Looks like a cottonwood.

Not the worst tree in the world but I certainly wouldn't want one growing there in the patio like that.

and if its not a cottonwood.. then it is a tie for the worst tree in the world.. a poplar ...

though technically they are both poplars i believe ...

they should not be planted within about 100 feet of a structure.. IMHO ...

fast to grow.. fast to get diseased.. and fast to shed ginormous limbs in the least of storms ... and if its cottonwood.. all that darn dust/cotton for weeks in late spring .. cough.. cough ...

ken

Ditto what they said and I will add (I CAN'T BELIEVE KEN DIDN'T SAY THIS OUTRIGHT! lol) remove that sucka ASAP.

It is most likely a cottonwood and it must be getting mucho aqua where it is. They can grow unbelievably fast when fed water continuously.

Thanks for the answers so far. After reading up on cottonwood trees, that appears to be what this is.

Interesting you point out that it must be getting 'mucho aqua'... Where it is growing is a low spot, and prior to covering the area with a deck, it would turn into a swampy mess from spring / fall rains.

Now with removal looking like an unfortunate necessity, is there a way I can make more of these from this one? Preferably several. I've never done cuttings, or the like - is this tree good for that?

We have several large, open areas where we want trees, and the fast growth of this particular species would be PERFECT!

Thanks again for the replies. I guess I should also remove the one that sprouted in the front garden bed, too. :(

it will be perfect.. until you have to pay someone $1000 to remove it ...

but .. presuming it is far enough away from the house.. garage.. neighbors.. children.. etc ...

first.. dig that one up and move it ASAP .. perfect time of year ...

second... a lot of poplars root easier than forsythia ...

cut some two foot pieces .... say 6 ... or better yet.. just limb the tree up to about 4 feet.. and you can use all the branches you cut off ....

3.. just stick a foot into the ground .. and mulch it.. and water it all summer ..

the other three cut in half and turn into 6 one footers.... .. stick into a pot with moist media .... cover with a clear plastic bag .... and in a few weeks .... gently tug.. and if they wont come.. or the soil starts to move.. they have roots... then pot them into individual pots.. and hold until fall planting time ...

i have done it with poplars... so you might want to google ROOTING POPLAR and/or COTTONWOOD ... to double check me..

BUT I STILL WOULDNT DO IT .... unless .. and only if.. you have access to a chainsaw.. and cut them down when it is still within your capability.. before you have to pay for the job ...

that is what i ended up doing ... they were a gift for my new garden.. i planted them.. and then started collecting other BETTER trees.. and when they got to about 25 feet tall [about 5 years after simply shoving them in the ground] .. i cut them down.. since they were all diseased ...

how about some oaks.. or.. hosta gods forgive me.. maples ... both grow at 4 to 6 feet per year .. once they get going... perhaps not the 10 to 12 feet per year.. but they will be there in a century or two ... you have to take into account what you will want to do with your yard in the very long run.. as to what kind of trees will be good... e.g. i grow about 1500 hosta... maples are the ABSOLUTE worst trees to garden under ... so i would not choose them ...

as for your little spot there near the house... IMHO.. that is not BIG tree territory ... i realize you are probably desperate for shade .... but for any forest tree .. that is too close to the house ....

for that spot .. you should be looking into smaller trees .. like crabapple .. redbud .... etc ... usually they max out at about 20 to 30 feet .... and they wont destroy the house if they fall down ... perhaps another post in that regard...

in photobucket.. use the HTML CODE.. paste it right here where you type.. and on preview... the pic will pop right up for us .. if you wish ...

BTW .. transplanted from where?.. your name???

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: notice there isnt a house to be found near the pictured specimens .. lol ...

There is also the "cottonless" siouxland cottonwood that is a male clone. I purchased one from naturehills just to see what would happen. I planted it last may bare root 4 foot tall and it grew 5 feet! They are male clones and do not produce that mess that yours might.

Ken,

Thanks for the in-depth answer! The tree in question was also a gift... from the tree fairy. :) One day it wasn't there, the next it was there and like 2 feet tall. :) The spot it's growing in is actually a small ornamental box built into the deck between two built-in raised beds where we grow our tomatoes and eggplants (pardon the mess - spring's just getting started):

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Shade is not really a big priority - we just have large, barren areas that NEED trees - if I have to cut 'em down every so often, that's fine. We thought about bamboo, but read that it can get out of hand very, very fast. Way back yonder in this picture is where we'd like to put them:

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The added benefit with this cottonwood, if the cuttings do take off, is the cost. Only one of us is working now, and that cuts down a lot on the tree buying budget.

