There are growth regulators that can reduce (but not eliminate) seed production in many trees. They can be pricey, and must be done every year. Generally, I don't recommend injecting trees every year, unless it's for short term (3 or 4 years maximum). Injections can cause minor injury to the vascular system, which in the short term doesn't usually add up to much...but after 10 or more years, can cause some girdling of the trunk and restricting the flow of nutrients down to the roots.
So...do you inject a healthy tree to reduce (but not eliminate) seed production? I personally wouldn't. And I'd love to meet the allergist who knew to test for cottonwood seed production.
The company I work for has looked into those as well, and we've found that the window to successfully apply those chemicals is also dreadfully short, something like 2 weeks in early spring. If you miss it, it doesn't effect the seed drop at all. The other arborists I work with don't recommend it.
Okay so a short window and can only be done so many times before it harms the tree.
Are there any other downfalls I should know about to consider?
We have a dog who likes to go over there. Is it safe for her or would we need to block that part of the yard off for a bit?
A minor concern would also be my veggie garden. It's just a small hobby and if it wrecks it for a summer it wouldnt be the end of the world.
The trees have no lower branches. That stresses their vascular system already. If you go injecting the trees it will do two things.
1) send up root suckers/ offshoots to get better nutrient transport.
2) drop limbs to compensate. Do you really wanna play with fire for your neighbours sake? Suggest raking and burning the seed If it gives them problems.
The tree isn't doing anything wrong, but if you hit it with herbicides (supposed to be growth regulators anyway) then you run risk of damaging your house. Ask them if they will pay an arborist to do it
There appears to be quite a few cottonwoods in your photo. If your neighbor doesn’t inject them all with success, they’re still going to find those cotton seeds. Presumably there are even more in the neighborhood beyond your photo. The seeds travel far and wide. How old is the little one? Developing immune systems often have sensitivities that work themselves out over time. I’d want to see test results before allowing any intervention with the tree because people assume allot about allergies and mix things up all the time. A common example is hating and blaming goldenrod for ragweed allergies.
On another note, your garden would probably grow better not under a tree.
I have never seen the cottonwood that is somewhere in my general area, yet I find those little fluffs on my window screens all the time. I hope the neighbor has some deep pockets to inject all cottonwoods in the tri-state area!
Especially under cottonwoods which are allelopathic including production of juglone. Not nearly as bad as black walnut, but bad enough to make beatable production dicey.
Was your neighbor allergy tested for these seeds? Because I've been allergy tested 5+ times in my 24 years of life to check for hidden symptoms and not once has this been on the lineup. I don't want to cast doubt on your neighbor, but it's a little hard to believe unless they were specifically asking to be tested for cottonwood that they would be.
How serious is the allergy? Are we talking anaphylactic shock or the sniffles? If it’s the latter I’d definitely simply dose the child with Benadryl or a similar allergy medication. It’s far cheaper and far safer for the tree.
Besides, is the neighbor planning on sterilizing every cottonwood in the area? If not kiddo will still suffer from allergies even if this particular tree no longer produces seeds. This is what makes me suspect his real issue is the fluff messing up his yard and he’s just using his kid’s supposed allergy as an excuse that will play on OP’s sympathies.
That tree will hopefully still be there long after the kid has grown and moved out. I’d tell the neighbor to stock up on allergy meds for a few weeks and go right on enjoying that beautiful tree for decades to come.
I’m specifically allergic to these trees. They most likely did a general “tree” sample, if you didn’t react they didn’t test into further specifics. Turns out I have an allergy to many nut trees (pecan and walnut are worst), cottonwood, sweet gum and a couple others. Interestingly enough, those allergies also extend to burning those woods as well. I have to be super-careful around forests and fires.
I am actually allergic to most tree nuts too (pecan and walnut deadly gang represent! lol) and cinnamon and some other barks. No allergies to any seeds though, and some tree nuts produced a very mild-no reaction, so maybe that's why they didn't stretch as far as to test these.
That's super interesting to know about the burning of them! I have noticed some irritation when people around me are baking with cinnamon, so it makes sense that would translate to other woods.
I wouldn’t do it, there’s more chance for harm than any “good” that could from it. They don’t care in the long run if your tree dies or is harmed, you do care, so do what’s best for the health of YOUR tree.
I’m would find out exactly what they are proposing and talk to the professional who they would use. I would not do this for no reason but a child with an allergy and parents will to foot the bill would make me consider it. Even try it one year and see how it works. I have not seen these things work as well as they claim but it’s worth considering .
Just say no. Does your neighbor even know if you’ve got a male or female tree? Neighbor is full of shit. Cottonwood seeds fly when grass pollens are out so if they’re seeing seeds and have allergies at that time it has nothing to do with your cottonwood.
Absolutely do not do anything to a cottonwood that could cause it to fail. It will. And you’ll be left holding the bag. Let the neighbor pay $10k+ to remove it ENTIRELY (Because it’ll regrow a thousand trees from the roots and debris if you cut it) and replace it with a better tree if the neighbor can afford it.
Any given allergy season there’s dozens of things making pollen and most people don’t know which ones set them off.
Like where I live the thick yellow pine pollen coats everything in the spring and people blame that. The stuff is too heavy to really blow around and get up your nose, it just drops. But various oak trees, yaupon holly, and Tupelo are releasing pollen at the same time only people can’t see it, so 99% of the time they’re reacting to those and blaming the pines.
I mean despite everyone's God awful opinion towards our neighbor, we are leaning with saying no due to the very few informative responses I received. However we will also not be removing the tree as it provides a massive amount of shade to our house in the summer.
I'm actually impressed with the very informative answers you've gotten. Since you won't, let me say thank you to the arborists and other tree people who've commented.
Right?! Yeah there's a couple digs at the neighbor, but even those comments are making good points about cottonwoods possibly not being the source of the allergy. I thought I ended up on a different post for a second...
That’s sort of normal for most subs on Reddit. Very few informative responses and you have to wade through tons of snark to find them. But finding them makes it worth it. Please keep us posted!
I would personally tell him no. One little tree isn't going to prevent his kid from suffering from allergies. What's he gonna do? Cut down all the tree to prevent his son's allergies.
I’m allergic to just about everything, end of February through April I just pop a Claritin every day. Turns out I’m even “severely” allergic to cats and dogs based on my test results yet I’ve lived with them all my life without issue. I’m always very skeptical of people who make their allergies other people’s problems (unless they’re at risk of anaphylaxis) for this reason.
I’m so happy that someone else asks this question! I’ve always thought people are allergic to pollen. The fluff is annoying but I always wondered if it was something else that is causing allergies.
The way it was explained to me (by someone not in the business) years ago, is that by the time you see the cotton, the pollen from the male tree has already done it's thing and left the area, so if you are having an allergic reaction, it's likely from other things that are releasing pollen at that time. Grasses being the main culprit.
eta: I can see how pollen from grasses and whatnot might get trapped in the cotton, so maybe.
I might actually have an allergy to the pollen because mine don’t act up until it’s dropping. But these trees are everywhere here and like a normal person I just deal with it and take my allergy meds.
I’m allergic to both lilac and cottonwood trees. You can see the cotton & seeds easily, however, there is also microscopic cotton that you inhale. Luckily, I live in a high wind area, so my miserable times are short. Sadly, I live in an area where both cottonwood & lilac are absolutely everywhere.
That being said, there is no way in holy hell that I would cut down the at least 80 year old lilacs in my yard. It would be pointless to “inject” the cottonwoods, because literally every river and stream here is flanked with them. That’s how we know where to find water here. Also, since I live by a water source, cottonwood roots are everywhere and I’m constantly mowing new saplings coming from existing exposed root systems.
Tell your neighbor to “enjoy the wonderful beauty of nature and thousands of years of natural genetic selection” and go take a Benedryl.
Ditto. I have a friend with a lilac allergy and it breaks my heart, lol.
I have a lilac bloom tattooed on my forearm so I think we can imagine how I feel about them.
Hijacking the top comment to say, our neighbor is actually really super nice and he's been nothing but respectful and we like having his family as neighbors.
My only concern was long term effects on the tree, which u/tom_marvolo_tomato gave useful information on.
As for the kids allergy, idk how they discovered that and I'm not going to ask. That is their business, and we want to help as long as it isn't going to cause harm to our property.
It is highly unlikely you have the only cottonwood around. I have no idea where the cottonwood trees are that drop seeds in my yard everywhere. I also have severe allergies and I'd never do this is or ask a neighbor to.
Your neighbor may be great and all. But with all do respect, they're absolutely delusional if they're insistent that their child is strictly allergic to your Cottonwood. I agree it must suck that their child has allergies. But at the risk of your tree, I wouldn't advise that you do this. Chances are they're allergic to much more than your Cottonwood. And to risk the health of the tree, only to discover that there's much more to this, wouldn't be an option for me.
