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Ceiba pentendra, Kapok Tree

Trees develop enormous trunk and root flairs lifting sidewalks, foundations or anything else nearby. Locate the tree well away from hard surfaces. Roots often remain close to the soil surface and can cause problems if the tree is planted too close. This tree is a wonderful site to behold. Give it plenty of soil space for root expansion such as in a park. The Kapok Tree is one of the tallest trees in Africa.

Prune to maintain a dominant leader (one main trunk) by cutting back or removing competing leaders. Do this every 3 years for the first 15-20 years after planting. Do not allow branches with included bark to grow too large because they could split from the tree. This is best accomplished by removing some secondary branches (especially those toward the edge of the canopy) along those branches with included bark in the branch union. Regularly reduce the length of low aggressive branches by making reduction cuts if these branches will be in the way later and have to be removed. This will prevent having to make large pruning wounds later because the pruned branches will grow slower. Large pruning wounds can initiate decay in the trunk and branches, and decay can advance rapidly.