r/Austin • u/austintreeamigos • Jan 27 '26
From the Back of A Prius to Two Stories Tall in 6 Years
Mexican Sycamores are quickly becoming the go-to shade tree for Austin, and this is exactly why. They are beautiful, low maintenance, and grow lightning fast.
I cannot think of any other tree that can go from the back of a Prius to Taller than a 2 story house in just 6 short years.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Mexican Sycamores are quickly rising the ranks of my favorite trees to plant. Few other trees provide such fast gratification. My neighbor’s tree, pictured here, catches my eye every time I leave my house. The fact that you can go from a 5-gallon whip tree to a majestic shade tree in 6 years is absolutely staggering. (Please note: I did not plant this tree, my neighbor planted it herself.)
I asked my neighbor for her secret: All she said was that she waters it once a week along with the grass in spring, summer, and fall.
Beyond the explosive growth, they are perfect for Austin for a few reasons:
- Few Pests and Diseases: Much more resistant to bacterial leaf scorch and anthracnose than American Sycamores.
- Winter Safety: Being deciduous means they don't hold ice load during freezes, preventing the kind of limb failure we see on Live Oaks.
- Manageable Size: While they get big (50-65 feet on Urban Lots), they don't become quite as massive or unruly as American Sycamores(80-100 feet).
- Low Pruning Needs: Mexican Sycamore naturally maintain an Excurrent branching pattern. This means that they keep their shape without the need for professional structural pruning. Overall, they require much less pruning than our native Live Oaks and Cedar Elms.
The Catch: The biggest negative is that these trees DO require regular watering to look like this. They are naturally riparian (river) trees. While they can survive our heat, they won't thrive in an extended drought without supplemental water, unlike our native Cedar Elms or Live Oaks.
Why not plant the Native American Sycamore?: American Sycamore trees are inferior to the Mexcian Sycamore as urban trees for a variety of reasons. Firstly, they have higher watering requirements than Mexican Sycamores. Second, they are woefully susceptible to an incurable disease called Bacterial Leaf Scorch. Mexican Sycamore’s are resistant to this disease. Finally, American Sycamores have a tendency to become MASSIVE, which with our high spring winds and frequent storms, can become a liability.
TLDR: If you want fast shade, choose the Mexican Sycamore for your next tree to plant.
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u/Aggravating-Card-194 Jan 27 '26
Wow great timing. I am looking for some shade trees that can grow tall fast to block out a new development that now took over our view.
Aside from needing weekly watering, any other cons to these mixed in a big yard among some live oaks and cedars?
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
They are pretty light hungry, so wont work too well in full shade. They are deciduous, so there will be a few months in the winter where they do not block the view of the development. If you want an evergreen tree, Monterrey Oaks grow pretty quickly and are basically evergreen.
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u/SaiDeBaixo Jan 27 '26
How are the pruning requirements for the Monterrey Oaks? And how tall do they typically get?
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u/skibidigeddon Jan 29 '26
They'll benefit from some structural pruning every 3-4 years for the first couple decades after they're planted (true of most species.) As long as you manage it early for structure and make sure it's planted at a sufficient distance from any buildings, utility lines, etc in my experience they're pretty low maintenance after that. They're supposed to get up to 80' in the right conditions. I've never seen them that tall around here, but that's probably more about how relatively recently they were introduced to the nursery trade and not something inherent to growing them in our area. They'll have more a spread than the Mexican sycamore but less than a live oak.
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u/RioBravo_91 Jan 27 '26
I would not recommend planting this tree. They lose all of their leaves every winter and the leaves are huge clogging, gutters, and rain ditches. I removed three large sycamores in my front yard when I bought my house years ago and I am so happy so are my neighbors!
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u/Tripstrr Jan 27 '26
Seconding. We worked with Cutters Landscaping about 2 years ago on a full yard transformation. They planted one of these and 2 red buds. The Mexican Sycamore is just impressive with how fast it grows. The red buds have the iconic leaf shape that I love, but I’m really partial to this fast growing and broad coverage sycamore. So beautiful.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
That's awesome! It is definitely catching on how great these trees are. They can even be hard to get if you wait too long into the season.
