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Catalpa or Catawba trees. . Login/Join 
7.62mm Crusader
posted June 15, 2023 08:27 AM
The leaves look like something from prehistoric times. A friend has them growing among walnuts, cedar and, water maples on his property. The catalpas can go near 100 feet high and spread out very wide. I don't know what I dislike most about them, the leaves, flowers which drop and become dried up turds or, the cigar like pods which are a bitch to clean up. One 40 footer was blocking off his driveway for years. I will finish off this one today. Another, which I've named Jolly Green Giant stands all of 80 feet with a 4 foot diameter base. Ain't touching that big boy. He's got a nice 80 foot water maple. I've made a good start yesterday with a 3 foot limb saw from Fiskars. Being a soft wood, it cuts nicely. I found the man's neglected Homelght 18 inch and will get that started to finish off the trees trunk. The catalpas make for nice shade from the sun but the trade off is a huge seasonal mess to deal with. Who here has catalpas on their land?
 
Posts: 18044 | Location: The Bluegrass State! | Registered: December 23, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Get my pies
outta the oven!

Picture of PASig
posted June 15, 2023 08:33 AMHide Post
Sounds like they are in the "Messy Tree" category for sure. I have a large old Saucer Magnolia that I joke is the "Jelly of the Month Club" tree as it is "the gift that keeps giving the whole year round".

It will drop leaves the entire time it's leafed, I swear this thing thinks it's fall ALL the time. Then it drops flowers, petals, pods, branches, twigs like crazy. I have to go clean up after it every week it seems. It's a beauty when it's got it's flowers bloomed for about a week then it's all just work. The grass underneath it just struggles perpetually.


 
Posts: 35264 | Location: Pennsylvania | Registered: November 12, 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted June 15, 2023 09:42 AMHide Post
Got rid of one with a 42" diameter base last year in the back yard, and another one on a fence line about 18". No use for them or PIA tallows.


I had my patience tested... I'm negative.
 
Posts: 91 | Registered: July 20, 2020Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Like a party
in your pants
Picture of armored
posted June 15, 2023 10:27 AMHide Post
I'm on the other side of the fence.
I paid $600 to have a catalpa tree planted on my parkway.

When I was growing up a neighbor had a huge Catalpa tree in there yard. I would admire the size of the tree and the size of the leaves, I loved making maraca's out of the dry seed pods.
I always wanted my own, now I'm happy to have it and watch it grow every year.

As far as mess, I cut the grass with my Kubota tractor, the 60" mower deck dissolves leaves, grass and branches. Not a big deal to deal with the mess.
 
Posts: 4746 | Location: Chicago, IL, USA: | Registered: November 17, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hillbilly Wannabe
posted June 15, 2023 11:17 AMHide Post
I planted one years ago for an entirely different reason. The larvae of the catalpa moth is a very powerful fish bait. Catfish, bream, even bass will eat them.

An infestation will strip a tree bare but the catalpa will rebud and carry on.

As a child we would puff on the seed pods. We called them "Indian Cigars" . A whipping usually followed though. Not as good a smoke as rabbit tobacco either.

The "catalper worms" will bury in the soil under your tree and pupate there. Adults moths hatch and lay eggs on the leaves and the process starts again. It is not unheard of to have two crops in a single season, or none.
 
Posts: 2559 | Location: Georgia | Registered: July 12, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Like a party
in your pants
Picture of armored
posted June 15, 2023 12:12 PMHide Post
I had read about the worms and the good bait they provided, I hope to try there wprth as bait when I see some, maybe years away.
 
Posts: 4746 | Location: Chicago, IL, USA: | Registered: November 17, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
drop and give me
20 pushups
posted June 15, 2023 01:05 PMHide Post
We had 4 or 5 of the catalpa trees in our back yard back in the "60"s that produced very good worms/catapilar style that was execellent fish bait. ...... Yes they could be messy with the seed pods and droping leaves but because of the fish bait we lived with it. ... drill sgt.
 
Posts: 2186 | Location: denham springs , la | Registered: October 19, 2019Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Plowing straight ahead come what may
Picture of Bisleyblackhawk
posted June 15, 2023 01:16 PMHide Post
Growing up, my grandfather had the trees planted all around his property and lake in Austell Georgia…better fish bait never existed…the caterpillars from the trees had a really tough skin that made it almost impossible to have them “nibbled” and stolen off the hook (unlike “red wigglers”)…a BIG THANK YOU for your post…it brought back great memories Smile Smile Smile


********************************************************

"we've gotta roll with the punches, learn to play all of our hunches
Making the best of what ever comes our way
Forget that blind ambition and learn to trust your intuition
Plowing straight ahead come what may
And theres a cowboy in the jungle"
Jimmy Buffet
 
Posts: 10623 | Location: Southeast Tennessee...not far above my homestate Georgia | Registered: March 10, 2010Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted June 15, 2023 04:56 PMHide Post
I really like catalpa trees,

But
The trees without the black and yellow catalpa worms is like night fishing without a full moon.





Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency.



Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first
 
Posts: 55359 | Location: Henry County , Il | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
7.62mm Crusader
posted June 15, 2023 07:51 PMHide Post
I sure learned a lot here of this tree. The one I am taking down had a second trunk which blocked the driveway. Branches atop the roof and into the aluminum soffit. Also, branches reaching onto the neighbors roof and against their siding. I did get the Homelite cleaned up and it runs fine.
 
Posts: 18044 | Location: The Bluegrass State! | Registered: December 23, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Down the Rabbit Hole
Picture of Jupiter
posted June 15, 2023 08:14 PMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by 9x18:
The larvae of the catalpa moth is a very powerful fish bait. Catfish, bream, even bass will eat them.



+1

My cousin and I would use them for fishing bait when I was a kid. The trees would be loaded with worms.


Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
-- George Orwell

 
Posts: 4991 | Location: North Mississippi | Registered: August 09, 2002Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted June 15, 2023 08:58 PMHide Post
Oh, big time bait.
We would use catalpa , earth worms, crawdads,chicken livers and dough balls on occasion.





Safety, Situational Awareness and proficiency.



Neck Ties, Hats and ammo brass, Never ,ever touch'em w/o asking first
 
Posts: 55359 | Location: Henry County , Il | Registered: February 10, 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Member
posted June 15, 2023 10:00 PMHide Post
There is one use for catalpa. The wood even though very soft is resistant to rot and it makes good fence posts.
 
Posts: 602 | Location: Glide, Oregon | Registered: March 23, 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
7.62mm Crusader
posted June 16, 2023 08:32 AMHide Post
quote:
Originally posted by Mr.Brooks:
There is one use for catalpa. The wood even though very soft is resistant to rot and it makes good fence posts.
Yes and I read it's fiber makes good rope.
 
Posts: 18044 | Location: The Bluegrass State! | Registered: December 23, 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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