Do NOT plant a Sissoo tree whatever you do!!! (popular in Phoenix area) (insurance, tile)

[Joseph Evaro]

We are battling our H.O.A. for a sisso creating havoc on our front yard all the way under our drive way, corner of garage & is damaging my walk way to my front door with a trip hazard. I have a root growing over my main clean out to the house for plumbing, front yard never had sprouts till they cut the tree down coming from the green belt from the park where the tree was? Now they are over running my front yard everywhere! It's been a battle getting the h.o.a to remove the tree properly like the tree arborist who is certified & said roots need to be pulled & copper treated?

Plus our structural engineer who said the same thing plus back filling voids from roots possibly growing under foundation with concrete or grout? Certified engineer also... Now h.o.a. had excepted responsibility by paying our out of pocket $money$ for these professionals we had to pay & come out to prove this tree is going to damage my front yard & now back yard before they excepted responsibility! PLEASE HELP, litigation is the only next step I can think of for this tree to be iradicated properly & professionally? [consumer complaints not permitted] Specially to have them try & use there landscaper who illegally told us & knowing he is not a certified engineer who knows about structural aspects nor a certified tree arborist who can even identify the tree correctly, & tell us this tree is not going to cause any damage nor come back when they want to just cut out the problem as the h.o.a. manager told us well I thought chopping the head off the snake would work?

Well had you followed guide lines by 2 pros in tree arborism & structural engineering, with full detail on what needed to be done right the first time. You wouldn't be saying to your self or us the home owners I can't believe this tree is doing this? when clearly my certified tree arborist said it would so believe it!


A lawyer you can refer to us ANYTHING? I got everything documented since day 1... thx for reading people : )

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Love my sissoo. It is big and green and shady. Best tree I have ever had in AZ (well except for a peach tree I once had). No shoots here. Worst tree: eucalyptus.

Mine is not as old as yours though.

There are hundreds and hundreds of sissoos planted in Goodyear, Avondale and Laveen area along the sidewalks/streets. I wonder if they are causing problems.

Yes they are creating problems in laveen!

[Loviepoppop]

I just moved into this house last year in August. I have 6 sissoos, 3 on each side of my lawn. I don't know how old they are but the house was built in 2009. They are already tall, but I don't see any little sprouts in my yard. The only problem (it's not really a problem ) is the leaves fall off in the winter (being deciduous ). But that's how God created them!!! Like you and me!!!!!

[Ponderosa]

As I posted, I withheld water from mine. It did not die! There was enough rain over the winter that it is flourishing. I have discovered though that the root problem may be related to how one waters. If you have it in or near grass, you have a problem, but if the tree is in desert location and only gets deep watered around the roots, then it seems to be better behaved. Also, the BIG no-no: do not damage the roots. Anyplace you so much as scratch them will pop up sprouts. We took out our lawn in back completely and I see no sprouts, so I am giving the tree at least one more year. I love the shade, but the tree is kind of messy now that it is getting big.

[LBTRS]

I think mine is finally gone for good...have not seen any sprouts in a couple months now.

Ponderosa may be right, ours was right near our lawn and the roots were not deep. That is what was causing so much problems.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

I think mine is finally gone for good...have not seen any sprouts in a couple months now.

Ponderosa may be right, ours was right near our lawn and the roots were not deep. That is what was causing so much problems.

Did you dig up the roots or just keep pulling sprouts until they starved?

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Did you dig up the roots or just keep pulling sprouts until they starved?

Both, I dug up the roots every time I seen a sprout. They would eventually get too deep to dig them all up so I'd just dig the roots close to the surface. I think my nightmare may be behind me. Fingers crossed...

[ABQConvict]

Plant natives. Rely on rain. Never have troubles.

I am dealing with Ailanthus, myself. Nothing more needed to convert me to a native gardener.

[pbenjamin]

I was skeptical when this thread started but eventually became a believer. We removed our sissoo last September, had the stump ground and chemicals applied. We have seen no sprouts.

Commercial and Residential Tree Care by Integrity Tree Service, Inc - Phoenix & Scottsdale, AZ

[kodokan]

Since we're all following up

I had my two big sissoos taken out in Jan 2014, stumps ground, chemicals applied. I then spent the rest of spring and summer pulling out hundreds of sprouting suckers up to 80-100 yds away, and soundly cursing the wretched things.

Then when we had some good rainfall last fall, and the soil was really pliable, I pulled out a TON of the roots. They were very long but very shallow - I'd look for a sprout, then feel down into the soil and start tugging, and it would come up in a 10-15 ft length like I was pulling up wire, or part of the sprinkler system. I got out as much as I could, stamped the grass back down as best as I could - it was pretty wrecked by this point - and overseeded it for the winter.

Since then, it's been ok. I think they've been dormant for the winter anyway, but I've noticed a few popping up in the gravel beds. Nothing now on the lawn, which was where most of the trouble was. I'll just keep tugging out the gravel bed ones, as they come out easily enough, and wait for it to eventually give up.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

Plant natives. Rely on rain. Never have troubles.

I am dealing with Ailanthus, myself. Nothing more needed to convert me to a native gardener.

Many native trees don't provide enough shade to block out the sun's intensity or the summertime heat.

Rely on rain? What rain? There would barely be any greenery or shadetrees if we all did that.