My willow tree is self destructing!

[mattl]

I've never seen anything like this. I have an old -45 year+- willow tree and all of a sudden it's shedding limbs. Not small ones, 8-10" branches that are growing. The tree needs to come down, it's only a few feet from the house, but no money in the budget at the moment, got estimates well over $2k.

I wonder if it is a result of the heat and lack of rain. I live in an area of natural springs, so once a tree's roots get deep enough they can get all they want, but this is truly odd. Has anyone experienced anything like this?

 

[tomturbomatic]

Willows are known for weak wood and a relatively short life span. Do any of you remember old willow laundry baskets, made possible because the wood could be woven?

 

[whirlcool]

Those are beautiful trees, but I think they are not really good in high heat. But they are also very messy trees too. Only to be outdone by the Mulberry tree.

We lots tons and tons or should I say thousands and thousands of trees in Texas because of the heat. And should a hurricane come through we are up a creek because a lot of power lines run right through dense forests in unpopulated areas. It would take crews weeks to just get to some of the areas should the dead trees fall on those power lines and they need to be restrung.

 

[cleanteamofny]

My neighbor willow been slowly dieing for the past 5 years living in Monroe, NY and if the branches are not pruned,
the branches will fall in bigger chunks and damages to your home will be major. You have time but act quickly before a major storms arrives.

 

[gansky1]

Hate to lose trees...

I've know several who have removed Weeping Willows from their yards because of the mess or inevitable early demise of the tree. It's too bad they tend to be so disagreeable, they are one of the prettier trees. There is one across the street in a back yard that I enjoy seeing all spring and summer but I'm glad it's in their yard.

Check on Craigslist during the off-season if it can wait that long, often there are tree people looking for work and you might get a good deal.

 

[polkanut]

Matt,

I just checked my local Craigslist and currently there are 32 ads for people that do tree removal.  Your best bet would be to find someone who will also grind out the stump as part of the deal.

 

[blackstone]

I have a willow tree in the backyard that I planted a few years ago. A few of the main branches bent down from last October's snowstorm. I was hoping that the branches would rebound in the spring, but they didn't. I had to cable them up to restore the natural shape of the tree.

When I asked my tree guy about it (they were here to cut down half a maple tree also damaged by the snow), he told me an interesting story. They had cut down a full-grown willow tree for someone, after which the customer thought that the tree guys had cut into a water pipe. Their cellar was getting a lot more water in it. Turns out that willow trees suck up so much water, that the underground water had nowhere else to go.

I figure two morals to this story. 1. Willows need a lot of water. 2. Willows are not designed for northern climates.

(Willow tree on the left, in front of the shed; October 2011.)

 

[sudsmaster]

I have read that willows have such greedy roots that you don't want to plant them anywhere near water or sewer lines.

I also remember a willow tree along my walk to grammar school in Connecticut. It did just fine with the four seasons. I also thought it was a cool looking tree.

 

[whirlcool]

There are a lot of willow trees in the upper midwest. In fact whenever I see a willow tree I think of summers in Wisconsin.

Trees do consume a lot of water. A typical Oak tree can drink up to 55 gallons of water per day!

 

[mattl]

Well I think it's going to be a group effort taking it down. I'll have to rent a lift and get a few of the guys together, make an afternoon of it. It's nothing some of my cousins have not done before. I just hope t he rest of the tree does not come down before we can get to it.

I can attest to the sewer line and willow issue, I have a sewer line that is directly under most of the tree and every few years I have to have it cleaned out due to the roots. Really hate to see the tree go, it really anchors the house. My mother loved trees and the house is surrounded by similar sized trees, going to leave a bit of a hole. Going to have to come up with an interesting tree to replace it, but one of my cousins is a Landsacpe Architect so he has some ideas. I've lost count of how many trees have been cut out and replaced over the decades, I think the yard work is what kept my dad healthy and active well into his 90's.

 

[tomturbomatic]

RE: willows & water

If you are ever looking at property, whether a house or just land and see willows, especially Salix nigra, Black Willow, take it as a warning that there is a lot of water there at least part of the year.

Willow twigs were boiled in water by folks in olden times to extract salicylic acid, the active compound in asprin.

If you want to root a cutting in water put a willow twig or sections of a branch in the water and the powerful rooting hormone from the willow will help the cutting root faster. If you are rooting in soil, water with an infustion of willows in water for faster rooting. If kept wet, a willow twig pushed into the ground will almost always take root and grow, but the place needs to have water.