Should I keep the pecan tree

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jay_mcc2

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Jul 1, 2018
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Friendswood, TX
OK guys, I need a second (third, fourth, etc) opinion. We are getting closer to finalizing our pool designs. I have a large pecan in the backyard that I want to keep. Two reasons to keep the tree, one it is a gorgeous tree, well developed and shaped, second it will provide great shade to the pool. The branches of the tree will definitely overlap the pool.

So, do you think I am crazy to keep this tree? The pool will be built very close to the trunk of the tree, there are no guarantees that it will even survive the dig. I am guaranteed to get a tree full of leaves each fall/winter. An arborist told me that he can sterilize the tree, to keep it from developing pecans, or at least develop fewer smaller pecans. The waterfall and deep end will be shaded almost entirely all day. So I have a concern that mold/algae will be a significant issue.

Please be brutally honest in your comments, I am struggling with whether to keep it or not and would like to hear any experiences that you may have with trees around your pool.



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Tough call....

We had a beautiful oak tree on one side of our pool and a beautiful river birch tree near another side.

The oak provided nice shade for our patio, but also shaded the pool a bit, keeping the water temp lower than we like (don’t have a heater). It also made a mess in the pool, so we finally decided to take it down.

The birch also made a mess in the pool, but it didn’t affect pool temp, so we kept it for some time. However, a few years ago I noticed it’s roots were starting to get behind the pool liner, so we decided it had to go as well.

I do miss the shade and beauty of the trees, but I don’t miss the mess and lower water temps!
 
Jay

Being in Houston I think you want the shade. Your pool will get warm no matter what you do and the shade will be great.

I would have a service come in and trim it back some. Maybe the part over the pool. In the fall after the swim season is close to over you could consider some type of net either over the pool or just attached to the tree.

I used to live in the woodlands and trees all around. It’s an inconvenience but with a robot you’ll be fine.
 
That would be a heartbreaker for me. I love pecan trees. My concern would be the roots. What did the arborist and PB say about the roots?

If they aren't concerned about the roots, I would be tempted to give it a go. If it doesn't survive or you can't manage the debris in the pool, take it down.

There is a similarly sized pecan tree on the other side of the fence behind my pool. I love floating in the pool and looking up at it. But in no way does it hang over my pool. The good thing is when it drops its leaves, it happens quickly - like boom, and they're down. I do get a lot of leaves from it, but I don't mind. Again - it's not hanging over my pool.

I'm not very good about catching the leaves while they're still floating. My dolphin robot picks up the pecan leaves just fine. I think pecans would be a different story. I've actually never had a pecan drop in my pool.

Sorry I can't make it an easy decision for you. Let us know what you decide.

Suz
 
I would keep the tree, I decided to keep my trees that are near the pool, one being a pecan and another being a red oak, you can’t buy a tree that size and replace it if you take it down now. I say keep the tree and see if it’s as big a problem as you think it will be. You can always remove later if you want.
 
Keep it, trim it up, light it up, and smile.

I pulled about 8 trees from my yard, but I still have a forest:

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We dug up a japanese maple that was going to get destoryed by the pool build and moved it off to the side for safe keeping and watering, lots of watering. Along with some other plants we thought we could keep alive. One proposed tree to be removed was the oak on the far right hand side of the above image with the pink ribbon around the base. Tree service agree to climb and trim the dead branches and clean it up. It looks a lot nicer now and I'm glad we kept it.

Where you have so few trees in that yard, as long as PB says the root system won't damage the pool, I'd say trim up the low branches, and never look back. If you up-light that tree you can really make it a focal point.
 
I have an oak tree so I deal with leaves and acorns. My Pool Rover Jr takes care of acorns, and I'm sure a good pool robot would take care of any pecans and hulls that drop in your pool. My oak was the only thing that kept the water from getting too hot! If you want the tree and it won't cause structural damage to the pool then keep the tree. You can always take it out later if it becomes a problem, but once it is gone you can't put it back.
 