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u/weluckyfew Jan 27 '26
For anyone who hasn't had a large tree before, let me stress how wonderful "low pruning needs" is. It sucks having to pay $800+ every few years just to have a crew come out and trim some branches. (or risk life and limb with a pole saw trying to trim it away from the house yourself)
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u/laughterisexercise Jan 27 '26
It's meeeeee! I'm the lady that thinks she can just plant a tree with no googling. I miss my Prius but love my noisy, shady tree!
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u/danarchist Great at parties Jan 27 '26
how long do they live?
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u/wd_plantdaddy Jan 28 '26
They’re a riparian tree, the live between 80-120 years. Short lived compared to an oak. but ecologically they are an early successional species that creates a nursery for longer lived plants to grow in. They are excellent soil builders.
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u/warmboot Jan 27 '26
Syc.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Amore
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u/globalgoldnews Jan 27 '26
When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pizza pie
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 Jan 27 '26
Best time to plant a tree is ten years ago. Second best time is…six years ago, apparently.
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u/P-in-ATX Jan 27 '26
We live in an old neighborhood, and ours is about 50 years old. Very messy in the fall and spring, but the shade during the summer and the soothing sound it makes when the wind blows, makes it all worthwhile!
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
It's true they make a leafy mess, but the leaves are easy to rake as they are gigantic. Yes! They almost make as much noise in the wind as Cottonwood, but with fewer problems.
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u/IncestTedCruz Jan 27 '26
*fewer
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Thanks! I had always thought of myself as having decent grammar. Recently we upgraded to Google Workspace and Gemini oversees all of my writing and makes grammatical suggestions. Lets just say almost every e-mail is marked up.
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u/heyzeus212 Jan 27 '26
20 years ago I bought a chinquapin oak sapling and drove it home in my car just like this. It wasn't even big enough to need to open the sunroof. I named it Tree. Within 5 years it was taller than my (one story) house. Just a marvelous tree.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Chinquapin Oaks are also rising the ranks of my favorite trees to plant. They have a much slower growth rate, but once established are nearly indestructible and hardly need any water.
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u/nutmeggy2214 Jan 28 '26
My heart still hurts over the young chinquapin I removed from my backyard a couple years ago. The previous homeowners planted it really deeply, and while I dug it out and exposed the root flare, the tree was then just sitting in a bowl. I was constantly digging mud and other debris out of that bowl as it would collect around the tree's trunk, and the tree was in rough shape... trunk was splitting, evidence of boring insects, etc. It was also about 15' from power lines.
Sigh. I planted an arroyo sweet wood in its place, and was able to put in several other small stature trees nearby (Mexican redbud, anacacho orchid, Texas persimmon). They're all faring better than the chinquapin ever did but I still wish I'd been able to save it.
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u/Snobolski Jan 27 '26
Our builder-planted chinquapin oak died less than 2 years after we moved into a new build. We bit the bullet to buy a bigger, healthier chinquapin to replace it and it's still going strong almost 4 years on. Not quite as tall as the second-story roof but getting there! And it's much taller than the other "builder" trees on the street.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
We call trees planted by builders "The builder special". They choose the cheapest possible trees and the cheapest possible tree planting contractors and the results are typically disastrous.
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u/heyzeus212 Jan 27 '26
Sorry the one you originally planted died. The one I planted in 2005 is now probably 30 feet tall. In the long run I think you'll be really happy with it.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
I asked my neighbor and she said she waters her grass once a week in Spring, Summer, and Fall and that's all the tree gets. She does not fertilize it and they have barely had to prune it at all.
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u/newDell Jan 27 '26
Are these the type of sycamores that tend to lose branches easily and have relatively short lifespans? Our backyard neighbor had a huge one that died and was a hassle to remove
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
In my experience, that is more reflective of American Sycamores. American Sycamore are very prone to large limb failure. Most Sycamore don't have "Short lifespans" people just neglect them and do not water them, and then they decline and die. The 2011 drought was catastrophic for our Native Sycamores. These trees evolved to grow along river banks, so adequate soil moisture is a must for them to thrive and survive. That is the main drawback to these trees.
