Dammit, this thing is the gift that keeps on giving.

My neighbor has a huge old Shagbark hickory right on the dividing line of the left side of my yard. This damn thing seems to shed branches and leaves all year round, I find myself picking up lots of branches and twigs and raking leaves every other week...in July?

Now the dang thing is dropping golf ball sized nuts everywhere and these things are solid and heavy, I'm worried one of my kids will get beaned sometime while playing outside. We have a nice sized yard now and I try to keep them from playing under it too much. Just a couple weeks ago I hear this CRACK-BOOM and a large branch about 5 feet long and 4-5 inches in diameter falls right on my neighbor's back porch roof.

If I had the money to, I'd offer to have the thing cut down but I doubt he would go for that. Probably cost around $6000-$9000 around here to do that too, it's so big.

Anyone else have to deal with these things? The nuts seem to kill the grass too, if they fall and get embedded and the squirrels don't get them.

i had the same and cut them down - get quotes in winter -should be cheaper

You are allowed to cut the branches of the tree back to the property line. It is best to let your neighbor know beforehand.

hickory makes great barbeque,

just save the wood when it falls and toss it in the grill,


re the nuts, either crack em or toss them,

lived in a house as a kid that had a Walnut in the neighbors yard, and a big pear in ours,

neighbor was bummed when the nuts started falling (landing on the roof) and we got stung a lot as kids, running around the yard and stepping on bees doing bee things on the pears that fell,

no big deal

Not giving anyone any advice, cutting branches back should do it except for the golf ball like things bouncing over and konking your grandkids on the noggin: but simply Google "Toomer Oaks Spike 80" for an alternative point of view.

If you put a line of that or the generic but cheaper equivalent Trebutherian 80 on YOUR property near the fence, not anything on the neighbors property, that tree will not do well next year. The leaves will die off and ...buh bye.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
You are allowed to cut the branches of the tree back to the property line. It is best to let your neighbor know beforehand.

You just might want to double-check that urban-lawyer theory.

Some states are very clear; regardless of where the trunk is and where those branches are, if you cut the tree in such a manner to kill it (including its toppling because of lopsided weight, or severing its roots) or damage beyond repair of its aesthetic appeal - you are libel.

In California it's to the tune of upwards to $30K. Just saying, check your laws before cutting anything besides dead wood or not notifying the other owner.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: LS1 GTO,

Hire this guy:

You should be able to cut back, or have cut back, any branches that hang over your side of the fence.

quote:

golf ball sized nuts

You can keep any fruit that falls in your yard. Channel your inner Euell Gibbons and eat them.

Moved to a shady lot ~3 yr ago, manny large mature and past mature trees. I got two new hobbies forced on me. Cleaning gutters monthly and picking up limbs.

Gutter guards fixed one problem, as for the limbs... well, many trees self prune their lower limbs as they grow. Every time the wind blew I had more limbs on the ground. I used a telescoping pole saw and removed any weak or dead lower limbs that I could reach and that has greatly reduced the random falling limbs. The ones that do fall, usually fall because they are rotten. My commercial ZTR mulches them just fine right where they fall if they aren't bigger than 2 or 3 inches.

It's well worth dealing with the occasional fallout in exchange for a nice shady lot in my opinion. Oh and as for the nuts... I have a Walnut, two Pecans and two Hedge apple trees.

My neighbor has a large Sycamore tree right on the property line . In the Fall the prevailing winds are West to East which blows all of the leaves into my front yard and ultimately my flower beds if I don't get to them in time . He never attempts to clean them up after they fall because he knows they won't be in his yard very long . Those leaves are huge too !

 
Around here folks plant palm trees, because they like the looks. That is until it comes time to prune. Have to hire a tree guy (the trees are tall) to remove the lower dead branches (fronds?) each year. Those branches are heavy, too. I was in town once when the guy was loading up what he had pruned from the church's trees. It took an effort. Me, if I had to do that, I'd need a winch at the front of my trailer.
 
 

quote:

Originally posted by selogic:
My neighbor has a large Sycamore tree right on the property line . Those leaves are huge too !

Ditto the big leaves from my 5 tulip popular trees. I just wait until they are dry and crispy to mow and they easily mulch to dust.

We had a similar problem with our Black Walnut tree neighbor. We had tree trimmers out to cut something else and while they were here had them cut all limbs on on the property line. She was PISSED, called the cops on me threatened to sue me, I had already consulted my lawyer friend to make sure I was in the right. Needless to say, she did not sue me and she made a great neighbor once I put up a 6 foot fence

OH I forgot, the next day after the trimmings she went out and bought some chicken wire and strung it on her property line, well about 3 feet on me. We had a double lot so her property line was halfway in our back lot it was truly funny. She even put no trespassing signs on the "fence"

Slight drift to say this.
That is a pretty rare tree,in my life I have only saw three.
One on the next street,and that thing is messy .

Good advise to know the local laws. I was once sued by a neighbor as my rental houses' large cherry tree leaves were filling her gutters and had caused her basement to flood.

Hard to imagine the nuts can do any real harm, and what are the chances one hits any one. Pretty small.

Talk to the guy. See what you can work out. Don't act unilaterally unless you are 100% sure you are right, and even then be ready for a pissing match.

Use the branches for firewood. Walnut and cherry are the very best smelling. I save mine for holidays. Just burn nasty old oak and ash the rest of the time.

Other things not commonly known is that black walnut is mildly poison. Lots of plants don't live under the trees. Urban walnut doesn't really have value for its wood. Too many nails and stuff in the trunk.

quote:

Originally posted by 45 Cal:
Slight drift to say this.
That is a pretty rare tree,in my life I have only saw three.
One on the next street,and that thing is messy .

I have a few/5? of them. Bark is great in the grill. Trees are needed, as they have a great knack for eating C02 and generating lots of 02.

I read someone mention what sounded like a tree-killing poison (didn't look up the reference) earlier in the post... all of that chemistry is traceable. Seems a good idea to chat with the neighbor. (Although... mature trees *can be* better listeners than neighbors, unfortunately!)

The nuts from this tree are a prime ingredient if you want to make a great hickory daiquiri, doc.

I have two Hickory trees on my other property and you are correct sir, the branches fall off along with the bark and the nuts are something else altogether.
Messy tree.