Wow, thanks for all the comments. I am really encouraged now to try and keep it. I have had so many people tell me that I’ll regret having the tree and will cut it down later anyway that I was second guessing myself.

I think that we will move forward and keep the tree. And I’ll just have to invest in good equipment to help with the maintenance.

@blazin
Good idea to uplight the tree. That is definitely on my list for after projects.

One item that I am still trying to decide on is DE vs Cartridge filter. Would having a tree that drops leaves and possibly other biomatter in the pool have an affect on which filter to get?
 
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i have pecan on the right in the back about 30 ft to pool does not drop in pool was told their pollen was bad but i do not notice it. The big maples on left drop flowers in spring then helicopter seeds after. Winter tons of leaves lol but it gives me reason to be in my beautiful back yard :p good luck keep pics coming too.
 

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I would go with a cartridge filter and ask them to add a waste line, in case you ever need to vacuum to waste or drain down some water. They can add a valve and T somewhere between the pump and filter so that you can have a waste line. To me backwashing or breaking down and cleaning out a DE filter is a lot of hassle.

I really like my sand filter, to be honest.
 
That's a small pecan tree and I think its placement is ideal if you want to keep it. As for us, we have a big-A pecan tree with at least twice the trunk diameter, smack center in our back yard, with a canopy that covers the entire property. It's a gorgeous tree, provides 50+ lbs of pecans every year at minimum, but with Austin's extreme tree restrictions as of 2011, I can't dig anywhere under the canopy. We bought the house in 2006 with the intent to put in a pool, so one way or the other, our tree is coming down. You're in a much better position I think, as far as keeping the tree and putting in a pool. Just trim it back a bit, set up some netting, or strategically placed umbrellas, and I expect you'll be golden.
 
We're in the middle of our pool build (also in Houston) and opted to keep our large trees.
We love the shade and the privacy they provide. ​
Our lot is only 50' wide. We have a LARGE old pecan in the southeast corner and a fairly tall sycamore in the southwest corner, near the pool. We'll trim some of the lower sycamore branches over the pool but hope that's all we need to do.

I anticipate that birds may be an issue. I'd be shocked if an unsuspecting spa-goer doesn't get hit by a bird bomb at some point. And I expect that I'll experience strong anti-tree sentiments for about a month each year when the pool is inundated with leaves.

I did read through an engineering paper about gunite pool construction in Houston. They did recommend looking into root barriers, which we may do. I don't want the roots growing up under the spa and causing issues down the line.

Good luck with your build.
 
schwimmen said:
I did read through an engineering paper about gunite pool construction in Houston. They did recommend looking into root barriers, which we may do. I don't want the roots growing up under the spa and causing issues down the line.
Click to expand...

If you can would you share this paper. I'd like to take a look at it. The PB's have said they are not concerned with the roots growing into the pool causing an issue. The deep end of the pool will be on the tree side, maybe this makes the difference? The arborist that came out did not express any concerns with the tree causing issues with the pool.
 
Here you go.

http://www.geotecheng.com/papers/guidelines/guidelines_swimming_pool.pdf


I almost called the whole thing off after reading this, but my husband (also an engineer) told me to breathe, that it would all be fine.​



jay_mcc2 said:
If you can would you share this paper. I'd like to take a look at it. The PB's have said they are not concerned with the roots growing into the pool causing an issue. The deep end of the pool will be on the tree side, maybe this makes the difference? The arborist that came out did not express any concerns with the tree causing issues with the pool.
Click to expand...
 
jay_mcc2 said:
I haven't heard of anything like that. But if there are crazy restrictions anywhere it would be in Austin first. Keep Austin Weird.
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You're lucky. Pretty much the only way I could remove the tree legally is if it was endangering life or property, and even then I'd have to apply for a variance from the ordinance, unless I remove it within 7 days of a damaging event causing the issue. It's ridiculous. Here's a couple links to the ordinance and the requirements, if you're interested, or any other Austin folks that aren't already aware.

Austin Tree Ordinance

Summary of Heritage Tree Restrictions
 

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