I'm confused. My neighbors have wrapped kitchen-style plastic wrap around the bottom 6' of most (but not all) trees in their backyard. I don't mean the tree-wrap that is designed to prevent winter-scorch. This is really standard clear plastic thin kitchen wrap.

I would ask, but they moved in 2 years ago and we got off to a bad start. They started a fire to burn tree debris right next to my wood fence and under low-hanging dry trees without a hose available. I had to threaten them with a fire department visit to get them to put it out. Then the guy started using a metal-bladed weed-whacker around one of MY specimen trees (which has since died). He wouldn't even turn it off when I tried to talk to him.

I do NOT want to make this a social issue, but they don't speak english well, so it is difficult and awkward to talk to them. I'm assuming yardwork is new to them and trying to allow for that. I think I have at least indicated where the property line is...

But I can't figure out why they are wrapping some of their tree trunks in kitchen plastic wrap. I've searched for any example or reason for that without any success.

One one hand, I am merely curious. On the other hand, their trees block morning sunlight to my garden and I HOPE what they are doing will kill their trees.

But my question really is if there is some reason for them surrounding their tree-trunks tightly in solid clear plastic?

I would assume they think the plastic wrap will hold in heat. It probably will only hold in moisture - not good for tree trunks.

I found this post about Winter Moths.

http://www.maynardlifeoutdoors...

DaisyI said:I would assume they think the plastic wrap will hold in heat. It probably will only hold in moisture - not good for tree trunks.

I agree that they are probably creating a fungal disease on their trees. I can only hope.

Danita said:I found this post about Winter Moths.

http://www.maynardlifeoutdoors...

Thank you for that link. I've peeked over the fence with binoculars and there doesn't seem to be any sticky substance on the plastic. I don't think my neighbors would know of winter moths.

But everyone keep some explanations coming. I WANT to think there is a good reason for wrapping the trunks in kitchen plastic. I do discover new ideas sometimes. If there is some sense to this idea, I want to know.

Yardenman, I think that you might have answered your own question. You said that essentially they are crazy, nasty, uncooperative people. Hopefully they did not purchase the property and are just renting.
Can we take a huge leap of faith here and assume that there is a good reason to wrap trees in Saran Wrap? I don't think so. Can't imagine why they did it. Makes no sense.
Maybe they are trying to keep squirrels from climbing the trees? It is the only thing that I can think of.

I do feel for you though. A difficult neighbor can ruin anyone's castle.

By law in most places you have the right to prune their trees hanging over your yard from the ground straight up to heaven. You just can't go on their property to do it, nor can you lean over to prune more branches.
People have some strange ideas about gardening and yard work. Nothing you can do about that. I once lived next door to a worthless bum of a person who brought home discarded Christmas trees, you know the kind, sawed off at the stump, NO ROOTS!! Yet he planted them thinking that they would root!!! Every winter to spring, they would slowly brown and lose all needles. Did that stop him?? Nope! Try again next year.
Luckily they were renters and moved out after a little over 2 years.

BigBill said:Yardenman, I think that you might have answered your own question. You said that essentially they are crazy, nasty, uncooperative people. Hopefully they did not purchase the property and are just renting.
Can we take a huge leap of faith here and assume that there is a good reason to wrap trees in Saran Wrap? I don't think so. Can't imagine why they did it. Makes no sense.
Maybe they are trying to keep squirrels from climbing the trees? It is the only thing that I can think of.

I do feel for you though. A difficult neighbor can ruin anyone's castle.

By law in most places you have the right to prune their trees hanging over your yard from the ground straight up to heaven. You just can't go on their property to do it, nor can you lean over to prune more branches.
People have some strange ideas about gardening and yard work. Nothing you can do about that. I once lived next door to a worthless bum of a person who brought home discarded Christmas trees, you know the kind, sawed off at the stump, NO ROOTS!! Yet he planted them thinking that they would root!!! Every winter to spring, they would slowly brown and lose all needles. Did that stop him?? Nope! Try again next year.
Luckily they were renters and moved out after a little over 2 years.

I certainly thank you BigBill. You got at some issues.

I am planning to prune overhanging branches as high as I can reach, at the time where it will do the most damage to the neighbors trees, as I can't be blamed for timing. I also intend to try and cut as many roots at the property line as possible. Spring would be a good time, I think. Anything I can legally do to diminish the trees shading my garden is fair.

Also, thank you for reinforcing my thought that wrapping the trunks in saran wrap is not healthy. I was really wondering if there was some positive purpose in that.

Sadly, my new neighbors bought the place and I suspect they while stay for years. I wanted to buy the place for a convenient rental (and to get rid of the trees) but the place was not listed publicly for some reason. My late bid was 10K short anyway. I would have offerred more but the deal was sealed...

I "planted" a christmas tree once, but only to have a place where birds could find seeds under it after a snow.

I DO take snips from shrubs and specimen trees I like. I have a dozen Eonimous and 24 Nandina starts growing. The difference is that I know how to grow roots... LOL!

Thank you again for the reply.

Very welcome!

Yardenman - although I truly feel for you and have my own past experience with difficult neighbors... I think you will be happier in the long run if you try to avoid escalating this situation. I'm kind of envisioning this becoming some sort of competition where you trim back the branches of the trees that are overhanging your property, and next they - not understanding the legal nuances involved - come right onto your property and chop down your favorite plants. All-out war with your neighbors will not make your life better... Difficult as it can be, I would make an effort to be friendly and work things out with them; or at least try to communicate why you need to trim the branches and whatever else you might have in mind, before you actually do it. (Easier said than done, I know )

This is why I live in the middle of nowhere...