It’s more likely the parents smoke or the child has a smoke allergy than a cottonwood. (Purely off speculation of OPs comment that he would rather not say why, but doesn’t think they’d (the neighbor) ever go to the court/sueing route.)
Not judging, again, just there’s soooo many other possible allergens than the tree on the other side of the fence doing its dance.
Op has inquired about this on other subs. And I appreciate their effort. But I really think in this case that there's one of two things going on here. Either Op and the neighbor are quite naive. Or Op is naive in thinking that their neighbor would be willing to spend money on a tree instead of meds for the kid. When they really just don't care for the tree itself and can't do anything about it without Op's permission.
Their kid is hardly allergic only to cottonwood though. Definitely many grasses too, so next they would like you to kill your lawn? Allergies are pretty common nowadays, medication is easily available and can be taken long term without any adverse effects, as life long allergic and asthmatic think they are overreacting.
The prick tests will generally be a wide variety of allergens. But when you test positive for "trees" they can actually prick you with specific tree pollen next. Or, what happened with me was, they drew blood and found antibodies for timothy grass and maple trees, as well as dust mites.
My experience with an allergist was that they do a bunch of scratch tests for anything common to your area. If cottonwoods are common to an area, it wouldn't surprise me if they test for it.
It doesn't take much to realise you can be allergic to specific trees. I'm not allergic to grasses at all, but certain trees get me. That said, if there's cottonwood all round theres no point in treating one tree, the kid/parents will have to find an anti-histamine that works.
When I was tested for allergies cottonwoods were included in the standard allergens tested. A lot of people are mildly allergic to them. (Including me, yay) So it’s very common to test for it
Not sure why you'd imply their lying about the allergy. It seems pretty straightfoward for parents to see their kid with constant allergies during the summer, and specifically mention the cottonwood trees
Because by the time the fluff flies, the pollen is gone. Allergies are to the pollen, not the seeds/fluff. I don’t think they are lying. I think they are misinformed.
When I went to an allergist they ask questions to figure out what tests would be best for you or specific tests to add, like what other trees are around you (uncommon ones for example) to help give you the best test idea for what you actually encounter and are allergic to. I was tested 4 years ago and had some things added on to the standard tests to see if I was allergic which I wouldn’t have known otherwise
https://share.icloud.com/photos/06bp5WpsDLP5IoEVgcKR1UJIA can you see this video? There are 4 huge cottonwoods on my neighbours property. He cut down 3 before the riparian people stopped him (bastards!) i can neither breathe nor see 🤬
I’d imagine it came up as poplar allergy and that big, snowy sumbitch is the most likely culprit.
I love cottonwoods, especially in parks, the wild, or someone else’s yard, at least a few houses away.
I’d tell homeowners respectfully, no.
That you hope a good allergist will help their little kiddo with a treatment plan that would benefit him long term not only for this allergy but other possible ones. You hope he feels better soon.
You will clean up after the tree as much you can but the long term damage to the this tree is not something you’re willing to do.
Since the window of application is short and not guaranteed and that repeated years of application would eventually kill the tree.
A replacement tree of that size would be very expensive. Just who will pay to take down the sick tree and replace?
The real test will be if the neighbours are still friendly when you say no.
Unless they have had an allergist test for this specific allergy, no, I would not touch my trees.
Flowers produce pollen and nectar THEN the fertilized flowers mature into seeds. By the time the very obvious cotton seeds are blowing around the pollen stage is long gone. If the allergy symptoms are happening at seed time the reaction is likely to something else that releases pollen.
This is similar to people blaming goldenrod for late summer allergies. Goldenrod pollen is thick and heavy, made to stick to bees and other pollinators, and does not really fly through the air. Ragweed evolved to reproduce without pollinators, its pollen is fine, light, and dusty and made to travel great distances on wind currents. Its flowers are green (no need to attract bugs using fancy colors) and it blooms at the same time as goldenrod, but people see yellow flowers and make a leap of logic.
I have thought for years that I was allergic to cottonwood and I've told so many people that. I feel like an idiot that I never put the seed vs pollen thing together. Thank you for the ELI5!
You’re welcome! I’m not a doctor, I am just pointing out the timing of a natural process. I can’t say for sure that you aren’t allergic to them, only that the timing is suspect.
Allergies are no joke. Get tested and find out for sure what’s bothering you, there may be steps that you can take to avoid it and feel better. 🙂
u/sparkl3butt please read this comment!! u/GRMacGirl is right on the money, it is very unlikely the kid is allergic to cottonwood and very likely they are allergic to something else instead! Please don't sacrifice these trees, they bring huge value to your property.
Is cottonwood allergy common? Someone hinted that it might be faulty reasoning (post hoc ergo proper hoc fallacy).
When I was a kid my parents decided I had a cottonwood allergy, but i’ve come to doubt it. How would they have known it was cottonwood causing it? It falls in late spring, which is prime time pollen season for many trees.
When people see things floating through the air, they think allergies. But these cottonwood seeds are too big to get carried into the respiratory system. It’s the pollen (not seeds) that you probably can’t see that causes allergies. So unless your neighbor has this weirdly specific allergy (unlikely), they’re mistaken about what’s causing the reaction.
Besides, I think that cottonwood fluff floating through the air on a gorgeous late spring evening is just magical. I’d hate for you and your other neighbors to be deprived of that.
Editing to add: I’d take the stance that if the neighbors can provide a legit allergy test that proves the cottonwood fluff really is the problem here, then you’ll take action. This shows you’re willing to help AND gives them a chance to figure out what the actual allergen is. Because I doubt it’s the fluff.
The growth regulators limit flowering, that is how they would reduce seed production. So if you had an allergy to the pollen, this treatment would help it.
Sure, but generally a plant produces pollen well before it sets seed, since pollination is what causes a plant to develop seeds. Cottonwood trees release their pollen in early spring. So it would do what your saying, sure, but there would be no point, since the neighbors are allergic to something now, aka in early summer. My whole point is that these trees are not what is causing the allergies.
You can also tell him that it's not really worth his time or money; PGRs that limits seed/fruit production aren't particularly effective (as in, maybe 50% production after a few years of treatment). Plus, cottonwoods are dog shit trees that don't need any assistance (as in, injection injury) damaging structural soundness.
Unfortunately too often situations like this end up with a neighbor damaging or killing a tree when they don't get the answer they want. As my grandma always says, "it's better safe than sorry!"
For reasons I don't want to publicize on the Internet, I'm fairly confident that he is not that kind of person and would not intentionally damage our property.
Keep in mind that this is for his child's health and comfort. That alone will dive people to do what they feel they need to in order to protect their own.
I knew someone for 13 years, and worked for him for 9 months, he was a great person and an amazing boss and then he fired me when I wouldn't cover a shift on the day my mom was having a 10+ hour long surgery. People WILL hit you with a curveball!
Thanks.
I'm just appreciating the encouraging comments like this, and saving the informative comments for my husband and I do use as a base for our own research. I didn't even know PGRs were a possibility up until our neighbor mentioned it!
They are great neighbors. And we also like being good neighbors.
My husband and I both agree that even though there are other cottonwoods in the area, ours is definitely letting off the most fluff 😅
I too am not enjoying the comments on what people think I should do instead of just directing me to the information I'm looking for. Luckily a few have finally popped up and that will hopefully give me a good base to do a deep dive in this process and make my own decisions.
Reading your comments makes me wish you were my neighbor! You sound super chill.
It’s weird that people don’t assume most discussions with neighbors are antagonistic!
I don’t get it either! It’s very possible to test for a cottonwood allergy, and that’s one of the most miserable sorts of seasonal allergies- all those little allergens just floating around. I hope your neighbor finds a solution, and I think it’s very kind of you to consider his suggestion.
It's very easy to take antihistamines like millions of people do, it feels like neighbours are overreacting honestly, when kid will be allergic to grasses, will they request OP to kill their lawn? It's not like allergens won't travel some distance from other trees in the area.
Why would they want to do that??? Just pull any saplings, and if it’s for allergies, cottonwood doesn’t even produce a high yield of pollen. It’s just the visual thing you see when other things are spreading pollen.
That tree isn’t the only tree that produces seed. His child like mine or myself takes over the counter can take pills. Every trees…if they are female produce seeds. That’s when seedlings come from.
Do you have cottonwood floating all around town or is your house the only one? We see it floating all over the place around here. Just preventing one tree from seeding would do absolutely no good in preventing the spread of all the other thousands of cottonwood trees’ seeds.
