Willows: invasive?

[davidwyby]

I have a willow in my back yard I’ve posted about getting out if hand and dropping limbs. Might take the whole thing down. Thing is, people are planting them here and there in the valley, and then I started noticing them popping up “volunteer” more and more…and they spread from the roots too. Reason for concern? In the desert, BTW.

Thanks

 

[davidwyby]

What to do with Willow.

Some kind of fungus?

www.masterblasterhome.com

 

[Burnham]

One of my least favorite trees. They can be a mess in a riparian area...not that you'd have much of that habitat . Short lived generally; they get lots of die back and rot and fall over when they get much height at all.

But there are a whole lot of species...not all are as bad as the natives around my property, I'm sure.

In a place where trees are few and far between, maybe they are worth the trouble.

 

[flushcut]

Kill it with extreme prejudice.

 

[lxskllr]

I haven't noticed them spreading extensively around here. They grow in clumps, but don't seem to dominate. This is black willow. Dunno about the nature of other willows.

 

[Burnham]

Kill it with extreme prejudice.

Well, maybe they are all as bad .

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Napalm

 

[stikine]

Moose forage...ah, maybe that's not a concern in your neck of the woods. 😁

 

[flushcut]

Nope!

 

[Treeaddict]

Do you know what species of willow are being planted? Weird to think of willows in the desert. Black willow (Salix Nigra) is native to our area. I don’t mind it. I’d rather see a sycamore in riparian zones but don’t hate the willow. We have the weeping willows planted as specimens and I’ve not seen them get out of control.

One customer has about 7 willows left on his property that have to come out and will be a nightmare to remove. One uprooted in not too strong winds and others constantly drop limbs onto his storage sheds. I still need to figure out the exact species of willow though. Definitely one to avoid around here.

 

[Altissimus]

Weeds ....

 

[stig]

Moose forage...ah, maybe that's not a concern in your neck of the woods. 😁

I was thinking that.
Also great as early spring fodder for bees and other insects.
Quite a few species of butterflies have gone extinct here, because drainage has killed off the wimlows, they depended on.
I shall gladly list them if we have a lepidopterologist on board.

 

[Cobleskill]

They like to grow in streams making nasty dams. Break off and take root and spread. Someone 100 years ago planted a whole row of them on the property line. What a mess.

 

[SeanKroll]

Willow are an important part of riparian habitats, IME.

I wouldn't care for them next to/ over my house.

 

[Mick!]

What willow specifically?

 

[davidwyby]

Volunteer on the left a couple years old. The Chinese elms to the right are old but don’t grow much. My phone app says the willow is a wattle. Grow fast but I don’t think they’re good for spreading canopy car shade like the mesquites on the far right. On the left is the Apollo capsule parachute test vehicle.



Several volunteers amongst the oleanders.Gonna rip them out.

 

[FireFighterZero]

I like willow.

Plus you can chew on it if you have any aches and pains.

 

[Mick!]

Doesn’t look very apocalyptic to me.

 

[davidwyby]

Doesn’t look very apocalyptic to me.

No, but that's just my shop. A 40acre field on the east of town got full of them. Along the streets and alleys they are popping up like weeds...but they are not just weeds. Only weed size for now. Also the one in my back yard has shoots coming up from the roots all the time.

Anyone have an opinion on sissoo?

 

[CurSedVoyce]

I like sissoo
Had one in AZ. loved it when it flowered.
I guess the roots are considered invasive. So around sidewalks etc, probably not a good idea. Hardy trees.

Dalbergia sissoo - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[davidwyby]

I like sissoo
Had one in AZ. loved it when it flowered.
I guess the roots are considered invasive. So around sidewalks etc, probably not a good idea. Hardy trees.

Dalbergia sissoo - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

I had one in my old yard. No problems. I read that the roots tend to surface because of light surface watering of grass.

 

[davidwyby]

Ripped out the ones in the oleanders


Root suckers in my back yard

 

[davidwyby]

The windshield folds open on my military truck and I often drive it that way when it’s warm. The yellow willow blossoms make the town smell good.

 

[Bermy]

That's a wattle for sure.
Short life span

 

[Nutball]

Many trees can spread like weeds. If I didn't mow for a year or 2, the yard would be full of maples, poplar, oaks, pines, and some other tree I haven't identified yet. Whatever it is quickly makes a very deep and strong tap root such that the bark slips off if I try to wrap it around my finger and pull it up. At least the cherry trees have mostly surface roots, so I can pull them even if they are 2ft tall.