Question
I have a pussy willow tree planted a few feet from my home. It is approxiamately 10-12 feet tall. Three questions: 1. Will root damage occur to the foundation since it is so large and close to the house? 2. Will I need to cut down the tree? 3. Do I need to prune the height of the tree? It is a beautiful tree that offers much shade to the house. If poosible, I'd like to keep it. Thank you for your help!

Answer
The roots will not be a problem unless it is over a septic line--then the roots can clog the lines if they get into them. The problem will be the branches--this tree has a spread of 12-25 feet when mature and the branches will hit the house. I would suggest that you either move the tree or prune it back so it does not hit the house.

How to Trim Pussy Willow Trees
Step 1 Monitor your tree's growth. Pussy Willow buds begin to open very early in the spring.

Step 2 Be diligent. Pussy willows are a soft wooded tree that grows rapidly.

Step 3 Cut pussy willow branches 10 to 12 inches long when the catkins or pussy willows are just beginning to emerge.

Step 4 Keep Pussy Willow Trees rigorously pruned to the desired height. If you let it get away from you, you will find a twenty to thirty foot tree in only a few years.

Step 5 Get ready to trim a tree that's out of hand -- cut the trunk off at a couple of feet above the ground. Observe that new shoots will soon emerge.

If you are going to move it make sure you dig a large enough root ball.

Deciduous plants may be moved in the spring as soon as the frost is out of the ground, up until the time when new foliage is partly unfurled. In the fall, they may be planted once the leaves start to turn color up until the ground freezes.

Digging the root ball:

When you want to dig up a tree or shrub for transplanting, retain as much of the root system as possible.


Deciduous trees  can be successfully moved only if a ball of soil is left around the roots. The exposed roots should be protected with moist burlap or newspaper or with polyethylene sheeting. Every effort should be made to reduce root exposure to wind and sun, keeping the ball as moist as possible. It's best to prepare the hole before digging up the tree you wish to move.

Size of the root ball and size of the hole:

For deciduous trees and shrubs the soil ball should be:

Width = 9-12 in. in diameter/every 1 in. of tree diameter
Depth = 6 in./every 1 in. of tree diameter

For example: A tree trunk 2 inches wide would need a soil ball of 18-24 inches wide and 12 inches deep.

Dig the new hole twice the size of the root ball an as deep and fill with good top soil or potting and mulch around the tree with not more than 3 inches deep of organic mulch not piles up on the trunk.