Oak tree and Strangler Fig (Ficus) branches are coming together

7 years ago

I am in Fort Lauderdale, FL zone 10.

On my property there is a fairly large size Strangler Fig tree (shown in the photos below to the right).

About 25' away just on the other side of the property line my neighbor has an oak tree (shown in the photos below to the left).

I noticed that about 30' feet up, two branches of the strangler fig is beginning to rest on or grab onto the oak branches.

Should I do something about this? Will the strangler fig interwine and eventually bridge over and choke out the oak tree? Should I prune the strangler fig branches that are extending out in that direction? Or is this a fruitless exercise of the inevitable?

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Miami Cuse
Original Author

7 years ago

OK, I had a tree company come by and did some trimming. There were three places the two trees are growing together and they did the separation.

Like I mentioned this is NOT where one branch is resting or leaning on another tree branch. This is one tree branch swallowing or enveloping another tree branch like how a snake would coil around it's prey.

They took down three big chunk of branches and the volume of the haul away pile was about 20 cubic yards after the branches were cut into manageable sizes.

Even though they were able to separate the two trees, the part where the strangler fig coiled and spread around the oak tree branches they could not take out, except to let it eventually die out on it's own.

Here is a picture of one branch of the oak tree, and you can see where the cut was made but the smaller roots of the strangler fig remains on the oak. I have attached the same exact picture right underneath except the remainder of the roots of the strangler fig I traced in red color. Kind of reminded me of the movie Invaders of the Body Snatchers.

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Comments (13)

carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
7 years ago
Do you have the necessary equipment and ability to do this?
Embothrium
7 years ago
Fig branch may not grab hold of oak but still needs to be cut off anyway.
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Miami Cuse
Original Author
7 years ago
I do not have equipment to reach that high so this one will have to be hired out.
Miami Cuse
Original Author
7 years ago
"Fig branch may not grab hold of oak" it is already grabbed and intertwined onto the oak branches.
Embothrium
7 years ago
I've never seen one of these grow roots over anything except the host tree. Impossible to tell of course all of what is happening in this instance because your picture is taken from too far away - all I see is the one branch resting on the other.
Miami Cuse
Original Author
7 years ago
In the first picture where I had red circles are where the two trees physically touched. Kind if difficult to take pictures being so high up and against natural lights.

I have two other palms where the dog grew around and completely enveloped but the palms are still alive 7 years later. I was told they will eventually die off.

On the oak one dog branch is resting on it another has grown around an oak branch kind of like how a vine would spin around a tree when climbing. I can try and get better pictures but it would be difficult to do unless I can borrow a drone.
treebarb Z5 Denver
7 years ago
Have you had a conversation with the neighbor? Now that you are contemplating action that affects their property, I think I'd talk to them about it as a next step.
Florida_Joe's_Z10a
7 years ago
I guess it's possible the rubbing of the two branches may stimulate the strangler fig to start producing roots up there. Sort of like when one cuts into a branch to air layer it.
carolb_w_fl_coastal_9/10
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
FWIW, strangler fig is a native plant

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st250
User
7 years ago
carol,

Your link says it's non native to the US. Or am I missing something?

' Availability: not native to North America '
User
7 years ago
oh, sorry, there is a Florida native one.

Ficus aurea, also known as the Florida strangler fig
dirtygardener
7 years ago
First, you don't have to get your neighbor's permission to cut anything on your side of the property line. The only reason I'd talk to him is to see if he will share the cost, since it's a measure preventing his tree from being strangled out.

Tree limbs usually don't grow together, though, because the wind keeps them from doing so. Still, if the fig is wrapping around a limb, let your neighbor know what the danger is, which is, once the strangler fig limb produces seeds, it will drop them into his tree, where they will root and take it over. It's not the limbs you have to worry about, it's the seeds.