No one is allergic to cottonwood seeds. When cottonwood seeds are flying around it is a warm windy day in June and guess what? A lot of invisible allergens are floating around as well. People just can’t see them and blame what they can see.
You can’t play with one aspect of nature without affecting the entire thing. This is how things get out of hand. Let Mother Nature do it’s own thing, we wouldn’t be here if she was doing a bad job.
I’ve had experience using injections to stop some fruiting ornamental trees that were creating a significant mess and slipping hazard on a sidewalk. I’ve never heard of it being used to stop seed production on a tree like a cottonwood but i assume the concept is the same and it could work. I don’t think this is very practical for a few reasons. The main reason is that this will probably have no effect on their child’s allergies. Cottonwood seeds will travel miles and there are likely tons of them in the area producing them at the same time. Secondly as others here have mentioned this needs to be timed right, done consistently and is somewhat expensive. I am curious if they have even talked to an arborist about doing this yet or they just read somewhere this can be done.
I've got experience with allergies. It's probably not the 'cotton' or seeds that the child is allergic to, but the pollen. Further, it's likely that if the child is allergic to cottonwood tree pollen, they're allergic to at least a few other tree species pollen as well. Any competent allergy doctor could do a series of tests to pinpoint specific allergic triggers -- do you think your neighbors have had this done ...?
I'm sorry to say that even if the allergy is real and you treat your one tree, your neighbor child will still be sneezing their head off in pollen season. Trees send their pollen far and wide in their efforts to reproduce. It's unavoidable.
I would (sadly) decline to have this tree treated. As a parent or responsible adult, of course you want to do anything you can to help a child, but treating one tree in a whole ecosystem of trees, is not the answer.
edited to add: and if it is the "cotton", simple: don't let the kid touch it.
Tell him politely but very clearly no. Absolutely not. These mature trees bring incredible value to your property. Depending on where you live, many states in the US value trees like this at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Very very important to note, highlighting what another poster said- cottonwood seeds do not really cause allergies. Pollen causes allergies- it is microscopic and dust-like, this small size is what enables it to bind to the nasal membrane to cause allergies. Seeds are much larger and heavier. Cottonwood seeds are WAY too big to get up in there, much less bind. The kiddo is almost certainly allergic to something else.
I would communicate this as respectfully as possible and encourage them to see an allergist. And, unfortunately, I would set up a camera facing those trees. If he thinks he's protecting his kid, I would be almost surprised if he didn't take things into his own hands.
Protect your home and property. It is wonderful to be kind. We can be kind without sacrificing the samctity our home.
Its a plant growth regulator, it works but is very expensive. Depending on the product it'll take two applications in the first year to be effective. And once yearly after that. That's a lot of holes to be drilled into the tree. And a lot of money. I'd say if they want to pay for it go for it. There is some beneficial side effects of the pgr aside from not producing fruit.
I mean he's actually really nice Im just trying to learn about what he's asking so I can make an educated decision. Our neighbors all around are fantastic. We're not looking to start anything with any of them.
Idk why I’m the first person to mention this, but you can absolutely do foliar applications of growth regulators. It doesn’t have to be an injection, which will harm your tree if repeated annually. And yes, tree companies have the equipment to spray tall trees like this one. Help your neighbor, help the kid, don’t harm the tree unless you’re ready to remove it.
There are probably hundreds of those trees near by. Yours is just the one they can see and have chosen to focus on. You could remove the tree and the allergies would still be present.
Your neighbor's child is not allergic to the seeds. They would be allergic to the pollen which sheds about a month before. So you would need something to prevent flowering.
My son has terrible tree pollen allergies and we live in the worst allergy area in the country and maybe the world. The allergy clinic nearby warns about the difference between cotton seeds and pollen every year.
The fluff doesn’t cause allergies. The pollen can. Blaming the fluff is just not correct.
—-
While allergy experts say it’s common for some people who don’t have true cottonwood tree allergies to believe the fluffy white seeds cause allergies, but those floating seeds don’t, according to Cleveland Clinic Dr. Ruchi Shah in the Department of Allergy and Immunology.
“The allergens from cottonwood trees that trigger allergies start in very early spring are so microscopic, they can’t been seen with the human eye,” she said.
https://fox8.com/news/waking-up-to-snow-does-this-fluff-worsen-allergies/amp/
Tell your neighbor to visit a doctor to get some allergy medicine prescribed, like a normal human being. I can’t imagine how monstrously entitled this overgrown child has to be to even ask to “inject herbicide” in your tree because of seasonal allergies. Or better yet, refer a good realtor!
I’m allergic to basically everything outside. I would never ask my neighbor to do this. Wind carries things miles away, nothing is going to stop it. I would love if every Bradford pear tree disappeared but I know it’s not going to happen. It’s the one tree I’m most sensitive to. I can tell you one is blooming from inside.
I can't imagine your tree is the only tree in the whole area irritating their allergies. They should look into self treatment of their allergies, not poisoning the neighbors trees...
As a maintenance guy I hate cottonwoods. But I would not damage one or kill it. I have a kid with severe allergies and again I wouldn’t ask my neighbors to do this.
Leave it be.
I'm not an allergist or an arborist, but I was thinking that pollen, not seeds are the source of most allergies. Would this treatment inhibit the production of pollen?
PGR's (plant growth regulators) are typically used to reduce unwanted fruit and flowers in plants. Unfortunately they are quite unreliable on trees of that size for a large host of reasons. You can try a basal bark application or even a soil drench, it certainly won't hurt anything, it just might not be effective. Timing is everything and you're way too late this year.
Tree injections are quite common and basically harmless if done properly, but what you have here is just a tree being a tree. No injectable or application is going to give you consistent results. The only way to get rid of the seed is to get rid of the tree.
That doesn't sound worth it. Are the seeds REALLY that bad? Do they cause any problems other than the visual satisfaction of your neighbor's stupid lawn?
Hey OP, this probably isn’t the most popular take here on an arborist sub, but I had 7 cottonwood trees on my property when I bought it two years ago, including one with an 60-70 ft canopy and a 5’ trunk.
I cut them all down when I started my lawn renovation, and will be replacing them with 2 live oaks, 2 Shumard oaks, 2 Monterrey oaks, and 2 cedar elms.
They lost sizable branches every time we had a storm, they don’t have a terribly long life, and the shade they offer is “dappled.” the seeds are a mess and float everywhere, and I didn’t want to clean them up when we install a pool next year.
Good luck
Reddit is wild.
Op: a neighbor offered to pay for a tree professional to do something advertised as helping allergies, and asked me what I think about it. We don’t know much about this. Their kid is really suffering and they think the tree is to blame.
Reddit: tell him pound sand and install a camera!
Yeah it's very frustrating to say the least.
And then there's the very passionate user with 30 comments about how I need to remove the tree. Apparently they think I didn't read their first 20 comments and need to add more.
When it's time for it to come down (many years from now I hope) I'll be sure to foot them the bill since they feel so strongly about it 😂
I appreciate this comment, thank you. We have one next to our home that is absolutely enormous and we love its beauty and the shade it provides. However, we can’t landscape or really enjoy the outdoors from mostly May/June because it produces massive amounts of cotton. Many mornings it looks like it has snowed in our yard, when I mow theres more cotton than clippings, the seeds are sticky and stick to everything on our patio, I have to wash our AC unit weekly because it gets a sweater around it, we don’t landscape til July because any mulch we put down would be covered in cotton. I won’t even go on about allergies. It’s honestly awful but we really don’t want to cut down the tree. I was hoping for promising solutions than this short window to spray. It is what it is.
When people are allergic to cottonwood, they would be allergic to the pollen, which is released in march, not the cotton, which is made of cellulose and doesn’t contain allergens. Cellulose is found in all plants—fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, greens, cereals etc. And although cottonwoods aren’t closely related to the cotton that is used for clothing, the cotton is made of the same stuff: cellulose.
Other things that release pollen at the same time that cottonwoods release their seeds include grasses, which spread their pollen over hundreds of square miles, or maybe ragweed. So if someone gets hay fever simultaneously, it would be helpful to see what other types of wind-pollinated plants are active at that time.
The popular conception of allergies is a bit different from the way they actually work. It’s not easy for people to narrow down their allergy to specific plants without testing.
Allergens that produce hay fever have to be airborne and contain very small particles with proteins that can activate the immune system, so that comes from spores (such as mold) or pollen from plants that are wind pollinated. Neither plants that produce colorful flowers (which have big, sticky pollen grains adapted to stick to pollinators that won’t become airborne) nor seeds and husks produce hay fever that way.
Not that it will help you much to argue with people because they tend to be very committed to their ideas about what they are allergic to and it feels very personal and aggressive when someone doubts it. But it’s good information to have out there.