As for other trees closer to the house, we planted a green giant arb last year (still living, knock on wood!), and a regular bushy arb this year in place of a green giant that didn't make it. Also, the only other tree intentionally planted in the back yard area is our persimmon. It got bent in half last fall, but I did an emergency duct tape and tie stake and it looks like it's going to make it - yay! It's budding now, at any rate, and I did a proper job of sealing the wound last week. No luck with apple trees so far - the soil in most of the yard near the house is hard-packed Tennessee clay. :(

Other than that, the wife has the garden beds up front (only 5 hostas), and our main veggie garden (corn, okra, cukes, melons, etc.) is on the far left of that second picture, way in the back. That has pretty much been taken over by blackberry bushes, which I should cut back soon if we plan to grown anything else there this year.

We're transplants from Wisconsin (miss the WI soil!!). I'm John, wife is Christina, who occasional posts here as well under this login.

Thanks again for all your advice / information. I hate the fact I have to remove that tree - I was quite fond of it, actually. :) I tried your picture tip - hopefully it worked.

*drools* SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR THAT YARD!!!

Research and plant some quick growing for immediate satisfaction but also plant some more moderate growing trees that will be there bold and beautiful then the fast growers have to be taken out :)

There are far more desireable RAPID growing trees than cottonwood.

For example, northern red oak, sycamore, river birch, dawn redwood, red maple, freeman maple, sweetgum, elm, honey locust, loblolly or white pines, your even your state tree-> Tuliptree.

Out west where the options are few I'd say willows, cottonwood or better, cottonless hybrid cottonwood (aka hybrid poplar) but in TN you have numerous trees to chose from.

Keep in mind on my acre I have zero Cottonwoods...

But I LOVE seeing the big ones in parks. There are three massive fellas I count among my favorite trees within ten miles of my home. There may be room up that atractive hill of yours.

j0nd03 - Yes, lots of potential, BUT (always a but...) lots of impediments, as well. Summer on that yard is brutal, as it's direct sun all the time. Distance from water source is a factor, as well, as we have been having very dry summers the past few years. Moving 400 feet of garden hose around is no fun. And in many areas I have to dig halfway to China and fill the hole with compost / topsoil to get anything to grow. Forget a tiller - bring a jackhammer and a pickaxe after it gets wet then dries out. Bermuda grass loves it, though (about as much as I hate Bermuda grass!) :)

I guess I could always set some posts and get some kudzu to green it up.... The neighbors would love me for it. ;)

cheryl5 - I realize there are rapid growth trees available other than cottonwood, but as I mentioned in the previous post, our tree budget consists of a pair of leather garden gloves and pruning shears. :) I snipped some cuttings from the neighbors unknown variety of trees growing in the wilderness they call a yard (shhhh! it's a secret!) and stuck 'em in pots - we'll see what happens.

Once I have the growing stock, I don't mind doing the soil work.... We just don't have the means to get the stock at the present time.

Your state forest service should offer seedling trees for literally like $1. Those small trees can be watered with a watering can and don't need near the maintenance even a 5 gallon potted tree would need. Small hole needed for digging and they should adapt and adjust to the soil conditions. They are so cheap if a couple dies, so what. Only downside is they may take a while to look pretty BUT they will be shade makers in less than 8 years.

I totally sympathize with the drought. We have been in a severe drought ever since my addiction to trees began last spring (I have planted over 40 trees of all sizes since then and haven't lost 1 yet (though I had dieback on 4 trees from planting bareroot in June followed by 30+ 100* days and about 2x that with temps in the 90s). Keeping up with minimal watering last summer took 10 hours a week easy, but it will be worth it.

You dont have to have a lot of money to get trees. The cheapest way is through seed. Go to your local park; Iam sure you'll find lots of seeds on the ground (best time to collect is in the fall however). Just make sure there not invasive species however. Your backyard has a lot of potential and would look great with some trees on it.

There appears to be many trees doing very well in the background of your backyard pic so I think many trees will be happier there than you think ;)

check out the link .... lol

now is the perfect time for transplant.. do you know anyone with a wooded lot.. where you might go dig some 2 to 4 foot trees????

think acorns in fall .... i wonder if all the acorns that fell last fall in my yard are viable right now ....

copy/paste this: http://www.musserforests.com/results.asp?image1.x=0amp;image1.y=0amp;s=oak ....

