Trees near the pool

[Rodex]

We had an arborist out to treat a tree in our backyard, and he mentioned that a different tree (an ash) was really a problem with pools. He’s trying to make a buck, I know, but I also saw similar concerns from some websites. It provides a good amount of late afternoon shade, right into our kitchen window. That setting sun in the late summer in North Texas is brutal. We have sun shades if we need them, but the tree definitely helps.

Anybody have any experience with ash trees near a pool?

 

[PoolGate]

Not sure why the type of tree would matter but we have trees and constantly scoop leaves and seeds out. Just part of pool ownership.

 

[4xWTub]

Pool or not, Ash trees are at serious risk of turning into dead trees. Domestic Ash trees have no defense against an invasive pest, the ash borer. See this link:

Texas Department of Agriculture Website > Regulatory Programs > Plant Quality > Pest and Disease Alerts > Emerald Ash Borer

The dead ash trees on my property tend to snap off roughly 15-20 feet up from the ground.

 

[Toxophilite]

The only problem would be the ash trees are very messy and prolific growers. Life span is short, but I had 3 that had gone over 30 years before I sold the house, which is exceeding their natural life by a bit. And, from these 3, I could trim back to naked and by late spring I had to cut full trailer loads of overhaning limbs, live and dead, just to get parking room on my driveway.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

That tree seems awfully far from the edge of the pool, at least from the photo you included. As long as that tree gets water within it's root zone (typically defined by the drip zone established by the canopy), it's not going to cause any structural problems with the pool. As for debris, that's a different story. I had a mesquite tree near my pool and we got rid of it after the second year because it was nightmare to keep the pool clean. My neighbor has lots of trees (non-native) right up against our shared wall and his trees are constantly shedding into my pool area. I cut back what I am allowed to, but it's a nuisance for sure.

Keep the ash and see how it goes. Arborists love to cut down trees and remove stumps because they can charge lots of money doing it. If it ever were to become a problem, you can rent a chainsaw and take down the tree yourself...

 

[PaAmanda]

We had/have two Ash trees which were attacked by the Emerald Ash Borer. We lost one tree, but the other was able to be treated by an arborist and continues to thrive years later.

Ours isn't near the pool, but other than the litter in the spring and fall, I don't see why it would cause issues.

 

[Rodex]

Not sure why the type of tree would matter but we have trees and constantly scoop leaves and seeds out. Just part of pool ownership.

They said the roots are aggressive and break concrete. It actually doesn’t produce much junk that ends up in the pool, another reason I like it!

 

[Rodex]

That tree seems awfully far from the edge of the pool, at least from the photo you included. As long as that tree gets water within it's root zone (typically defined by the drip zone established by the canopy), it's not going to cause any structural problems with the pool. As for debris, that's a different story. I had a mesquite tree near my pool and we got rid of it after the second year because it was nightmare to keep the pool clean. My neighbor has lots of trees (non-native) right up against our shared wall and his trees are constantly shedding into my pool area. I cut back what I am allowed to, but it's a nuisance for sure.

Keep the ash and see how it goes. Arborists love to cut down trees and remove stumps because they can charge lots of money doing it. If it ever were to become a problem, you can rent a chainsaw and take down the tree yourself...

Okay thanks, that is helpful. It’s surrounded by sprinklers and we try to be very careful about ensuring the right amount of water is in the soil.

I have a chainsaw, just took out a hackberry and cut up a giant elm limb. It’s been worth the cost!!

 

[Rodex]

We had/have two Ash trees which were attacked by the Emerald Ash Borer. We lost one tree, but the other was able to be treated by an arborist and continues to thrive years later.

Ours isn't near the pool, but other than the litter in the spring and fall, I don't see why it would cause issues.

Yikes! Our elm has beetle borers, which is what the arborist was treating. We lost a giant limb and a few smaller ones. Fingers crossed all the effort saves it.

 

[Texas Splash]

I love trees when they aren't in a difficult area of the yard like right by the pool. Best thing I did a couple years ago (effects prompted by the 2021 TX freeze) was whack-down all my cypress. It was depressing at first, but now my pool is so much cleaner.

 

[Toxophilite]

I love trees when they aren't in a difficult area of the yard like right by the pool. Best thing I did a couple years ago (effects prompted by the 2021 TX freeze) was whack-down all my cypress. It was depressing at first, but now my pool is so much cleaner.

Cutting down the cypress would be a brutal decision for me. But, back when I built 3 years ago it was recommended the Japanese Blueberry for ornamental, so I filled up my flower beds around house. Good thing that freeze took them guys all out, as the root systems were massive in just that short growing period.

 

[Homebrewale]

I'm not a fan of trees near a pool. When I first built my pool, I had a weeping willow in my backyard. The pool was built without taking it out. Several years later while doing some landscaping work next to the pool, I found a live tree root. It could only came from the weeping willow. The root had gone about 30 feet - around the deep end of the pool and up along the side towards the shallow end. Shortly after that discovery, it was cut down.

Last year I had a gutter downspout that wasn't draining. When the pool was built, a drainpipe was placed under the concrete patio to run the water underground from the downspout to the other side of the patio. When I dug up the drainpipe, I found a root several inches in diameter from a nearby sweetgum tree growing through the drainpipe. That tree was cut down.

 

[Bam Bam]

I have a certified arborist come out every 3-5 years to assess whether the trees are endangering the house, pool and other structures on my property and remove those he recommends. He is not affiliated with a tree company so I believe he has no conflict of interest. Just a friendly suggestion to hire someone independent if possible. What are the differences between an arborist, a certified arborist, a consulting arborist, and a Registered Consulting Arborist® (RCA)?

It seems though that no matter how many trees have been removed around the pool area the tree debris from the other trees makes up for their absence!

 

[salty87]

It's leaf season, catkins won't be far behind. A couple weeks a year aren't fun but it's absolutely gorgeous the rest.

 

[Cena_sea]

Trees and plants were removed in the backyard but recently finding pink petals in the pool. None of the new plants are pink. Looking around I did not know where they were coming from. Realized they are from cherry blossom tree in front yard. It’s a dwarf one but so many petals. It’s too pretty to ever get rid of but am so glad it’s not in the back yard.

 

[H-12 1/2 Mike]

I have a 42 year old Cedar Elm about 15 feet from my pool and I can definitely say that it is a NIGHTMARE during all seasons of the year. I would have cut it down years ago but the "BOSS" won't let me.