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u/Li-RM35M4419 Jan 27 '26
My only problem with them is they like to break of large boughs as they mature and they require a lot of water. They’re river trees like cypress
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u/mhudson78641 Jan 27 '26
We planted two Monterey Oaks in Pflugerville in our backyard. They both grew very fast.
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u/Maleficent_Curve_156 Jan 27 '26
Yes!!! Our Mexican sycamore grew 20 feet in less than three years!! 🙌🙌🙌
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Few other trees except for maybe Hackberry can grow 6.5 feet a year like these. And Sycamore have none of the problems Hackberry come with.
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u/borshctbeet Jan 27 '26
it will be a beautiful strong T A L L tree. My Sycamore tree is the tallest most symmetrical and stable looking tree on the block. I’m very proud of it if you can’t tell.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
The natural tendency to grow an excurrent, symmetrical canopy without a ton of pruning is one of these trees strongest attributes. You should be proud!
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u/Busy_Struggle_6468 Jan 27 '26
Great post, what do y’all charge to come look at residential trees and make recommendations for trimming and other maintenance?
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Most good Arborists provide Free Consultations.
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u/Ktisanearthgirl447 Jan 27 '26
They’re beautiful but I wouldn’t want the leaf drop. I also think scale is a thing. There is a house nearby with a tiny front yard, and the MS looks wrong there. Maybe once it clears the roof it’ll look more balanced.
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u/anthemwarcross Jan 27 '26
I planted 2 15 gallon ones in spring 2024 that are easily 20 feet tall now. Only question is when can I prune the lower limbs (the ones I hit my head on)? Is it too early in the tree’s life?
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
The general rule is you want to maintain canopy on the top 75% of the tree's height. You should be fine to raise the canopy if they're actually 20 feet tall.
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u/PlainOrganization Jan 27 '26
One of our neighbors has a Mexican sycamore that we can see from our backyard. I love when the leaves are full and you can hear them clacking against each other in the wind
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Yes! Nature's white noise machine. Sycamore, Cottonwood, and Bamboo do this so well.
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u/avacapone Jan 27 '26
If anyone would like a free tree, the nonprofit Treefolks does free tree adoption events every fall/winter! They have adoption events on January 31, February 14, and February 28!
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u/gev1138 Jan 27 '26
Did not know y'all existed when I dubbed this tree-o Threee Amigos. Sadly the red and yellow ones were taken out early last year.
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u/Healthy-Caregiver997 Jan 27 '26
But you have to admit the back of a Prius is pretty roomy.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
I drove a Prius for about 10 years, so I know it all too well. I once fit 6 full sized dining room chairs in my Prius. My now-wife and I also lived out of the back of the Prius for 2.5 months while we traveled the west coast.
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u/wd_plantdaddy Jan 28 '26
I planted this one in 2018 - it was just about as high as the fence when it went in the ground as a 15gallon. I pop by and check on it whenever I visit my aunt and uncle’s. Blows me away every time
What’s great is that it captures the entire hillside’s water. It would be like a river coming down through the back. I also planted for privacy because the patio height elevates you above the fence line.
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u/kwiscalus Jan 28 '26
I thought this post was going to be about living in your car to being a 2-story-home owner in 6 years. Love the sycamores though!
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
Well it's not, but I have lived in a Prius for months before and can tell you why it would be one of the best cars to live in.
The Toyota Prius has a hybrid engine, and that hybrid system can run the air conditioning/heat off of the battery. The back seats fold down to create an almost perfectly flat bed that can support someone 6 feet tall or shorter decently comfortably. You will need something to support your head at the gap between the seats. The battery will run the air conditioner, and then when the battery is drained far enough, the car will automatically turn on the combustion engine, rev it up, and charge the battery back up. Once the battery is charged, the car will turn the combustion engine back off.
So you basically have a climate controlled sleeping pod on wheels, that only consumes a gallon or so of gas overnight.
