Contractors cut tree of heaven without asking, and now homeowner says new shoots are popping up by house

A homeowner's warning about contractors, property lines, and one notoriously stubborn invasive plant comes after a tree of heaven removal went wrong, leaving new shoots sprouting dangerously close to a house.

On Reddit, the cleanup became a much bigger headache when the plant was cut without the treatment experts often recommend first.

What happened?

According to the Reddit post, contractors working on the condemned house next door took out a stump on the property line along with the tree of heaven growing there, even though they had not asked permission or confirmed the boundary first.

"A company that buys condemned houses and fixes them up, then sells them as historical ones, has been working on the house next to us for like two years," said the original poster.

"We had an old tree stump like 90% on our neighbor's yard, 10% ours and around it slowly grew a grouping of tree of heaven. I at first didn't realize what they were until last year when I noticed how much and quickly they spread," they explained.

The problems didn't happen until the stump was removed. "Probably two weeks ago, they had a company out (before having a surveyor out and without asking us) and removed the trees and the stump."

"There is a lot of roots and our yard is torn up a bit. They also ran over our downspouts," they explained. 

But this wasn't just about the damage to the downspouts. "The problem I'm having now, is we noticed today a lot of tiny tree of heavens have popped up everywhere, including right up against our house."

Why does it matter?

Tree of heaven spreads aggressively and is well known for resprouting from its roots when it is simply cut down. That means a rushed removal can trigger even more shoots, turning one troublesome plant into many.

For homeowners, that can mean damage to landscaping, more time spent weeding, and higher costs to properly deal with the plant later.

They added, "Our landscaping is very important to me and we've planted a lot of native plants. It's very stressful to me to have an invasive one that's so aggressive." 

Gardening can help families save money on produce, provide fresher and better-tasting food, and support both mental and physical health.

For many common yard problems, low-toxicity or nonchemical methods can help, and The Cool Down has guides on growing your own food and controlling weeds without chemicals. However, commenters noted that tree of heaven is one of the more difficult exceptions, often requiring especially careful timing and treatment.

What are people saying?

In the replies, people said the removal method was the core problem.

One person wrote, "I have only heard that pulling or cutting and then something like round up and repeat as needed."

Another commenter got more detailed about timing, saying, "Wait a couple weeks, like mid July. Then chop them and apply dyed glyphosate directly to the stumps of all the chopped trees. Don't spray, it should be applied with a dauber bottle for precision," they instructed.

"Cutting and treating in July ensures they pull the poison into their root system and die. Otherwise, they will be focused on producing more shoots," they added. "So timing is on your side!"

Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.