Do you have one or more cottonwood trees growing on your Kokomo, IN property? If you do, you’re probably well aware of just how large these trees can be.
Cottonwood trees can grow up to 6 feet per year and get to be more than 100 feet tall in the end. It makes these trees a wonderful source of shade for homeowners. These trees can also be beautiful thanks to their shimmering leaves, especially when they start turning different shades of gold in the fall.
But there are some common cottonwood tree problems that will need to be on your radar if you have one or more of them sitting on your property. These tree issues could transform perfectly healthy trees into not-so-healthy trees in no time at all.
You should learn all about these tree problems so you’re able to put the right tree care practices into place. Here are seven cottonwood tree problems and tips on how to fix them.
1. Rapid Growth
Planting a cottonwood tree might seem like a great solution if you’d like to add shade to your property. As we just alluded to, these types of trees will grow significantly faster than other kinds of trees and give you all the shade you could ever ask for.
At the same time, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by just how quickly cottonwood trees grow. You might be shocked to see how fast they’ll grow to be big and tall, and it could put you in a position where you aren’t able to keep up with trimming them.
For this reason, you’ll need to have a great tree trimming company on standby that can set you up with the services you need to keep cottonwood trees under control.
2. Brittle Branches
Of all the cottonwood tree problems that we’re going to talk about here, this one might be the one that’ll impact you the most. You’ll need to be careful about all the branches falling off a cottonwood tree over time.
Because cottonwood trees grow as quickly as they do, they’re known to be more brittle than other kinds of trees. This will often lead to lots of branches falling off of them.
More often than not, these branches will be on the smaller side and won’t be able to do any real damage. But during stormy weather, you might find that one or two big branches will come crashing down and possibly damage your home, shed, or any other structures on your property.
With this in mind, you’ll need to make sure you get into the habit of trimming any overgrown branches that look like they could break off at a moment’s notice.
3. Sticky Cotton
Not surprisingly, cottonwood trees got their name in large part because of the cotton that grows on them and helps spread their seeds. But this cotton can actually be very annoying when it’s always flying around on your property.
You might find this cotton stuck to the screens on your windows. If you have one, you might also find it sitting on top of your air conditioning system or even in your swimming pool.
Unfortunately, there won’t be a whole lot you can do about this sticky cotton outside of hoping it doesn’t land on too many other things on your property. It’ll be one of the things you’ll have to live with when you have these kinds of trees sitting on your property.
4. Shallow Root Systems
Many cottonwood trees have adapted over the years to be able to survive on the floodplains. They’ve started to grow very shallow root systems that are able to help them live through floods unscathed.
But while these shallow root systems can help cottonwood trees live longer than they might otherwise, they can also wreak havoc on everything from driveways and sidewalks to sewer pipes and septic systems. They can grow right into these things and cause damage to them.
You should be able to avoid having this happen by planting cottonwood trees away from your home so that they can’t cause any trouble. But this might not always be a possibility if you move into a home with cottonwood trees planted in the wrong place on your property. In this case, the only good option might be to remove these trees entirely.
5. Pesky Pests
There are a bunch of different sucking insects that will attack cottonwood trees with a vengeance in an attempt to get to the juices they produce. Aphids, mealybugs, and scales are just a few of the pests that enjoy feasting on them. Even though they’re all on the smaller side, they can turn into huge cottonwood tree problems if you let them.
Keep an eye out for any pests that might set up shop near your cottonwood trees, and call on a tree care company to assist you with getting rid of them.
6. Damaging Diseases
There are a handful of diseases that could potentially kill your cottonwood trees if you’re not careful. Cytospora Canker is one of the most common diseases associated with cottonwood trees.
This disease is caused by a fungus called leucostoma kunzei, which can attack cottonwood trees and systemically destroy them. It’ll usually take hold of a cottonwood tree’s branches first, so it would be worth monitoring the branches of healthy trees for signs of this disease. It would also be worth having a cottonwood tree’s branches trimmed early and often by professionals.
7. Residential Bans
Certain types of cottonwood trees have actually been banned by some municipalities in Indiana and other states. They’ve caused so much trouble that places have asked people to stop planting them in residential settings.
It would be worth looking into this aspect of things prior to planting cottonwood trees. It would also be worth thinking about removing a cottonwood tree if you suspect it might cause tree issues on your residential property.
Let Us Help You With These Cottonwood Tree Problems
Do have cottonwood trees growing on your property? You should do your best to avoid each cottonwood tree problem listed here.
Grace Tree Service in Kokomo, IN, can help you with these tree issues. Contact us today for all your tree care needs.