Hey guys, I have this really nice Macadamia Nut Tree that's growing in my front yard. It was "topped" during the hurricane we had in South Florida in 2004. Literally, it lost 2/5ths of it's height. THe tree has started growing like crazy, literally, it's out of control. I've had to prune it twice in the past year. The reason is, it has a massive root system meant for a tree almost twice it's size. There is this vine from Hawaii that is running rampant in my backyard. It grows these massive light and green covered leaves. It grows on a vine and I was wondering if it would be ok for me to put it on my macadamia nut tree. If I do though, I don't want it to kill it, I would just want it to co-exist. Do you guys think the tree can handle it? Thanks! Todd
Thanks Ed, yes, it looks a lot like that. it does have SOME leaves that are that small, but that's only on the very end of hte vine. The vine literally gets within 1-2"s wide in diameter and the leaves literally become 1-1.5 feet long. It's funny how everyone referrs to these as weeds. I live in South Florida, but I'm originally from Northern Virginia where an Apple is about our most normal exotic fruit. So even though I've been here for 11 years now, I find all these crazy plants to be pretty cool. I hate to laugh about it, but it spread to my neighbors yard (I'm such a jerk) and she goes out once a week to try to cut them back... hahahah... serves her right. She's always borrowing all my stuff and never returning it. Anyway, the Macadamia Nut tree is about 35-40 feet tall right now... Thanks! Todd
I think its fine to have vines on trees if the vines are MAINTAINED. And the average person with a vine on a tree does not do maintenance. If vines go up, like Poison-oak, but don't wrap, it's no big deal if it does not shade-out the canopy. If the vines wrap and constrict, that's not good either. Whether the vine is maintained or neglected, seems to be the key, just as with most other plants that grow bigger. I just dealt with removal of part of a vine from this tree here: www.mdvaden.com/catalpa.shtml One of the video links on the page provides a glimpse of how embedded the vine was - like 6" embedded at some points. There is another vine going up that Catalpa, and it is slowly but surely being thinned, and brought back to a maintained condition so it does not wrap, nor extend too far to the side.
Where the tree is not already derelict mostly it is a matter of selecting a climber that will not overwhelm the host, getting up into the tree and pruning and training the vine not being appealing or practical.
Thanks Vaden, that web site was really informative. That's a pretty cool tree! I'm not sure what that vine is supposed to look like when it's matured, but it's stock isn't that thick, I don't believe it produces a "bark" of any sort. However, if it's acceptable to put there, I'll plant it. I'll just make sure I maintain it, like you say. Thanks!!! Todd
If it is that plant, that I said, it won't take over the tree, it will just engulf it. I live in sub tropical so this plant IS a weed to me, but to others, where it doesn't go rampant, it wouldn't be Good luck Ed