Love/Hate

I have a love/hate relationship with Live Oak Trees.  I love the beauty of them first and foremost.  The shade they provide in these brutal Texas Summers is a huge plus too.  There may be a few other things I like but can't think of at the moment.  

The hate part comes from all the work they cause me or money they cost me if I have the work hired out.  The work/cost comes from several things and most happen in the Spring.  They lose their leaves in the Spring and it is exceedingly difficult to get them raked up due to their shape.  They tend to hide in the grass.  After the leaves fall then the tassels come out.  They leave their pollen every where.  It's a neon green and sticks to everything and especially your car and it's windshield.  Then there are the suckers.  These are smaller branches that begin growing out of the trunk and larger branches and make them look unkempt.  The wife says they look like they need a shave. 

We have near 50 trees and they all do these things at the same time. I am trimming those things today but will only get a few trees at a time.  I trim the suckers off only between July and February.  That is due to the fact they are susceptible to a fungal disease that enters by a beetle in any wound or cut during the other months.  It is called Live Oak Decline and if one tree gets it all the others will probably get it and die in a very short time, months.  Losing those trees could really kill the value of your property plus make it look bad.  Not to mention the cost of dealing with 50 dead oak trees.  There are so called treatments that are extremely expensive and rarely work if they do at all.   Then there is the cutting of dead branches that seem to happen much more than I would like.  Yes, I love them but I hate them.  And as I get older the hate gets stronger.  

Happy Trails