The Strangler figs actually rot and drop large, massive branches for no apparent reason, in addition to many surface roots. It grows massive and really isn't suited for a typical suburban yard.  A good gardner isn't afraid to spare the chainsaw when necessary. You can replant and rejuvenate the space with something that works better and is less risky. 

[miamicuse]

11 hours ago, chinandega81 said:

Hopefully you can tackle the Strangler Fig next. People tend to treat native trees (which area everywhere) as sacred and act like they are superior for yards. Not true at all. The Strangler figs actually rot and drop large, massive branches for no apparent reason, in addition to many surface roots. It grows massive and really isn't suited for a typical suburban yard.  A good gardner isn't afraid to spare the chainsaw when necessary. You can replant and rejuvenate the space with something that works better and is less risky. 

I have been fighting the strangler fig tree for two years now, and making strategic pruning every six months or so.  The original owner who planted it gave it a space about 20'X20' and I bet he thought that was plenty.  Somewhere along the way the property changed hands a few times and no one cared for the tree and it drop aerial roots wherever it wants and shot up new trees.  By now I have a cluster of five or six main trunk all interconnected.  The city would only let me cut it back 10% at a time.  Removal is impossible as they will not issue a tree removal permit.  The only way they will grant a removal permit is to (1) hire a surveyor to do a tree survey and submit a tree plan; (2) hire an arborist to write up a detailed report of the tree and it either has to be so sick or rotted that cannot be salvaged, or it has caused structural issues like a cracked foundation, which requires a companion engineering report on how to repair the compromised structure.  If they let me remove this tree I need to replace it with a equivalent sized tree on the property.  Now where will I find a tree THIS MASSIVE?  So this is a big headache because between the survey, arborist report, engineering report, permit fee it's over $3000 to simply ask them for permission to cut it down that's before I fire up the chainsaw.  So far I am just pruning it as aggressive as possible and hope to keep it under control.

[chinandega81]

17 hours ago, miamicuse said:

I have been fighting the strangler fig tree for two years now, and making strategic pruning every six months or so.  The original owner who planted it gave it a space about 20'X20' and I bet he thought that was plenty.  Somewhere along the way the property changed hands a few times and no one cared for the tree and it drop aerial roots wherever it wants and shot up new trees.  By now I have a cluster of five or six main trunk all interconnected.  The city would only let me cut it back 10% at a time.  Removal is impossible as they will not issue a tree removal permit.  The only way they will grant a removal permit is to (1) hire a surveyor to do a tree survey and submit a tree plan; (2) hire an arborist to write up a detailed report of the tree and it either has to be so sick or rotted that cannot be salvaged, or it has caused structural issues like a cracked foundation, which requires a companion engineering report on how to repair the compromised structure.  If they let me remove this tree I need to replace it with a equivalent sized tree on the property.  Now where will I find a tree THIS MASSIVE?  So this is a big headache because between the survey, arborist report, engineering report, permit fee it's over $3000 to simply ask them for permission to cut it down that's before I fire up the chainsaw.  So far I am just pruning it as aggressive as possible and hope to keep it under control.

There was a law passed by the FL legislature that only requires a certified arborist to state that the tree presents a danger for you to be allowed to remove it completely. The municipality can not trequire you replant anything once removed on your property either. The city may have conveniently gives you misinformation. Contact a certified arborist in your area that has worked in your city to see how it really works.

 New law allows property owners to remove, trim trees without a permit | wtsp.com

[miamicuse]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:42 PM, chinandega81 said:

There was a law passed by the FL legislature that only requires a certified arborist to state that the tree presents a danger for you to be allowed to remove it completely. The municipality can not trequire you replant anything once removed on your property either. The city may have conveniently gives you misinformation. Contact a certified arborist in your area that has worked in your city to see how it really works.

 New law allows property owners to remove, trim trees without a permit | wtsp.com

Thank you for this information, this is very helpful.  Even if I don't completely remove the ficus, I would at least like to remove the majority of it so that the new trunks getting as thick as 20" in diameter close to the driveway and front deck are cut out before they crack everything up.

[miamicuse]

I know in my original post I showed a bunch of images showing how close the palm and Pseudobombax ellipticum are at the ground level.  I didn't show how they are nudging against each other higher up.  Here is a picture.

The Livistona trunk on the left is getting pushed pretty hard.  Will it be able to grow around the bigger Pseudobombax  branch eventually?  Is there anything I can do to separate them a little?

[GottmitAlex]

Do you know what would be neat sight to see: A strangler fig wrapped around a palm.

 

[miamicuse]

7 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

Do you know what would be neat sight to see: A strangler fig wrapped around a palm.

 

I have some.  Here is one.  This one was completely swallowed at the bottom 8'.

Not much I can do about it.  A year later the palm trunk was rotting so I cut it off.

[GottmitAlex]

2 hours ago, miamicuse said:

I have some.  Here is one.  This one was completely swallowed at the bottom 8'.

Not much I can do about it.  A year later the palm trunk was rotting so I cut it off.

Wunderbar!!!!

[miamicuse]

I also have a few fan palms growing inside of a cluster of strangle fig trees.  I am amazed that these palms are able to seemingly survive with very little sun.  Although the ficus has not wrapped it's aerial roots around the palms but it may be just a matter of time.  I have four fan palms growing inside this mess of branches and roots.