Hi! Saw the earlier comments about tulip trees and excessive sap. I live in a complex where we have about 10 trees, which are about 17 years old, and are producing excessive amounts of sap this year. I sit on the strata council and we have been fielding numerous complaints about sap dripping onto cars etc., and several outright demands for cutting them down. An arborist was apparently here last year, and suggested spraying at a ten-day interval but with no guarantees. If we were to make the decision to cut them off ( I hate the thought of doing that), what would the group suggest replacing them with? They do provide some lovely shade and noise reduction. Daniela
Hi Daniela: It might be better for us to know where you are located and the credentials of the Arborist that felt a spray solution was in order. What kind of spray was to be used in the 10-day intervals and what was the proposed purpose of the spray? In many cases the amount of sap is directly related to the overall care of the tree. Our next door neighbor's 50' tall Tulip Tree is well cared for and seldom if ever produces much sap on the drive way or the wood deck in front of their porch.. Many times an aphid infestation can cause some sappiness to occur on the leaves. Borer damage can cause excessive amounts of sap to ooze out of the branches and the trunk. Diseases can cause an inordinate amount of sap production. Although the exudation of sap is a natural process in these trees, to cut them down due to the neglect of the owners or the caretakers, in my mind, is being defeatist. In many cases with municipalities the decision to cut down a tree due to no one wanting to properly care for the tree in question and then plant another tree as a viable substitute does not always work for the best. Therein entails much work that must be accomplished before the successor trees can be planted without them also being at risk of possible failure. Arborists are programmed, trained, to deal with the care of an existing tree but in most cases it is the lack of care for this tree that has enabled the tree to become a nuisance for the people that are doing most of the complaining. The problem is generally is not totally the trees fault but solely the people that are supposed to oversee the proper care of the Tulip Tree! If the trees are diseased they can go but what is to prevent the next series of trees from also not being very well received by the community? There is a lot of information such as what are the growing conditions of the trees that we do not yet know in order for any of us to make a credible recommendation based on what your communities wants may be for a solution, such as replacement trees or a remedy for the current sap problem. Jim
In defense of the arborist... :) you should get more than one opinion prior to hiring anyone to undertake a project. A number of treatment options or threshold levels prior to treatment are totally subjective which can lead to multiple answers to the same question. Also try for an ISA certified arborist or someone with a recognized ticket or certification or degree or anything other than a pickup and a chainsaw, at least you can assume you are getting trained or experienced professional help. If you really want an unbiased opinion, hire a consulting arborist that does not do any tree work, removals or spraying. After the information and problems are identified and treatment is suggested, find a firm that is able to do the work you need and get a price, then get another firm to give you the same info (price etc) and then decide what might need to actually be done about the problem. as for the information about the issues the tree might be having, read Mr Sheps post, I can't think of anything that I could add to the information he has provided to you. cheers, Paul
Tulip Trees Sap Problem Did you find a solution to the problem listed above? I have a tree near my driveway and was wondering what I can do to resolve the problem. Zorro Snohomish, WA
Hi Stormya1: < Did you find a solution to the problem listed above? I have a tree near my driveway and was wondering what I can do to resolve the problem. > There is not a lot we can do when a person asks for help and then does not reply back to us. What is the issue with your tree other than excessive sap? This time of year seems to be the worst as even our neighbor's tree is showing some signs of honeydew on the leaves right now. That is normal for these trees. It is the "sap bombs" that are emitted and drop from the tree that are in many cases not normal to the trees but generally come about due to stress from heat, hot winds and/or lack of water, insect damage and in severe cases due to disease. If you think the problem with your tree is due to a bark canker disease rather than from plant stress or insects, then I suggest you post some pictures of your tree for us to evaluate. Jim