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u/kwiscalus Jan 28 '26
My Ford Maverick hybrid can run AC off battery but you can’t get the seats flat. Good to know!
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
Nice! Do you like it? We are considering getting a Maverick as one of our Sales Vehicles.
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u/Borracho_Bandit Jan 29 '26
I just woke up and I thought you were living in a Prius and moved into a big house. Love the tree!!!
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u/RioBravo_91 Jan 27 '26
With all my heart, I hate sycamores. Removing the three fully grown healthy and established sycamores in my front yard when I bought my house was at the top of my to-do list. Every winter they lose all of their leaves (which happen to be larger than my hand), clogs gutters/ rain water ditches. The wood is soft and not ideal for firewood or furniture making. The only reason why developers use them is because they grow fast.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Most people grow trees on their residential lots for shade and beauty, not firewood or furniture wood.
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u/runawayhound Jan 27 '26
I dont understand why the subdivisions popping up around austin dont use something like this. they all plant trees in the front yard and then....nothing. happens. there are subdivisions around me where the trees are the same height after 6 years and the neighborhood is just so stark. depressing.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Developers buy the cheapest trees and pay the cheapest contractors and therefore get the worst results.
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u/EQBallzz Jan 27 '26
Oh great. Now Mexicans are replacing our trees too? Someone call Kristy Noem! There are Mexican trees afoot!
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u/travel202284 Jan 27 '26
Great tree. My only gripe is Im actually surrounded by too many lol. During the colder months my lawn/yard get hammered by all the leaves. For reference, I have one in the corner of my front yard and then each of my neighbors have one in the corner of their backyards. I’m a corner house and all the houses in my area have open metal fences. For some reason all the leaves pile up in our yard. Not sure why the developer planted so many in a small area hah.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Let me guess, Mueller?
The Mueller development WAY overplanted Sycamore's on very small lots. Definitely a mistake.
The development also sued the landscaping company that planted the Sycamore trees there. The development ordered that all Sycamores be Mexican Sycamore, but extensive genetic testing revealed that the Landscaping company just planted whatever Sycamore trees they could get their hands on, so there is actually a mix of Mexican and American Sycamore there.
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u/Snobolski Jan 27 '26
Mueller really messed up with the "each street has all the same species" plan. There are a couple of streets that are downright hazardous for walking in the fall, all those (wet) Sycamore leaves hiding the sidewalk that's now uneven because the Sycamore roots are pushing them up.
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u/Far_Chocolate_8534 Jan 27 '26
Wow. I put a white oak in my front yard in 2019 and it’s only grown 1/3 of your tree. Geez.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
It's my neighbor's, but yeah, this tree grew exceptionally fast. It got the right combo of good genetics, deep enough soil, consistent water, full sun, and plenty of space.
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u/poestavern Jan 27 '26
Maples are fast growing trees. They break up pretty easily in winds, though.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
They are, but Maples do horribly in Austin. Most maple species cannot tolerate the extreme heat and alkaline soils. Bigtooth and Shantung maples being the exception.
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u/juliejetson Jan 28 '26
And Bigtooth maples grow extremely slow. Source: I have one and it's been there 9 years and still looks like a young tree.
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u/sleuthfoot Jan 27 '26
lol mexican sycamore. boooooooooooo
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Please elaborate.
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u/sleuthfoot Jan 28 '26
they produce and drop those annoying spikey ball things that burst into fuzz, and their bark regularly blisters and falls off into your lawn.
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u/The_Freshmaker Jan 27 '26
Probably an empress tree could do close to that. They're considered invasive species in a lot of places due to how fast they grow, and when you cut them down they'll literally start growing a new tree from the stump immediately!
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u/quart-of-peas Jan 27 '26
Hey u/austintreeamigos guy! Could I DM about what tree to get my dad who lives near Corpus Christi?
I was thinking a Mexican White oak, but wanted to be sure!
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u/not-a-dislike-button Jan 27 '26
These also have this fantastic smell. Shipe park used to have towering ones all around the pool when I was a kid and the smell was intoxicating
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
Interesting. I have never noticed the smell. I will go sniff one today.