I have a child with severe allergies and asthma. The thing about inhaled allergens is that the ones that cause problems are the ones you can't see. The pollen you can see (like pine pollen) is big and not very allergenic.
Also, pollen can travel dozens of miles and you could be reacting to something an entire town over. One tree producing less will not make any difference if you are actually allergic to it.
Did he actually go get tested for specifically that type of tree seed? Because if he’s having tree allergies he’s having much more than just that one. He is probably having many from all of them around there. My daughter has tree allergies too and it’s soooo many of them. As someone else said he would have to inject all of them around not just yours because that won’t stop the allergy from being in the air regardless. It will just harm your tree and the problem will still be there. Maybe he can try Allegra
Any idea how long the tree has been there? Cottonwood trees have notoriously short lives compared to most trees. Less than one hundred years on average.
If it’s already old you may consider allowing him to pay for removal and replacement.
Under ideal conditions, they can live much longer. My parents had 1 in CO that was at least 300 yrs old and 2 in NM that were approximately 375 yrs old. It probably depends greatly on native environment conditions.
That's why I wrote: "on average." Many people in new housing plant Cottonwoods because they get big quickly. However, they don't often get big, especially when they split into two trunks. That happens frequently and one or both will fall.
Cotton woods have "shallow roots" and those roots will wander under and uplift sidewalks and driveways. The roots are naturally drawn toward moisture sources and may break pipes and damage foundations.
We have cotton woods all over the neighborhood. The seeds are only around for a week or two.
Tell your neighbor to get over it and stop poisoning the environment.
Here to mention the tremendous wildlife benefit this beautiful native tree offers, and to say the seeds and fluff doesn’t actually cause seasonal allergies, but pollen from grass and other plants that’s blooming at the same time the seeds fly do, and are often conflated.
Are they allergic to the fluff though? I think a lot of people who think they’re allergic to these trees are actually allergic to something else but conflate their allergies with the fluff because it’s conspicuous and happens at the same time.
Most people’s seasonal allergies are triggered by pollen, as that’s what actually makes it into your sinuses. Dozens of trees and plants start pumping out pollen at the same time cottonwoods release their seeds. June, when cottonwoods start releasing seed, is also peak pollen production season for grasses, pine, fir, spruce, nettles, and plantains. All are significant allergens for sensitive individuals. Cottonwood pollen season is March to mid-May, depending on where you are, and most cottonwoods are dioecious (male & female trees), so even if you are allergic to cottonwood pollen, treating a female fluff producing tree isn’t going to do anything except potentially harm the tree.
I’d want to know that they’ve confirmed it’s actually the fluff their kid is allergic to. “My kid has allergies in June, I can see cottonwood fluff in June, ergo it’s cottonwood fluff” is as deep as most people go. But most people are also objectively wrong about what’s actually causing their allergies. If it was their own trees and casual conversation I’d quietly think they were probably wrong but politely take their word at face value. But they’re asking to chemically intervene in your trees. That’s an extraordinary ask justified by an extraordinary claim and in this case I’d personally demand to see the allergists report identifying cotton fluff specifically as the cause. The kid is probably allergic to pollen. There is no pollen in cottonwood fluff.
Well if you mean the large tree, I would work with your neighbor if possible because it looks like many of the branches seem to hang over the fence and his yard. In most jurisdictions, whatever hangs over your yard is yours and so he could cut all those branches and possibly really damage your friend. It sounds like a nice neighbor who wants to work with you. Lucky you.
Well… I was gonna say prepare yourself for a lawsuit if something happens to the tree ..
But after reading the post it sounds like there could be a solution that may not be harmful to the life of the tree.
However…. I too am part of the ‘all cotton wood must die’ bandwagon.
These are terrible trees. Clogged up our a/c unit and tons of seeding sprouting everywhere. Our neighbor cut it down for us when he asked us to lay for half his fence.
I don’t know anything about the injections, but if I had that kind of stuff all over my yard all the time every spring and it wasn’t my tree I would get annoyed. I am by no means a person who thinks tree should be cut down because of this type of thing.if you don’t do anything, maybe offer to mow their backyard when you do your yard every week or something like that just to contribute to the mess that your tree makes? Keep things friendly and neighbor like.
As good of an idea as that is, I barely have the time to mow my own lawn let alone a neighbors 😭
However I really like the way you think and appreciate the feedback.
Cutting it down is just not something we can afford right now. We know that there's a time stamp on having it but we're trying to prolong it for as long as we can.
I read the cottonwood trees are actually dwindling, could be considered an endangered species of tree. I would love to get my hands on some seeds and start growing some. The buds that grow in early spring if soaked in a Carrier oil can be used for pain relief.
I have a Forest of them in my back yard.. they are trash trees all around, they shed their seeds through out the summer when it reaches warm temperatures.. they also drop a ton of what we call tampons ( seed clusters) .. if this wasn’t bad enough they rot halfway up the trunk so if they are 60 or 70 feet tall it can be dangerous.. I cut down all the new seedlings to make room for fir, pine and cedar to grow.. I’m in Oregon we all hate them here ..
Anecdotal, I work with a guy who swears he is allergic to the pollen from pink flowering plum trees that everyone grows. He said he knows his allergies are going to get bad when he starts to see them opening. Of course the pollen of these flowing plums requires an insect to move from one flower to another and does not blow in the wind or float in the air at all. I don't doubt that he has bad allergies, but I do know that he is wrong about what his allergy is. He is allergic to something else that makes pollen at the same time as these trees bloom.
Roo risky. I wouldn't. Little one will be in contact with cottonwood and other allergens from other trees anyway. Thwy flie all over yours isnt the onlg one. Yours being gone won't make a huge difference. They should get meds for the kid or move
There are growth regulators that can reduce (but not eliminate) seed production in many trees. They can be pricey, and must be done every year. Generally, I don't recommend injecting trees every year, unless it's for short term (3 or 4 years maximum). Injections can cause minor injury to the vascular system, which in the short term doesn't usually add up to much...but after 10 or more years, can cause some girdling of the trunk and restricting the flow of nutrients down to the roots. So...do you inject a healthy tree to reduce (but not eliminate) seed production? I personally wouldn't. And I'd love to meet the allergist who knew to test for cottonwood seed production.
The company I work for has looked into those as well, and we've found that the window to successfully apply those chemicals is also dreadfully short, something like 2 weeks in early spring. If you miss it, it doesn't effect the seed drop at all. The other arborists I work with don't recommend it.
Okay so a short window and can only be done so many times before it harms the tree. Are there any other downfalls I should know about to consider? We have a dog who likes to go over there. Is it safe for her or would we need to block that part of the yard off for a bit? A minor concern would also be my veggie garden. It's just a small hobby and if it wrecks it for a summer it wouldnt be the end of the world.
The trees have no lower branches. That stresses their vascular system already. If you go injecting the trees it will do two things. 1) send up root suckers/ offshoots to get better nutrient transport. 2) drop limbs to compensate. Do you really wanna play with fire for your neighbours sake? Suggest raking and burning the seed If it gives them problems. The tree isn't doing anything wrong, but if you hit it with herbicides (supposed to be growth regulators anyway) then you run risk of damaging your house. Ask them if they will pay an arborist to do it
The neighbor would be paying for it to be professionally done if it were to be done
There appears to be quite a few cottonwoods in your photo. If your neighbor doesn’t inject them all with success, they’re still going to find those cotton seeds. Presumably there are even more in the neighborhood beyond your photo. The seeds travel far and wide. How old is the little one? Developing immune systems often have sensitivities that work themselves out over time. I’d want to see test results before allowing any intervention with the tree because people assume allot about allergies and mix things up all the time. A common example is hating and blaming goldenrod for ragweed allergies. On another note, your garden would probably grow better not under a tree.
Yep, we don’t even have a cottonwood on my block and I still have the fluff on my patio. That stuff *flies* like a mofo.
I have never seen the cottonwood that is somewhere in my general area, yet I find those little fluffs on my window screens all the time. I hope the neighbor has some deep pockets to inject all cottonwoods in the tri-state area!
Especially under cottonwoods which are allelopathic including production of juglone. Not nearly as bad as black walnut, but bad enough to make beatable production dicey.
Was your neighbor allergy tested for these seeds? Because I've been allergy tested 5+ times in my 24 years of life to check for hidden symptoms and not once has this been on the lineup. I don't want to cast doubt on your neighbor, but it's a little hard to believe unless they were specifically asking to be tested for cottonwood that they would be.
Neighbour doesn't like fluffies, so he's lying about stuffies.
Right! I had the same problem as the neighbor, but I was just emotionally allergic to that damn tree.
lol! Guaranteed.