6 bucks a tree plus shipping ... i fully understand lack of budget.. but sometimes it is worth sacrificing ... or make a plan for the next planting season.. fall ... or the burr.. 5 for $14 .... not that i am recommended burr specifically ...

when you are going cheap with heirloom trees ... a 2 footer ... there is no time like the present .... since it takes time to get them going.. if you wait 5 years... you will be just that much further behind the 8 ball ...

how about his.. 5 of one kind for fathers day... and 5 of another for mothers day.. and skip some dinner that will not pay you back in the decades to come...

PRIME PLANTING TIME IS RIGHT NOW however.. so you cant wait until the gift days actually come ...

nice yard ... so much potential ....

below is a pic of my horse pasture.. i moved here in 1/2000 .. and added everything BUT THE LARGE TREES [which you cant see in the 1st pic anyway] ....

then about 2 years ago the budget dried up.. so i do understand where you are coming from ...

but if you can scrape up some money for investing in your tree future ... i think it will be worth it ...

call you county extension or soil conservation dist office.. and see if they had/have a plant sale.. and see if it is not too late ....

ken

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but you can see the large trees in this pic .. an apple on the left.. an oak on the right.. and cherry way out back in the center were all pre-existing ...
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Here is a link that might be useful: link

Great ideas, everyone, and thanks for offering them! I'll look into some of those low-cost potential sources. I'm still going to give rooting some cottonwood cuttings a shot. That thing grew like it had a purpose!

As for the trees in background, they have the benefit of growing in 'real' topsoil. Our house is located at the top of a hill, and when building the subdivision, they came in with blade graders and shaved all of ours off for fill elsewhere. The pick axe/jackhammer comment was not too much of an exaggeration. :)

We've only been here since 2007, and this is really the first year other projects have not gotten in the way of our desired 'treeification' :) There's nothing behind that fence for 2 or 3 miles, so I guess I can go on a sapling hunt, and if it grows, it grows. If it doesn't, keep trying.

Ken - you've done a great job in a relatively short amount of time! I'm jealous! It must be very nice and relaxing sitting out there! Nice adirondack's - did you make them yourself? The ones I made are similar, but have a concave back. Once again, congrats on a beautiful area!

You know I grew up on hill just like that. We had about 2-3 inches of topsoil then solid rock. I used the rock breaker countless time as free slave labor for my dad. He has a forest of Mockernut Hickory/Post Oak on his 8 acres. If that is the case with you, you might consider planting trees from the white oak family with a few exceptions. Hickory is doable, but they are total opposite your cottonwood. We are talking inches a year with hickory trees.

Try the cottonwood. Just know they probably will not grow like that weed in your yard since they will have much better drainage on the hill.

I was going to suggest driving down rural roads with a shovel and some pots and selecting very small trees you would like to take home but I don't know how legal that is.

That space where there is nothing for miles is a golden opportunity just make sure you have permission first :)

There is also nothing wrong with a little experimenting if after a couple of years you start to feel more adventurous with your treescaping. I move stuff around as I see fit around my house :D

Yeah, that's our hill, without the benefit of the 2-3 inches of topsoil. When I built our deck, I did not have to set posts... It just rests on cement pylons leveled on the ground. It hasn't settled an inch in three years.

We thought about hickory when we initially moved in, as we had lots of hickory trees at our last house. Not real concerned about the speed of growth (although it's a plus) - just getting a tree established has been a daunting task. We have attempted a few plantings, but so far our only successes have been the one green giant and the persimmon.

All the land surrounding us (we have 2 acres) was at one time slated to become more subdivisions, then the housing debacle happened, so there will probably never be anything back there. The guy's willing to sell it, as our neighbors want to buy some of it, but he's still high on price (or high on something - I dunno!) :)

He don't care as long as nobody hunts back there. The said neighbors shoot skeet off their back deck, and we use it as a driving range - I'd probably come back with not only a few saplings, but a couple buckets of golf balls, too. :)

I just removed the two cottonwood saplings from the front garden area and put those in pots - I was able to get almost all the roots on those. The big one in back will be tomorrow's project after I re-read Ken's instructions and scrounge up some more topsoil.

