[speedball1]

How about helping out a fellow expert,(plumbing page)? I live on the West coast of Florida. When Tropical Storm Gabriel came ashore a few days after 9/11 the combination of rain,(soggy soil) and wind toppled a Jacaranda Tree that was over fifty feet tall and forty eight years old. This tree has no tap root and the roots pulled right up out of the ground. I had the tree cut up and removed but soon after new trees started growing up from the roots. I cut back most of them but allowed three to continue growing. The biggest one is now twenty feet tall. However it's growing out of the end of a root that's about five or six inches in diameter. No "spreader" roots. Just coming out of the one big root. Now these trees grow to be humungous. I worry that when it gets mature a strong wind will topple it into my neighbors pool cage. What's your take on this? Will the root system I have described be enough to anchor a mature Jacaranda? Should I cut them down? I would like to keep them, but not at the expense of my neighbors pool cage. Your thoughts? Cheers, Tom aka speedball1

[iamarcin]

This will probably slow winds that won't topple it over right

I saw evergreens at my local park being tied down from the top with lines staked to the ground. Just assumed it was to make branches expand in a nicer way but could be a solution for you till the roots look strong enough to hold it

Another thought is to prune the lover branches so less wind catches it. If done right won't harm the tree and there is plenty of info for it online