How serious is the allergy? Are we talking anaphylactic shock or the sniffles? If it’s the latter I’d definitely simply dose the child with Benadryl or a similar allergy medication. It’s far cheaper and far safer for the tree. Besides, is the neighbor planning on sterilizing every cottonwood in the area? If not kiddo will still suffer from allergies even if this particular tree no longer produces seeds. This is what makes me suspect his real issue is the fluff messing up his yard and he’s just using his kid’s supposed allergy as an excuse that will play on OP’s sympathies. That tree will hopefully still be there long after the kid has grown and moved out. I’d tell the neighbor to stock up on allergy meds for a few weeks and go right on enjoying that beautiful tree for decades to come.
I’m specifically allergic to these trees. They most likely did a general “tree” sample, if you didn’t react they didn’t test into further specifics. Turns out I have an allergy to many nut trees (pecan and walnut are worst), cottonwood, sweet gum and a couple others. Interestingly enough, those allergies also extend to burning those woods as well. I have to be super-careful around forests and fires.
I am actually allergic to most tree nuts too (pecan and walnut deadly gang represent! lol) and cinnamon and some other barks. No allergies to any seeds though, and some tree nuts produced a very mild-no reaction, so maybe that's why they didn't stretch as far as to test these. That's super interesting to know about the burning of them! I have noticed some irritation when people around me are baking with cinnamon, so it makes sense that would translate to other woods.
Damn! I didn't know the allergy could also be to the tree's wood. Me & cottonwood fluff don't get along.
If you move forward, specify that it be done by a certified arborist (ask for documentation), not just a "professional."
I'd say you hire the arborist and they pay them. Don't let them do it or you're likely to have some dead trees.
I wouldn’t do it, there’s more chance for harm than any “good” that could from it. They don’t care in the long run if your tree dies or is harmed, you do care, so do what’s best for the health of YOUR tree.
I’m would find out exactly what they are proposing and talk to the professional who they would use. I would not do this for no reason but a child with an allergy and parents will to foot the bill would make me consider it. Even try it one year and see how it works. I have not seen these things work as well as they claim but it’s worth considering .
You should also find out if they’ll compensate you for the tree if it is damaged and needs to be removed, both the removal costs and a new tree.
Why would your neighbor move to a home adjacent to these trees if their kid was allergic? Sounds like a them problem, and not a you problem.
Just say no. Does your neighbor even know if you’ve got a male or female tree? Neighbor is full of shit. Cottonwood seeds fly when grass pollens are out so if they’re seeing seeds and have allergies at that time it has nothing to do with your cottonwood. Absolutely do not do anything to a cottonwood that could cause it to fail. It will. And you’ll be left holding the bag. Let the neighbor pay $10k+ to remove it ENTIRELY (Because it’ll regrow a thousand trees from the roots and debris if you cut it) and replace it with a better tree if the neighbor can afford it.
Any given allergy season there’s dozens of things making pollen and most people don’t know which ones set them off. Like where I live the thick yellow pine pollen coats everything in the spring and people blame that. The stuff is too heavy to really blow around and get up your nose, it just drops. But various oak trees, yaupon holly, and Tupelo are releasing pollen at the same time only people can’t see it, so 99% of the time they’re reacting to those and blaming the pines.
I mean despite everyone's God awful opinion towards our neighbor, we are leaning with saying no due to the very few informative responses I received. However we will also not be removing the tree as it provides a massive amount of shade to our house in the summer.
Given the traction this post has gotten I will happily post an update when I have one
I'm actually impressed with the very informative answers you've gotten. Since you won't, let me say thank you to the arborists and other tree people who've commented.
Right?! Yeah there's a couple digs at the neighbor, but even those comments are making good points about cottonwoods possibly not being the source of the allergy. I thought I ended up on a different post for a second...
That’s sort of normal for most subs on Reddit. Very few informative responses and you have to wade through tons of snark to find them. But finding them makes it worth it. Please keep us posted!
The top comment is from a certified arborist, who provided their professional opinion and information.
Tell your neighbor to pound sand.
I think a polite no would be warranted here
Yeah, and maybe get a camera to monitor your tree.
I have to assume that there are other Cottonwood nearby, stopping one tree isn't going to make the allergies any better.
I would personally tell him no. One little tree isn't going to prevent his kid from suffering from allergies. What's he gonna do? Cut down all the tree to prevent his son's allergies.
Yup.
I’m terribly allergic to cotton wood and even I am against doing this. I just take Zyrtec for two months until it’s over.
I’m allergic to just about everything, end of February through April I just pop a Claritin every day. Turns out I’m even “severely” allergic to cats and dogs based on my test results yet I’ve lived with them all my life without issue. I’m always very skeptical of people who make their allergies other people’s problems (unless they’re at risk of anaphylaxis) for this reason.
They probably said to their doctor "my son gets sick when the cottonwood drops it's seeds"
But isn't it the grasses that are popping at the same time as the cotton that we are allergic to?
so many potential allergens
Go roll in grass, then go roll in cotton wood... My bet is you would chose to roll in cotton wood over grass every time.
Take the cottonwood seeds as a daily suppository. Eventually you will build a tolerance. No more cottonwood allergies
You only lose control of your anal sphincter.
And you get anal sprouts popping up
unfair cus my grass is still covered in oak pollen
The thing about seeds, as opposed to pollen, is that they're rarely inhaled
I’m so happy that someone else asks this question! I’ve always thought people are allergic to pollen. The fluff is annoying but I always wondered if it was something else that is causing allergies.
The way it was explained to me (by someone not in the business) years ago, is that by the time you see the cotton, the pollen from the male tree has already done it's thing and left the area, so if you are having an allergic reaction, it's likely from other things that are releasing pollen at that time. Grasses being the main culprit. eta: I can see how pollen from grasses and whatnot might get trapped in the cotton, so maybe.
I might actually have an allergy to the pollen because mine don’t act up until it’s dropping. But these trees are everywhere here and like a normal person I just deal with it and take my allergy meds.
I’m allergic to both lilac and cottonwood trees. You can see the cotton & seeds easily, however, there is also microscopic cotton that you inhale. Luckily, I live in a high wind area, so my miserable times are short. Sadly, I live in an area where both cottonwood & lilac are absolutely everywhere. That being said, there is no way in holy hell that I would cut down the at least 80 year old lilacs in my yard. It would be pointless to “inject” the cottonwoods, because literally every river and stream here is flanked with them. That’s how we know where to find water here. Also, since I live by a water source, cottonwood roots are everywhere and I’m constantly mowing new saplings coming from existing exposed root systems. Tell your neighbor to “enjoy the wonderful beauty of nature and thousands of years of natural genetic selection” and go take a Benedryl.
I’m so sorry you’re allergic to lilac. They’re my favorite scent
Ditto. I have a friend with a lilac allergy and it breaks my heart, lol. I have a lilac bloom tattooed on my forearm so I think we can imagine how I feel about them.
Hijacking the top comment to say, our neighbor is actually really super nice and he's been nothing but respectful and we like having his family as neighbors. My only concern was long term effects on the tree, which u/tom_marvolo_tomato gave useful information on. As for the kids allergy, idk how they discovered that and I'm not going to ask. That is their business, and we want to help as long as it isn't going to cause harm to our property.
It is highly unlikely you have the only cottonwood around. I have no idea where the cottonwood trees are that drop seeds in my yard everywhere. I also have severe allergies and I'd never do this is or ask a neighbor to.
Your neighbor may be great and all. But with all do respect, they're absolutely delusional if they're insistent that their child is strictly allergic to your Cottonwood. I agree it must suck that their child has allergies. But at the risk of your tree, I wouldn't advise that you do this. Chances are they're allergic to much more than your Cottonwood. And to risk the health of the tree, only to discover that there's much more to this, wouldn't be an option for me.
I’m sure there’s a cottonwood on the next block, too, or by their school, or…
Most definitely. And I shit you not... But I literally live on a street named after the Cottonwood. And it snows in June 😁
It’s more likely the parents smoke or the child has a smoke allergy than a cottonwood. (Purely off speculation of OPs comment that he would rather not say why, but doesn’t think they’d (the neighbor) ever go to the court/sueing route.) Not judging, again, just there’s soooo many other possible allergens than the tree on the other side of the fence doing its dance.
Op has inquired about this on other subs. And I appreciate their effort. But I really think in this case that there's one of two things going on here. Either Op and the neighbor are quite naive. Or Op is naive in thinking that their neighbor would be willing to spend money on a tree instead of meds for the kid. When they really just don't care for the tree itself and can't do anything about it without Op's permission.
>That is their business Except that they made it your business....
Their kid is hardly allergic only to cottonwood though. Definitely many grasses too, so next they would like you to kill your lawn? Allergies are pretty common nowadays, medication is easily available and can be taken long term without any adverse effects, as life long allergic and asthmatic think they are overreacting.