Hopefully this year will be the year when I can focus on greenery, and not get pulled in 50 other directions. :)

Oh man I wish I had enough land for a driving range! I can only hit about an 8 iron in any direction on my land. Anything more than that and the house is a worm burner hazard lol

You evidently didn't find out why cottonwoods are not good trees for your yard.

They are very weak wooded and prone to breakage, especially in the kind of regular spring t-storms you get there in TN.

They are also short lived compared with other more commonly planted trees.

They produce this cotton-like material (Seeds actually) that gets all over everything. People have even reported it getting into AC condensers and starting a fire.

And last but not least they are rather lacking in the ornamental features department.

If you're going to plant a cottonwood in a suburban environment like that, you need to be putting away about $20 a month into an interest bearing account for each tree so that in 15-20 years when you need to call out a tree service to pay for the removal, you'll be prepared.

These are water loving trees. They will do poorly in the south in the heat and drought if not anywhere near a water source. It's not going to look full and beautiful like the pictures you see on the internet.

Also don't bother with ammending your soil and all of that. Lots of trees, particularly the ones I mentioned do just fine in clay in the sun.

Cottonwoods can do fine in the south and are usually no shorter lived than many other trees - i.e. laurel oaks, silver maples, sweetgum etc. Hybrid poplars on the other hand are usually much shorter lived than native cottonwood.

They should only be planted at least 100' from houses and definitely need to find water to do best.

If you want to propagate them, take a cutting at least 2' long, stick it 75% into the ground. Keep away weeds and grass and water like crazy. In a full sun spot, you should have a substantial tree (> 10' TALL) in 2 years in TN.

Many people on this forum also find cottonwood to be charming and to have ornamental interest. Of course, I'm one of them. The fluttering leaves are expecially nice. If you are the type of gardener who likes prim boxwood hedges and no leaf litter of any kind, then it might not be for you.

cheryl - Thanks for the previous tree recs - I will keep them in mind. I have a free tree that I may be able to move, so why not? It's going to be far removed from the house (about 200 feet away), so the 'cotton' seed (yes, very familiar with it - it jams up our pool filter every year) will be a non-issue (well, no worse than what we get as it is, anyways).

Like I said, if I can get it established, I don't mind doing the work (soil, mulch, water, etc...)

When it's time to remove the tree, I'll just chop it down. A full grown CW tree could fall completely over and not hit anything (except the fence) where I'll be planting them (aiming to do 3).

salica - Yes, I happen to like the fluttering leaves, and am loathe to remove the one that we've got growing now (although I do realize that's a necessity). Not really prim/proper type folks, hence the mention of bamboo and kudzu. :) If it grows (and doesn't make me itch), I'm (usually) okay with it.

You were serious about the kudzu?

Kudzu looks pretty neat, really, in the summer. All along the freeways here it runs wild all over the electric poles, etc. A mile or two from us, the family has about an acre bowl-shaped depression on there property that is all kudzu vines.

Looks like a scary dream when when it dies off in the fall, though.

If I could contain it, sure, we'd probably have it now. But, much like our Bermuda lawn, you can't contain it, and it's darn near impossible to get rid of once ya' got it.

Now you DEFINITELY don't want to plant kudzu.

It may even be illegal to do so due to it's pest status.

The juvenile cottonwood has been removed from the ornamentals. :( I was only able to cut the trunk down about a foot below the surface. It was a good 3" in diameter at that point. Any deeper and I would have had to remove the deck.

Should I anticipate it to cling to life and develop more saplings, or is it in it's death throes and over with now? :)

With the thickness of the trunk at 1 year old, I'm glad I got it out now. At the same time, I'm also nervous that it could grow underground like an impacted wisdom tooth. :) There's only about 10 feet from where it stood to the house. There is a concrete slab there, though (used to be a 10' x 12' "deck" which I just built on top of).

Thanks again for the ID and removal advice. Hopefully I've avoided disaster. :)

It may. Just keep an eye on it and cut it again. Eventually it will run out of steam.

Thanks, cheryl. I tell my wife I worry so much about everything so she doesn't have to. ;)

As an aside, my excavation reached the nasty hard-pack clay that the topsoil covers, and it gave that tree absolutely NO problems. I guess if roots can lift up sidewalks, even Tennessee 'red cement' is no match. This actually makes me feel better about our tree growing future in more suitable locations.

Thanks again!

John

omg ken, how have i never seen those pics before?? incredible!

what is that tall skinny bad boy at 9:00 in photo one???