Ghetto Palm

[detr0itkid]

As it turns out I really like the look/structure of adult Ailanthus altissima. I know they are highly invasive, but my neighborhood is already over run with them. Does any one have any oppinion for or against them? I'm thinking of uprooting some from the neighborhood and transplanting them to my yard.

[jams]

God, I hope you're not my neighbor.

Tree of Heaven, they're not.

Now, if you really want to piss off your neighbors in 5 to 10 years, plant mulberries.

[KOMPOST]

I don't mind ghetto palms [[or Ailanthus). I think they look nice in certain places. One of the very few and rare trees that will flourish in the rubble of a demolished building. That says something about them.
If you do decide to plant in your yard be careful where and keep on top of them. Because they propagate via the root, they spread unbelievably quickly and multiply at a rapid rate. Ailanthus [[or tree of heaven) is the fastest growing tree in North America.
Also, they release a chemical which inhibits the growth of any plant in the vicinity.
Just a few things to keep in mind while you decide.
Happy planting!

[Neilr]

There's a good reason why they're called "stinkweed trees."

[mjs]

These are all different stages of the same tree? Post a pic of the one you are thinking of uprooting.
http://images.google.com/images?q=Ai...snum=311934241

[RickBeall]

Where does the ghetto palm originally come from?

[MIRepublic]

China, I believe.

[KOMPOST]

Yes, they are native to China. They've spread across Europe and North America over the years.
They're all over Berlin, especially on the east side of the city. Made me feel right at home.

[Bobl]

I think there was one growing from or through the roof of the old Cinderella Ballroom several years back.

[LodgeDodger]

God, I hope you're not my neighbor.

Tree of Heaven, they're not.

Now, if you really want to piss off your neighbors in 5 to 10 years, plant mulberries.

Actually, our neighbors have one in their front yard. I believe they think it's some sort of exotic plant. At any rate, it looks nice for a TOH. To each his own. I'd rather have a TOH in the neighbor's yard than a Chevy on blocks with a herd of cats living in it.

[MIRepublic]

I wish we had our elms back; that's for sure. My dad had one in his backyard for the longest that was so crippled by the disease that the tree almost fell on his house before he got rid of it. Trees of Heaven simply don't compare on any level. And really, the choice between a TofH and no tree at all is a false choice.

[wanderinglady]

Looking at those Google images, I didn't realize they grew so big! All I can remember is that the branches made the best [[or worst, depending on what end you were on) switches.

[Baselinepunk]

I was amazed when I saw a bunch of them out in the gorges country of Ithaca, NY. When I remarked that "those damn ghetto palms are invading!", my hosts from the area thought I was nuts; they [[and pretty much everyone I talked to) thought they were "normal" trees and liked them.

[zengardner]

My uncle used to call them "Shitwood" trees. They are very invasive. We had one next to my parent's house that seemed like it shot up from a twig in no time. It was starting to crack the foundation of the house when my brother had to pay to have it removed.

[GREENTROIT]

Detroit Tree of Heaven Woodshop, a collaboration of artists and specialists, exclusively uses Ghetto Palm wood and turns it into furniture and sculpture...

http://www.treeofheavenwoodshop.com/

[g-dub]

When I lived in Hamtramck I looked out to my back yard one day and noticed someone had chainsawed my one ghetto palm to a few large pieces. I didn't really mind, aside from the trespassing. If they had asked I would have let them. Someone must have really had it out for those things.

[aprilgirl33]

We just knew them as "alley" trees...that's where they seemed to sprout....and you're right wanderinglady, they made the most wicked switches!!!

[raptor56]

When did these trees arrive in our area and how?

[Bcscott]

Crazy, I never thought I'd learn something about trees in my backyard on a Detroit website I hate these things so much, my neighbor has a couple in their backyard and they drop over the fence and I have to go uproot these suckers a few times per year.

[lizaanne]

Detroit Tree of Heaven Woodshop, a collaboration of artists and specialists, exclusively uses Ghetto Palm wood and turns it into furniture and sculpture...

http://www.treeofheavenwoodshop.com/

It has a surprisingly lovely grain when milled. Whodathunkit.

[elganned]

We just knew them as "alley" trees...that's where they seemed to sprout....and you're right wanderinglady, they made the most wicked switches!!!

The Tree of Heaven came to America in the 19th Century and was widely planted as an ornamental, starting in the east and working its way across the country. It is now found in every community in North America.

Though they have their uses, most consider them as a pure nuisance. Their seeds are highly fertile and they also propigate through "suckers" or shoots sent up from the roots, sometimes as far as 50' from the parent tree. Like the legendary Hydra, if you cut down one trunk you create 10-12 shoots to replace it. Once established they are very difficult to eliminate and can easily completely overrun the average suburban yard in 5-10 years turning a lawn into a dense grove of saplings. They are also one of the fastest growing trees, capable of going from seedling to sapling 12-15 feet high in one growing season.

If you decide to plant one, keep on top of the seedlings or you'll have more than you bargained for.

[Ocean2026]

Ghetto Palms -funny name never heard it before. What is the problem with planting mulberries?

[Jimaz]

Mulberries are purple. Birds eat them then make messy stains on everything in the area. Some people like to harvest them for pies, etc. though.

[elganned]

Ghetto Palms -funny name never heard it before. What is the problem with planting mulberries?

I had a mulberry tree in my back yard once. No garage.
Had to wash my car almost every day because of purple bird poop, not to mention washing off my lawnchairs and grill every time before using them and washing the swings before letting the kids use them.

[lizaanne]

I lived near one of those things in Ferndale about 20+ years ago. I was still driving my first car that had totally lost is top coat and was nothing but flat gray paint with pink primer underneath. It was a '79 Mercury Zephyr Z-7. This thing had purple poo stains all over it, and with no top coat to the paint, they would not wash off. Dang that thing looked so bad when I finally got rid of it.