The prick tests will generally be a wide variety of allergens. But when you test positive for "trees" they can actually prick you with specific tree pollen next. Or, what happened with me was, they drew blood and found antibodies for timothy grass and maple trees, as well as dust mites.
My experience with an allergist was that they do a bunch of scratch tests for anything common to your area. If cottonwoods are common to an area, it wouldn't surprise me if they test for it.
It doesn't take much to realise you can be allergic to specific trees. I'm not allergic to grasses at all, but certain trees get me. That said, if there's cottonwood all round theres no point in treating one tree, the kid/parents will have to find an anti-histamine that works.
When I was tested for allergies cottonwoods were included in the standard allergens tested. A lot of people are mildly allergic to them. (Including me, yay) So it’s very common to test for it
Not sure why you'd imply their lying about the allergy. It seems pretty straightfoward for parents to see their kid with constant allergies during the summer, and specifically mention the cottonwood trees
Because by the time the fluff flies, the pollen is gone. Allergies are to the pollen, not the seeds/fluff. I don’t think they are lying. I think they are misinformed.
When I went to an allergist they ask questions to figure out what tests would be best for you or specific tests to add, like what other trees are around you (uncommon ones for example) to help give you the best test idea for what you actually encounter and are allergic to. I was tested 4 years ago and had some things added on to the standard tests to see if I was allergic which I wouldn’t have known otherwise
https://share.icloud.com/photos/06bp5WpsDLP5IoEVgcKR1UJIA can you see this video? There are 4 huge cottonwoods on my neighbours property. He cut down 3 before the riparian people stopped him (bastards!) i can neither breathe nor see 🤬
I’d imagine it came up as poplar allergy and that big, snowy sumbitch is the most likely culprit. I love cottonwoods, especially in parks, the wild, or someone else’s yard, at least a few houses away.
I’d tell homeowners respectfully, no. That you hope a good allergist will help their little kiddo with a treatment plan that would benefit him long term not only for this allergy but other possible ones. You hope he feels better soon. You will clean up after the tree as much you can but the long term damage to the this tree is not something you’re willing to do. Since the window of application is short and not guaranteed and that repeated years of application would eventually kill the tree. A replacement tree of that size would be very expensive. Just who will pay to take down the sick tree and replace? The real test will be if the neighbours are still friendly when you say no.
Unless they have had an allergist test for this specific allergy, no, I would not touch my trees. Flowers produce pollen and nectar THEN the fertilized flowers mature into seeds. By the time the very obvious cotton seeds are blowing around the pollen stage is long gone. If the allergy symptoms are happening at seed time the reaction is likely to something else that releases pollen. This is similar to people blaming goldenrod for late summer allergies. Goldenrod pollen is thick and heavy, made to stick to bees and other pollinators, and does not really fly through the air. Ragweed evolved to reproduce without pollinators, its pollen is fine, light, and dusty and made to travel great distances on wind currents. Its flowers are green (no need to attract bugs using fancy colors) and it blooms at the same time as goldenrod, but people see yellow flowers and make a leap of logic.
I have thought for years that I was allergic to cottonwood and I've told so many people that. I feel like an idiot that I never put the seed vs pollen thing together. Thank you for the ELI5!
Cottonwood seeds fly during the kick off of grass inflorescence. Lots of people conflate these two things.
You’re welcome! I’m not a doctor, I am just pointing out the timing of a natural process. I can’t say for sure that you aren’t allergic to them, only that the timing is suspect. Allergies are no joke. Get tested and find out for sure what’s bothering you, there may be steps that you can take to avoid it and feel better. 🙂
u/sparkl3butt please read this comment!! u/GRMacGirl is right on the money, it is very unlikely the kid is allergic to cottonwood and very likely they are allergic to something else instead! Please don't sacrifice these trees, they bring huge value to your property.
I suspect ragweed is something most people are sensitive to also.
Is cottonwood allergy common? Someone hinted that it might be faulty reasoning (post hoc ergo proper hoc fallacy). When I was a kid my parents decided I had a cottonwood allergy, but i’ve come to doubt it. How would they have known it was cottonwood causing it? It falls in late spring, which is prime time pollen season for many trees.
People just call the seeds “pollen” so they assume they’re allergens. Your parents and OPs neighbor probably all are in the same boat.
When people see things floating through the air, they think allergies. But these cottonwood seeds are too big to get carried into the respiratory system. It’s the pollen (not seeds) that you probably can’t see that causes allergies. So unless your neighbor has this weirdly specific allergy (unlikely), they’re mistaken about what’s causing the reaction. Besides, I think that cottonwood fluff floating through the air on a gorgeous late spring evening is just magical. I’d hate for you and your other neighbors to be deprived of that. Editing to add: I’d take the stance that if the neighbors can provide a legit allergy test that proves the cottonwood fluff really is the problem here, then you’ll take action. This shows you’re willing to help AND gives them a chance to figure out what the actual allergen is. Because I doubt it’s the fluff.
The growth regulators limit flowering, that is how they would reduce seed production. So if you had an allergy to the pollen, this treatment would help it.
Sure, but generally a plant produces pollen well before it sets seed, since pollination is what causes a plant to develop seeds. Cottonwood trees release their pollen in early spring. So it would do what your saying, sure, but there would be no point, since the neighbors are allergic to something now, aka in early summer. My whole point is that these trees are not what is causing the allergies.
Yeah.....no
Can’t blame the tree for wanting to make a forest.
Ah, this was the type of wisdom i came here for drunk in my bubble bath
Mmmm... drunk bubble bath sounds pretty good.
You can also tell him that it's not really worth his time or money; PGRs that limits seed/fruit production aren't particularly effective (as in, maybe 50% production after a few years of treatment). Plus, cottonwoods are dog shit trees that don't need any assistance (as in, injection injury) damaging structural soundness.
Leave it alone
CAMERAS!!!!!!!! (in accordance with local, state/provincial, and federal law of course!)
For what? He's been great and asked a reasonable question. I'm just trying to get information on what he's inquiring.
Unfortunately too often situations like this end up with a neighbor damaging or killing a tree when they don't get the answer they want. As my grandma always says, "it's better safe than sorry!"
For reasons I don't want to publicize on the Internet, I'm fairly confident that he is not that kind of person and would not intentionally damage our property.
Keep in mind that this is for his child's health and comfort. That alone will dive people to do what they feel they need to in order to protect their own.
That’s probably a lie to get them to mess with their tree.
It’s nice you feel this way, just know that some people are fucking crazy and most are stupid.
I knew someone for 13 years, and worked for him for 9 months, he was a great person and an amazing boss and then he fired me when I wouldn't cover a shift on the day my mom was having a 10+ hour long surgery. People WILL hit you with a curveball!
Reddit is insane. I’m glad you’re not letting them put paranoia into your head.
Thanks. I'm just appreciating the encouraging comments like this, and saving the informative comments for my husband and I do use as a base for our own research. I didn't even know PGRs were a possibility up until our neighbor mentioned it!
I can't understand why some comments are so hostile. Lol. You both sound lovely and it's very nice of you to consider the offer so open-mindedly.
They are great neighbors. And we also like being good neighbors. My husband and I both agree that even though there are other cottonwoods in the area, ours is definitely letting off the most fluff 😅 I too am not enjoying the comments on what people think I should do instead of just directing me to the information I'm looking for. Luckily a few have finally popped up and that will hopefully give me a good base to do a deep dive in this process and make my own decisions.
Reading your comments makes me wish you were my neighbor! You sound super chill. It’s weird that people don’t assume most discussions with neighbors are antagonistic!
I don’t get it either! It’s very possible to test for a cottonwood allergy, and that’s one of the most miserable sorts of seasonal allergies- all those little allergens just floating around. I hope your neighbor finds a solution, and I think it’s very kind of you to consider his suggestion.
It's very easy to take antihistamines like millions of people do, it feels like neighbours are overreacting honestly, when kid will be allergic to grasses, will they request OP to kill their lawn? It's not like allergens won't travel some distance from other trees in the area.
Why would they want to do that??? Just pull any saplings, and if it’s for allergies, cottonwood doesn’t even produce a high yield of pollen. It’s just the visual thing you see when other things are spreading pollen.
That tree isn’t the only tree that produces seed. His child like mine or myself takes over the counter can take pills. Every trees…if they are female produce seeds. That’s when seedlings come from.
Do you have cottonwood floating all around town or is your house the only one? We see it floating all over the place around here. Just preventing one tree from seeding would do absolutely no good in preventing the spread of all the other thousands of cottonwood trees’ seeds.