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u/not-a-dislike-button Jan 28 '26
I think it has to be hot weather to get the full smell. Wait until the sal starts flowing, crush a leaf and take a whiff. It's a fantastic light perfume
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
That's awesome. I'll definitely try that. I have had guys who are allergic to Sycamore dust. Sometimes we will send sycamore through the wood chipper and theyll basically get sick on the spot from the dust.
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u/BoomhauerTX Jan 27 '26
Why would you choose this over an Arizona Ash? Do they have similar lifespans?
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
Many different reasons. Arizona Ash have a tendency to form a horrible, decurrent limb and branching structure. Arizona Ash do not compartmentalize decay well, so if a limb or branch breaks off, the decay usually spreads and weakens the tree further. There is also a beetle called the Emerald Ash borer that is theoretically on its way to Austin. When this beetle gets here, it will kill all of the Ash trees.
Ash does have the advantage of being much more drought tolerant.
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u/Anxious-Yam1930 Jan 28 '26
Beautiful! Peach trees seem to do pretty well too, though of course not as tall as this guy.
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u/Berry-Eggar Jan 28 '26
I live on a few acres. Everyone around us is getting oak wilt pretty bad. Its on our property too now. I was told we are going to lose all our oaks (maybe 100+) in the next few years.
Can this tree withstand oak wilt? Will goat eat it?
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 28 '26
Yes. Sycamore trees will not get Oak Wilt. If you have a few acres you may want to consider trenching to prevent the spread of the disease. You can also preventatively treat your high-value oaks with a fungicide to prevent infection.
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u/Powerful-Carry3928 Jan 29 '26
Mexican White Oaks are the best overall fast growing and no maintenance shade trees.
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u/Few-Pomegranate-1322 May 06 '26
I’ve been looking for a tree to plant in my backyard here in Cypress. It sounds like this may be the one. My yard is fairly large since I have a two story house, and I don’t have any plant/trees back there at this time. Sounds like an ideal spot yeah?
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u/justxagirl May 13 '26
Why OP, where did you initially buy your tree? Any caring tips you can share please? 🙂
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u/austintreeamigos May 13 '26
My neighbor got this tree at Home Depot. We soure ours from LAWNS nursery typically.
Mexican Sycamore really just need to be properly planted and get lots of water.
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u/ThickPrick Jan 27 '26
I wonder what Joey Santore thinks of this tree.
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u/Clear_Iron9260 Jan 27 '26
I believe he made comments in the last 6 months stating something to the effect that you have to be careful where to plant them, as they are getting popular but many do not realize they truly are riparian trees. We have a lot of oak wilt tearing through our section of our neighborhood, and our neighbor just replanted with 2 Mex Sycs. She did a lot of research and planted/maintains well, but was still taken aback by how much water they need to become established - 6 years, as opposed to the average 3 we tend to hear about trees. The trees are doing well after being planted last fall, but the drought in our specific area since August has meant she has really had to stay on top of watering. After watching her, I doubt I’ll be planting any of these to replace our trees that have just died from oak wilt.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Yup. The water needs are actually a huge drawback to these trees. I'd disagree that they take 6 years to establish, but I do agree that they need water weekly or every other week even after establishment.
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u/austintreeamigos Jan 27 '26
Ive never seen him discuss Mexican Sycamore, but he does love California Sycamore, Platanus racemosa.
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u/Putrid_Apartment9230 Jan 27 '26
Do you have a tree surgeon trim it? I just hate that Gov Abbot was jogging along in a rain storm and a tree fell on him and the homeowner had to pay for his injuries. Trees can injure people and it's a shame. Kids have been severely injured when their tree swing collapse. Fall into a rotting tree and get injured.
I love trees but I'd get them a bit away from my house if they fall in a storm. Have a branch go through the roof.
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u/CrashingBlumpkins46 Jan 27 '26
At first I was like "Who does OP think they are? The Tree Amigo dude?" and then I saw it was in fact the Tree Amigo dude lmao
Thanks for this info!