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Not in MY yard (please?) · 10-08-2009, 05:03 PM

I may be entering enemy territory here but I have an "issue" regarding my neighbors invasive banana trees.

We put in (expensive) alluminum fencing 19 years ago. Approximately 8 years ago our next door neighbor planted a couple bannana trees about a foot out from the fence - those first little suckers have made like rabbits with trunk diameters exceeding 18 inches.

They long ago dislodged our fencing. We talked with him and he agreed to 'tie them back'... we didn't press on the fence damange. He said his trees couldn't have caused the fence problem. The trees continue to thrive and multiply and several times each years I remind him to tie back the trees. But by now it does nothing helpful.

Several years ago we asked permission (our expense-$200) to have a tree person come out and cut back the trees closest to our fence. Reluctantly he agreed. The tree guy suggested to him that he could take them up and relocate them away from the fence, neighbor refused, likes them as is. I then asked the neighbor to tie the trees together so that we might keep them off our fence. He agreed but has rarely followed through. We ourselves have tied them back but as they are so thick that it is useless. .

The fence problem also traveled down to another corner of our lot and now the gate cannot be latched - I have it TIED with rope - nice look, NOT!

Last year three trees sprouted in my flower bed. I cut them off and put Round-Up on them. Must liked the stuff as this year I have five.

Questions:
1. What can I put on the suckers, in my flower bed, that will kill them?

2. What type of barrier can be put in the soil, at the time of the new fence installation to be a permanent barrier of those roots and new shoots? Anything?? Suggestions please.

I am an avid gardener with a yard full of flowers, herbs, butterflies. I appreciate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, good fences are making for bad neighboring.

Oh, one other thing, while we were away he cut back and then poisoned a purple salvia that was said to be 'growing through my side of the fence.' For the third year his fruit cluster fell in our yard. Again we cut it off, cleaned it up and quietly laid the cluster at his front door.

The neighbors on the other side have reported him FOR YEARS to our home owners association to no avail. He is getting quite elderly but is physically healthy, mows his yard (occasionally, for real). He has no friends, his daughter is powerless to get him to do right, she apologizes to us. We have been good neighbors to him but my patience has run dry. I would he has a good 20 years on me but I swear he is going to outlive me and so are those *&^% bananna trees!

Please see 2 questions above, thank you for taking the time to read through my RANT!

10-08-2009, 05:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
Not in MY yard (please?) Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 9 BananaBucks : 15,727 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 5 Times Was Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Good neighbor but bad on fencing I may be entering enemy territory here but I have an "issue" regarding my neighbors invasive banana trees. We put in (expensive) alluminum fencing 19 years ago. Approximately 8 years ago our next door neighbor planted a couple bannana trees about a foot out from the fence - those first little suckers have made like rabbits with trunk diameters exceeding 18 inches. They long ago dislodged our fencing. We talked with him and he agreed to 'tie them back'... we didn't press on the fence damange. He said his trees couldn't have caused the fence problem. The trees continue to thrive and multiply and several times each years I remind him to tie back the trees. But by now it does nothing helpful. Several years ago we asked permission (our expense-$200) to have a tree person come out and cut back the trees closest to our fence. Reluctantly he agreed. The tree guy suggested to him that he could take them up and relocate them away from the fence, neighbor refused, likes them as is. I then asked the neighbor to tie the trees together so that we might keep them off our fence. He agreed but has rarely followed through. We ourselves have tied them back but as they are so thick that it is useless. . The fence problem also traveled down to another corner of our lot and now the gate cannot be latched - I have it TIED with rope - nice look, NOT! Last year three trees sprouted in my flower bed. I cut them off and put Round-Up on them. Must liked the stuff as this year I have five. Questions: 1. What can I put on the suckers, in my flower bed, that will kill them? 2. What type of barrier can be put in the soil, at the time of the new fence installation to be a permanent barrier of those roots and new shoots? Anything?? Suggestions please. I am an avid gardener with a yard full of flowers, herbs, butterflies. I appreciate that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. In this case, good fences are making for bad neighboring. Oh, one other thing, while we were away he cut back and then poisoned a purple salvia that was said to be 'growing through my side of the fence.' For the third year his fruit cluster fell in our yard. Again we cut it off, cleaned it up and quietly laid the cluster at his front door. The neighbors on the other side have reported him FOR YEARS to our home owners association to no avail. He is getting quite elderly but is physically healthy, mows his yard (occasionally, for real). He has no friends, his daughter is powerless to get him to do right, she apologizes to us. We have been good neighbors to him but my patience has run dry. I would he has a good 20 years on me but I swear he is going to outlive me and so are those *&^% bananna trees! Please see 2 questions above, thank you for taking the time to read through my RANT!