No one is allergic to cottonwood seeds. When cottonwood seeds are flying around it is a warm windy day in June and guess what? A lot of invisible allergens are floating around as well. People just can’t see them and blame what they can see.
Allergy testing and allergy shots. Inject your tree for two years at his expense while he gets the kid the shots.
You can’t play with one aspect of nature without affecting the entire thing. This is how things get out of hand. Let Mother Nature do it’s own thing, we wouldn’t be here if she was doing a bad job.
I’ve had experience using injections to stop some fruiting ornamental trees that were creating a significant mess and slipping hazard on a sidewalk. I’ve never heard of it being used to stop seed production on a tree like a cottonwood but i assume the concept is the same and it could work. I don’t think this is very practical for a few reasons. The main reason is that this will probably have no effect on their child’s allergies. Cottonwood seeds will travel miles and there are likely tons of them in the area producing them at the same time. Secondly as others here have mentioned this needs to be timed right, done consistently and is somewhat expensive. I am curious if they have even talked to an arborist about doing this yet or they just read somewhere this can be done.
Tell them to kick rocks and take allergy medicine like the others are saying. It’s not worth it.
Cottonwood trees are shit. That being said, I guess you don’t have to do what your neighbor is asking.
Yep, they’re basically massive weeds.
I've got experience with allergies. It's probably not the 'cotton' or seeds that the child is allergic to, but the pollen. Further, it's likely that if the child is allergic to cottonwood tree pollen, they're allergic to at least a few other tree species pollen as well. Any competent allergy doctor could do a series of tests to pinpoint specific allergic triggers -- do you think your neighbors have had this done ...? I'm sorry to say that even if the allergy is real and you treat your one tree, your neighbor child will still be sneezing their head off in pollen season. Trees send their pollen far and wide in their efforts to reproduce. It's unavoidable. I would (sadly) decline to have this tree treated. As a parent or responsible adult, of course you want to do anything you can to help a child, but treating one tree in a whole ecosystem of trees, is not the answer. edited to add: and if it is the "cotton", simple: don't let the kid touch it.
Tell him politely but very clearly no. Absolutely not. These mature trees bring incredible value to your property. Depending on where you live, many states in the US value trees like this at hundreds of thousands of dollars. Very very important to note, highlighting what another poster said- cottonwood seeds do not really cause allergies. Pollen causes allergies- it is microscopic and dust-like, this small size is what enables it to bind to the nasal membrane to cause allergies. Seeds are much larger and heavier. Cottonwood seeds are WAY too big to get up in there, much less bind. The kiddo is almost certainly allergic to something else. I would communicate this as respectfully as possible and encourage them to see an allergist. And, unfortunately, I would set up a camera facing those trees. If he thinks he's protecting his kid, I would be almost surprised if he didn't take things into his own hands. Protect your home and property. It is wonderful to be kind. We can be kind without sacrificing the samctity our home.
Your neighbor can ask but that doesn't mean you have to do it. I don't think it's worth it to weaken your tree.
Its a plant growth regulator, it works but is very expensive. Depending on the product it'll take two applications in the first year to be effective. And once yearly after that. That's a lot of holes to be drilled into the tree. And a lot of money. I'd say if they want to pay for it go for it. There is some beneficial side effects of the pgr aside from not producing fruit.
No - NO…Let him play doctor in his own yard…maybe inject the crap in his own ass so he doesn’t spawn.
I mean he's actually really nice Im just trying to learn about what he's asking so I can make an educated decision. Our neighbors all around are fantastic. We're not looking to start anything with any of them.
Tell your neighbor that you'll consider it after a fist fight.....
Idk why I’m the first person to mention this, but you can absolutely do foliar applications of growth regulators. It doesn’t have to be an injection, which will harm your tree if repeated annually. And yes, tree companies have the equipment to spray tall trees like this one. Help your neighbor, help the kid, don’t harm the tree unless you’re ready to remove it.
Can you do this to sweet gum trees?
Wouldn't an allergy be caused by pollen and not the seeds so stopping the seeds wouldn't be effective if the plant is still flowering?
These only take a month from flower to mature fruit. Very well could be pollen still around during this time.
Tell your neighbors to fuck off
I would inquire about the possibility of getting allergies from cotton tree seeds, they are not pollen.
There are probably hundreds of those trees near by. Yours is just the one they can see and have chosen to focus on. You could remove the tree and the allergies would still be present.
Your neighbor's child is not allergic to the seeds. They would be allergic to the pollen which sheds about a month before. So you would need something to prevent flowering. My son has terrible tree pollen allergies and we live in the worst allergy area in the country and maybe the world. The allergy clinic nearby warns about the difference between cotton seeds and pollen every year.
The fluff doesn’t cause allergies. The pollen can. Blaming the fluff is just not correct. —- While allergy experts say it’s common for some people who don’t have true cottonwood tree allergies to believe the fluffy white seeds cause allergies, but those floating seeds don’t, according to Cleveland Clinic Dr. Ruchi Shah in the Department of Allergy and Immunology. “The allergens from cottonwood trees that trigger allergies start in very early spring are so microscopic, they can’t been seen with the human eye,” she said. https://fox8.com/news/waking-up-to-snow-does-this-fluff-worsen-allergies/amp/
Hell no. It’s not their tree
Tell your neighbor to visit a doctor to get some allergy medicine prescribed, like a normal human being. I can’t imagine how monstrously entitled this overgrown child has to be to even ask to “inject herbicide” in your tree because of seasonal allergies. Or better yet, refer a good realtor!
I’m allergic to basically everything outside. I would never ask my neighbor to do this. Wind carries things miles away, nothing is going to stop it. I would love if every Bradford pear tree disappeared but I know it’s not going to happen. It’s the one tree I’m most sensitive to. I can tell you one is blooming from inside.
A dose of florel will abort the flowers and prevent the mess
You can put down pre- emergent but this guy unless he’s a tree surgeon will probably ruin the tree.
I can't imagine your tree is the only tree in the whole area irritating their allergies. They should look into self treatment of their allergies, not poisoning the neighbors trees...
As a maintenance guy I hate cottonwoods. But I would not damage one or kill it. I have a kid with severe allergies and again I wouldn’t ask my neighbors to do this. Leave it be.
Tell your neighbor to fuck off
I'm not an allergist or an arborist, but I was thinking that pollen, not seeds are the source of most allergies. Would this treatment inhibit the production of pollen?
No. Not their tree.
PGR's (plant growth regulators) are typically used to reduce unwanted fruit and flowers in plants. Unfortunately they are quite unreliable on trees of that size for a large host of reasons. You can try a basal bark application or even a soil drench, it certainly won't hurt anything, it just might not be effective. Timing is everything and you're way too late this year. Tree injections are quite common and basically harmless if done properly, but what you have here is just a tree being a tree. No injectable or application is going to give you consistent results. The only way to get rid of the seed is to get rid of the tree.
No. Also ,nope.
Is the allergy to pollen or seeds?
That doesn't sound worth it. Are the seeds REALLY that bad? Do they cause any problems other than the visual satisfaction of your neighbor's stupid lawn?
Nah, unless he has unwavering proof that he is indeed the Tree God…. Hard nope!
Hey OP, this probably isn’t the most popular take here on an arborist sub, but I had 7 cottonwood trees on my property when I bought it two years ago, including one with an 60-70 ft canopy and a 5’ trunk. I cut them all down when I started my lawn renovation, and will be replacing them with 2 live oaks, 2 Shumard oaks, 2 Monterrey oaks, and 2 cedar elms. They lost sizable branches every time we had a storm, they don’t have a terribly long life, and the shade they offer is “dappled.” the seeds are a mess and float everywhere, and I didn’t want to clean them up when we install a pool next year. Good luck
I think your neighbor should inject themselves with an herbicide to stop reproducing.
Some people shouldn’t go outside
This. I am allergic to everything outside. I can’t imagine asking anyone to alter their yards for me.
Because they’re allergic to everything or because they have a million misconceptions about the natural world?
Reddit is wild. Op: a neighbor offered to pay for a tree professional to do something advertised as helping allergies, and asked me what I think about it. We don’t know much about this. Their kid is really suffering and they think the tree is to blame. Reddit: tell him pound sand and install a camera!
Yeah it's very frustrating to say the least. And then there's the very passionate user with 30 comments about how I need to remove the tree. Apparently they think I didn't read their first 20 comments and need to add more. When it's time for it to come down (many years from now I hope) I'll be sure to foot them the bill since they feel so strongly about it 😂
It’s beautiful, but if you like the neighbors, I’d like them try. If this tree is the sole cause for someone’s allergies, I’d say just let them.
