Neighbor planted future huge tree

[Anonymous]

Your mistake OP was talking to the neighbors about the tree. You should have started to salt around the roots when they planted the tree. Then sprayed the leaves with roundup or another herbicide.

Take advantage of the situation if your neighbors go on vacation. Make sure you check if they have a camera in the area.

[Anonymous]

https://theyardable.com/how-to-kill-poplar/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You sound overly dramatic. But you can dig a deep trench on your side and install an underground concrete barrier so the tree roots don't readily come into your yard

Would this work? Wouldn’t the roots just go under and up?

Not if it's deep enough. Roots will likely be discouraged and go another way. This is a common landscaping method to contain unwanted root systems.

[Anonymous]

“Some people really hate/fear trees” is one of the things I’ve learned from dcum.

[Anonymous]

20 feet? Just stop being insane.

[Anonymous]

Kill it now.

[Anonymous]

They are beautiful trees. I would just enjoy them and find something else to worry about.

[Anonymous]

You wont be alive when it’s full size so whats the problem.

[Anonymous]

The recommendation is to plant tulip poplars at least 15-20 feet from the house, so this sounds fine. Trees clean the air. Tulip poplars are native, and it won't be huge within your lifetime. With any large tree, the homeowner should have an arborist inspect each year for brittle limbs.

I would not worry about this. And some shade in the heat of summer is a good thing!

[Anonymous]

There is NOTHING you can do so why worry?

[Anonymous]

We have one that is probably 40 feet out from our house but is atleast 70 feet tall. There’s some rot at the bottom of the trunk where the bark is coming off and ants started living inside the tree. I killed the ants but now I’m always worried it’s going to fall over one day.

It’s pretty for the few weeks it has flowers.

[Anonymous]

Is the tree still small enough that you could remove it and replace it with something else?

Could you show your neighbor some of your research and tell them that you would be happy to replace it with something like a sun valley red maple? (only grows to 25-30 ft, pretty red leaves in the fall). Grows pretty quickly.

I have a tulip poplar behind my house (in the HOA common area) and I do worry when there are storms that it will fall over and kill me in my bed. It is a BIG tree.

Surely the neighbor does not have a personal attachment to tulip poplar trees... so maybe they just don't want to be bothered with the work of replacing it. If you could find a tree that would satisfy their interest in having a tree, that is more suitable to the space... maybe there is still a way to switch it out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are beautiful trees. I would just enjoy them and find something else to worry about.

+1 We livecin older neighborhood woth numerous gorgeous tulip poplars and oak trees.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are correct, it is a poor choice for a small yard. It grows too tall and is a huge branch and twig dropper. Tulip poplars can hit up to 20 feet tall and almost as wide in less than 10 years from seedling. Fast growth means weak wood, hence the branch dropping. Ultimately it can get to around 70-80 feet tall or more and and branching 50 feet wide. And yes, the roots will be large and visible at the surface making mowing and planting other plants around it or within 50 feet of it difficult eventually.

Some people plant them due to the pretty magnolia flower (they are actually in the magnolia family, not poplar), but you can't actually see them until they fall off the tree because the blooms are way at the top.

Actually studies of Liriodendron tulipifera after hurricane Hugo showed the trees did very well and are not more prone to limb breakage or topple it at higher rates vs other trees. The tree growing in an elliptical form-ie narrow form with upright branching. The trees will be about a 1/3 wide as it is tall. So 20 foot tree will be 6.5’ wide on average. Average growth rate is 2’ a feet. So in 15 year you are looking at 30’ tall x 10’ wide plus starting size. The roots system is one of the deeper roots with few lateral roots. So no the riots will not be visible at the surface.

[Anonymous]

We have a bunch of tulip poplars on our property, and they are beautiful trees. We have not had any issues with them dropping branches or falling during large storms. They are well away from any dwelling, so no issues on that front, but they do not have large, above-ground root structures. We do have a tree guy come out once a year, look at all our trees, and take down any dead/dying branches/trees.