The power company will only come trim branches if the tree is outside of the property line, or if the tree is inside the offending branches must be outside for them to come. This tree is inside my property so they are not going to do anything about it.

I have already hired a tree company to perform the trimming and what you saw was the result of their work. But since building code only allows a maximum of 10% trimming once a year there is a limit to how much they can cut. So yes they cut around the power line and pruned some branches above and below. But strangler figs the way it grows the branches are interconnected so when you cut a branch off at a lower point, the trunk above it is connected to five other limbs in different directions. Right now the beard growing out of the cut ends are the last pruning the tree company did in May 2020. These beard will grow longer and longer and touch the power line then it will use that as an anchor.

One option I see is to let it grow long, then at some point before it gets too thick, untangle them from the power line and group all the strands together and twist and fold the long strands back on another branch. Another option is if I can figure out a way to stop these beard from growing on a cut end, then I can try that, a neighbor suggested painting the end, another said I should smear a coat of roofing tar...

Can you put Roundup or similar on them?

it would seem the easement lines are more indicative than property lines ... ken

oh.. and i usually suggest.. if they come.. suggest that they clear the whole easement.. FOR FREE .. regardless of how horrified you might be at the result ... free.. being the key word ...

very often.. they will do such. just so they dont have to come back repeatedly ...

ken

"The power company will only come trim branches if the tree is outside of the property line, or if the tree is inside the offending branches must be outside for them to come. This tree is inside my property so they are not going to do anything about it."

It has nothing to do with easements. The easements give them access to service underground lines or erect poles if they need to. They will not cut or trim trees inside the easement. I have been through this with them multiple times already, Florida Power and Light will NOT come trim the trees inside or outside easements. If outside the property in the swale areas they may.

I even had a tree limb came down during a hurricane in 2017. That limb came down from 50' above, 18" in diameter, 30' long, landed one end on a lower crouch of the tree, the other end landing on my roof, with the power line completely pinched and sagging. I called FPL, and they said it's my responsibility to remove the fallen limb away from the line. Now if the line snaps, then yes, they will come out to reconnect the line, provided that I have already removed the limbs that's in it's way.

Power companies do this for legal reasons. If they go onto your property and something goes wrong or someone gets hurt, you can be sued, or they can be sued. You can't see them for what happens in the ROW or easement.

Yes that's why I am wondering if there is anything I can do to stop or slow the strands of roots from growing from a cut branch or root. I see that someone suggested RoundUp, I think that will get absorbed and eventually kill the entire tree right? That's not my intent.

I wish I had something constructive to add. I am surprised by the response you've received from the power company. I was going to suggest cutting down the whole tree, but I see that you don't want to do that. Left alone, I think that's what the strangler fig will eventually do - kill t(strangle) the tree it's growing on. Yes, Round Up is systemic and could certainly destroy the entire tree. Perhaps the county extension service may have a workable suggestion. Best luck,

It seem rather bizarre that the power company believes it's your responsibility to remove tree limbs fallen across power lines. There's a big safety issue with work around power lines. And it is obvious the tree is a hazard for the lines. The only realistic solution is to remove the tree entirely. Aerial roots will always keep regrowing, as will cut back limbs. It will be a continual hassle to try and keep the tree under control.

I have a lot of very large Ficus but I have the room for them. Occasionally I plant new ones but always picture what a monster tree would look like in that position. No point "creating a rod for my back" in years to come.

sonni1, it's not that I want to keep the tree, I can't remove it legally.

The city would not allow me to remove it. It is a species that is no longer allowed to be planted (due to the exact problems I am encountering), but it is not listed on their "nuisance tree list" either. If it's listed then you can cut them down without a tree removal permit, for example, Hong Kong Orchids or Umbrella trees are on that list and can be removed without any question. But my tree, which has grown to a cluster of 4 to 5 trees of equal size, requires a tree removal permit, and must meet a few conditions before it can be granted. One of such conditions is in addition to a licensed arborist report stating the tree needs to be removed, plus a site tree survey, plus an engineering report showing that the tree's root system is cracking up a house's foundation, driveway etc...then they will let me remove it. Right now we don't have any cracks, although roots can be found 40' away on the other side of my house - I think it went around the foundation. Eventually it will push it up or crack it, but the city says I need to wait till then (too late) to apply for it's removal.

Not only that, once I remove it, I need to replant a new tree, of "comparable size". I don't know what I can plant in it's place, which now occupies roughly an area of 15'x18' (the trunks not the canopy). Whatever it is it would be cost prohibitive. A friend of mine suggested one way is to hire a land use lawyer who knows the city manager and commissioner and go from the top down, and will cost $15000 of retainer to start, which may be worth pursuing. The removal cost alone is $18000 from the estimates I have gotten last year, plus a few other expensive collateral damages that will occur during the removal such as fences, gates, gazebos all have to be demolished to allow full access to the tree for removal.

It's just a big mess either way. So right now I am just trying to "manage" it while I figure out the long term strategy.

I wonder, if heat will stop the roots from growing?

If I make a cut of a branch, and I use a heat gun to heat that cut end, so basically burning it slightly, does that have a chance to stunt any future root growth?