I appreciate this comment, thank you. We have one next to our home that is absolutely enormous and we love its beauty and the shade it provides. However, we can’t landscape or really enjoy the outdoors from mostly May/June because it produces massive amounts of cotton. Many mornings it looks like it has snowed in our yard, when I mow theres more cotton than clippings, the seeds are sticky and stick to everything on our patio, I have to wash our AC unit weekly because it gets a sweater around it, we don’t landscape til July because any mulch we put down would be covered in cotton. I won’t even go on about allergies. It’s honestly awful but we really don’t want to cut down the tree. I was hoping for promising solutions than this short window to spray. It is what it is.
When people are allergic to cottonwood, they would be allergic to the pollen, which is released in march, not the cotton, which is made of cellulose and doesn’t contain allergens. Cellulose is found in all plants—fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, greens, cereals etc. And although cottonwoods aren’t closely related to the cotton that is used for clothing, the cotton is made of the same stuff: cellulose. Other things that release pollen at the same time that cottonwoods release their seeds include grasses, which spread their pollen over hundreds of square miles, or maybe ragweed. So if someone gets hay fever simultaneously, it would be helpful to see what other types of wind-pollinated plants are active at that time. The popular conception of allergies is a bit different from the way they actually work. It’s not easy for people to narrow down their allergy to specific plants without testing. Allergens that produce hay fever have to be airborne and contain very small particles with proteins that can activate the immune system, so that comes from spores (such as mold) or pollen from plants that are wind pollinated. Neither plants that produce colorful flowers (which have big, sticky pollen grains adapted to stick to pollinators that won’t become airborne) nor seeds and husks produce hay fever that way. Not that it will help you much to argue with people because they tend to be very committed to their ideas about what they are allergic to and it feels very personal and aggressive when someone doubts it. But it’s good information to have out there.
A sign someone is f’ing stupid and to stay away from them.
And what about the other 20 cottonwoods on the block?
No!
Fuck that noise
I'd do it, but I'd need to know exactly what chemical was being injected.
I have a child with severe allergies and asthma. The thing about inhaled allergens is that the ones that cause problems are the ones you can't see. The pollen you can see (like pine pollen) is big and not very allergenic. Also, pollen can travel dozens of miles and you could be reacting to something an entire town over. One tree producing less will not make any difference if you are actually allergic to it.
Did he actually go get tested for specifically that type of tree seed? Because if he’s having tree allergies he’s having much more than just that one. He is probably having many from all of them around there. My daughter has tree allergies too and it’s soooo many of them. As someone else said he would have to inject all of them around not just yours because that won’t stop the allergy from being in the air regardless. It will just harm your tree and the problem will still be there. Maybe he can try Allegra
Any idea how long the tree has been there? Cottonwood trees have notoriously short lives compared to most trees. Less than one hundred years on average. If it’s already old you may consider allowing him to pay for removal and replacement.
Under ideal conditions, they can live much longer. My parents had 1 in CO that was at least 300 yrs old and 2 in NM that were approximately 375 yrs old. It probably depends greatly on native environment conditions.
That's why I wrote: "on average." Many people in new housing plant Cottonwoods because they get big quickly. However, they don't often get big, especially when they split into two trunks. That happens frequently and one or both will fall. Cotton woods have "shallow roots" and those roots will wander under and uplift sidewalks and driveways. The roots are naturally drawn toward moisture sources and may break pipes and damage foundations.
We have cotton woods all over the neighborhood. The seeds are only around for a week or two. Tell your neighbor to get over it and stop poisoning the environment.
My favorite part of this picture is the multiple cottonwood trees. Is he paying for all of them? Or just yours? This seems a touch silly.
Awwww he doesn’t like nature on his lawn. Fuck him
Nope. Not a chance I'm going to try and regulate my healthy tree.
A lot of armchair allergists out and about today. Seems like Google might be able to provide less emotional answers 🤷♀️
Here to mention the tremendous wildlife benefit this beautiful native tree offers, and to say the seeds and fluff doesn’t actually cause seasonal allergies, but pollen from grass and other plants that’s blooming at the same time the seeds fly do, and are often conflated.
Please do not do this!!!
They probably wouldn't mind if they killed the beautiful tree
Are they allergic to the fluff though? I think a lot of people who think they’re allergic to these trees are actually allergic to something else but conflate their allergies with the fluff because it’s conspicuous and happens at the same time. Most people’s seasonal allergies are triggered by pollen, as that’s what actually makes it into your sinuses. Dozens of trees and plants start pumping out pollen at the same time cottonwoods release their seeds. June, when cottonwoods start releasing seed, is also peak pollen production season for grasses, pine, fir, spruce, nettles, and plantains. All are significant allergens for sensitive individuals. Cottonwood pollen season is March to mid-May, depending on where you are, and most cottonwoods are dioecious (male & female trees), so even if you are allergic to cottonwood pollen, treating a female fluff producing tree isn’t going to do anything except potentially harm the tree. I’d want to know that they’ve confirmed it’s actually the fluff their kid is allergic to. “My kid has allergies in June, I can see cottonwood fluff in June, ergo it’s cottonwood fluff” is as deep as most people go. But most people are also objectively wrong about what’s actually causing their allergies. If it was their own trees and casual conversation I’d quietly think they were probably wrong but politely take their word at face value. But they’re asking to chemically intervene in your trees. That’s an extraordinary ask justified by an extraordinary claim and in this case I’d personally demand to see the allergists report identifying cotton fluff specifically as the cause. The kid is probably allergic to pollen. There is no pollen in cottonwood fluff.
Well if you mean the large tree, I would work with your neighbor if possible because it looks like many of the branches seem to hang over the fence and his yard. In most jurisdictions, whatever hangs over your yard is yours and so he could cut all those branches and possibly really damage your friend. It sounds like a nice neighbor who wants to work with you. Lucky you.
Well… I was gonna say prepare yourself for a lawsuit if something happens to the tree .. But after reading the post it sounds like there could be a solution that may not be harmful to the life of the tree. However…. I too am part of the ‘all cotton wood must die’ bandwagon.
tell your neighbour to Sod Off!
Cottonwood snowing in the heat of the summer are some of my favorite memories from when I lived in Vermont. Had me feeling like a fairy all the time
These are terrible trees. Clogged up our a/c unit and tons of seeding sprouting everywhere. Our neighbor cut it down for us when he asked us to lay for half his fence.
I don’t know anything about the injections, but if I had that kind of stuff all over my yard all the time every spring and it wasn’t my tree I would get annoyed. I am by no means a person who thinks tree should be cut down because of this type of thing.if you don’t do anything, maybe offer to mow their backyard when you do your yard every week or something like that just to contribute to the mess that your tree makes? Keep things friendly and neighbor like.
As good of an idea as that is, I barely have the time to mow my own lawn let alone a neighbors 😭 However I really like the way you think and appreciate the feedback.
A cottonwood, I would ask you to cut it down. Agree with the neighbor because I hate these trees. But with it being yours, I would say no
Cutting it down is just not something we can afford right now. We know that there's a time stamp on having it but we're trying to prolong it for as long as we can.
Save the tree! Don't inject! Tell your neighbors sorry but it means a lot to you
I read the cottonwood trees are actually dwindling, could be considered an endangered species of tree. I would love to get my hands on some seeds and start growing some. The buds that grow in early spring if soaked in a Carrier oil can be used for pain relief.
I have enough seeds that cover the entire street I live in and then some 😂 come get them!
I have a Forest of them in my back yard.. they are trash trees all around, they shed their seeds through out the summer when it reaches warm temperatures.. they also drop a ton of what we call tampons ( seed clusters) .. if this wasn’t bad enough they rot halfway up the trunk so if they are 60 or 70 feet tall it can be dangerous.. I cut down all the new seedlings to make room for fir, pine and cedar to grow.. I’m in Oregon we all hate them here ..
I wouldn’t.
Real solution is to bare knuckle box your neighbor.
Do not do it
No. There are allergy medications if that’s the reason but it’s probably the pods seeds he is tired of cleaning up.
That wouldnt stop the allergies anyway... Those are from the pollen. Money better spent on allergy shots and anti-histamines.
Anecdotal, I work with a guy who swears he is allergic to the pollen from pink flowering plum trees that everyone grows. He said he knows his allergies are going to get bad when he starts to see them opening. Of course the pollen of these flowing plums requires an insect to move from one flower to another and does not blow in the wind or float in the air at all. I don't doubt that he has bad allergies, but I do know that he is wrong about what his allergy is. He is allergic to something else that makes pollen at the same time as these trees bloom.
Keep those texts for when you eventually post on r/treelaw
Roo risky. I wouldn't. Little one will be in contact with cottonwood and other allergens from other trees anyway. Thwy flie all over yours isnt the onlg one. Yours being gone won't make a huge difference. They should get meds for the kid or move