Weedwhacker said:Yardenman - although I truly feel for you and have my own past experience with difficult neighbors... I think you will be happier in the long run if you try to avoid escalating this situation. I'm kind of envisioning this becoming some sort of competition where you trim back the branches of the trees that are overhanging your property, and next they - not understanding the legal nuances involved - come right onto your property and chop down your favorite plants. All-out war with your neighbors will not make your life better... Difficult as it can be, I would make an effort to be friendly and work things out with them; or at least try to communicate why you need to trim the branches and whatever else you might have in mind, before you actually do it. (Easier said than done, I know )

This is why I live in the middle of nowhere...

I would like to live in "The middle of nowhere" myself. I looked at several places recently that were there. Most had good lots of about 1.5 acres with good gardening light. I could easily see myself on some properties like that. But there is always something wrong.

I don't like well water and septic fields. I like my high-speed cable. I like my city water and sewage. I like my buried electric supply (it seldom fails). I even like my dead end street for the low traffic. I like a good basement for the power equipment.

The places I see are downhill from a farm, so flooding. Or the basements are damp so I know there are mold and mildew problems. Or near a smelly place. One was just downwind from a slaughterhouse and another smelled of herbicides/pesticides so no useful gardening there.

What I would LIKE do do is just buy the cheap house next door and raze it to combine the 2 yards into one. But that would be stupid. I could have organic veggies delivered to my front door the rest of my life at a fraction of the cost.

I don''t know what to do. I can't garden here with all the neighbor's trees surrounding me, and I'm afraid to move. And my cats would go crazy if I did. *sigh*

I have no idea why they did this, but it did make me think of the old-school painted tree trunks. I still see one occasionally. People would paint tree trunks white from the ground to about 4-7 feet up the trunk.

Is it possible that they hate the trees as much as you do and think this is a way to kill them? If these trees do get ill and fall over, will they damage your house? What kind of trees are they?

purpleinopp said:I have no idea why they did this, but it did make me think of the old-school painted tree trunks. I still see one occasionally. People would paint tree trunks white from the ground to about 4-7 feet up the trunk.

Is it possible that they hate the trees as much as you do and think this is a way to kill them? If these trees do get ill and fall over, will they damage your house? What kind of trees are they?

The trees are no threat to my house. Way too small and far enough away. I think they are called "river birches" but that may just be the term my Dad used for junk trees. I looked it up just now and the pictures seem about right. Nothing good about them... As far as I can tell, they grow fast, are brittle, and die young. Let's just say no one would ever deliberately plant one.

I love these trees in the proper setting, but putting that aside, I wonder if the sloughing / peeling bark made the neighbors think some critter was doing something to the trees?

If you google "plastic wrap on trees," quite a few possibilities come up ranging from "curing" wounds on trees to keeping rabbits and voles from gnawing at the bark. In CT I have quite a few neighbors who use plastic wrap with something on it or duct tape to keep larvae and caterpillars off of trees. While their reasoning might not be "right," I'd like to echo an earlier response that they are probably new to gardening/yard work and just trying out whatever they can find on google - or even advice from other people. I myself have been given very odd advice from relatives and strangers (some of which turned out to be surprisingly great!).

I'm not big on being besties with my neighbors, but I think it is worth being on good terms. You may want to try asking them out of curiosity why they are doing so. While I understand they might not speak English well, as someone who comes from an immigrant family, that doesn't mean they are crazy, nasty, or uncooperative - again, they may just be ignorant of basic yard care. And who knows, maybe they would be happy to hear YOUR advice and expertise.

Yardenman I fully support your curiosity! There's no harm in asking, and if they do in fact have an attitude or are rude about your curiosity, then so be it.

SaiLeigh said:If you google "plastic wrap on trees," quite a few possibilities come up ranging from "curing" wounds on trees to keeping rabbits and voles from gnawing at the bark. In CT I have quite a few neighbors who use plastic wrap with something on it or duct tape to keep larvae and caterpillars off of trees. While their reasoning might not be "right," I'd like to echo an earlier response that they are probably new to gardening/yard work and just trying out whatever they can find on google - or even advice from other people. I myself have been given very odd advice from relatives and strangers (some of which turned out to be surprisingly great!).

I'm not big on being besties with my neighbors, but I think it is worth being on good terms. You may want to try asking them out of curiosity why they are doing so. While I understand they might not speak English well, as someone who comes from an immigrant family, that doesn't mean they are crazy, nasty, or uncooperative - again, they may just be ignorant of basic yard care. And who knows, maybe they would be happy to hear YOUR advice and expertise.

Yardenman I fully support your curiosity! There's no harm in asking, and if they do in fact have an attitude or are rude about your curiosity, then so be it.

I googled "plastic wrap on trees". All I get is the commercial holey wrap, not the saran wrap my neighbors did. Sorry. If you have a link...

I agree about trying to communicate. But the guy wouldn't even turn off his gas-powered metal-blade whacker when I was trying to explain he was inside the property line. I would have liked to help a new neighbor learn things. I'm a real helpful type. But he was resentful.

It really can be awful to have close neighbors that you just can't get along with