Choosing fast-growing
trees to fill new home area
Bill Sevier: Ask a Master Gardener
Saturday, August 29, 2015
Q: I have just moved into a new home in
an area with no trees. What would be some fairly fast-growing shade trees?
R.W., Sand Springs.
A: This is a common question, especially with new
homeowners whose homes were built on what was once open treeless prairie or
pastureland.
Trees are commonly rated as slow, medium and
fast growers. Their rate of growth is dependent not only on the genetic makeup
of the tree but also the type of soil, amount of sunlight, availability of
water and overall care the trees received.
As you start out with this project of planting
new shade trees, and once the varieties are decided upon, always opt for the
largest trees you can afford and are physically able to plant — then plant them
correctly.
Unfortunately, many of the fast-growing trees
are “weak-wooded” and tolerate wind and ice storms less well than others. Some
of these have additional issues, making them less appealing. In this category
are box elder, silver maple, weeping willow, Bradford pear, mimosa, mulberry,
honeylocust, cottonwood and other poplars.
A few of the rapid growers have positive assets,
which outweigh their negatives. Some of these are October glory and Caddo red
maples, arborvitae, river birch, dawn redwood, tulip tree, Nuttall oak and
lacebark elm.
The Caddo maple is a native of Oklahoma and is
one of the most heat- and drought-resistant maples available. The dawn redwood
is a rapidly growing deciduous tree (up to 50 feet in 20 years), which was once
thought extinct. It looks and behaves similarly to a baldcypress. It is very
hardy. Bald cypress and dawn redwood trees are great choices for a landscape.
Others in the medium- to fast-growing category
which might be good choices for your new yard are water oak, Shumard oak,
sawtooth oak, common hackberry, Japanese zelkova, Kentucky coffeetree and
Chinese pistache. There are some varieties of ash trees that would normally be
suggested, but a destructive ash insect, emerald ash borer, seems to be headed
our way. It has destroyed most ash trees in areas where it is located.
Among the oaks mentioned above, the Nuttall is a
good choice for a fast-growing shade tree. It is a variety of red oak, similar
to a pin oak. However, unlike pin oaks, it thrives in a wider diversity of soil
types and pH (acidity) ranges. It’s native to the south and is normally found
in wet bottomland and heavy clay soils.
The above suggestions are just a brief list of
what would be a good tree recommendation, there are many other acceptable ones.
Consider going to the Master Gardener website and look at selecting trees in
the “Lawn and Garden Help” section. At the same time, check out the information
on “how to plant a tree.”
Garden tips
Always follow directions on the labels of
both synthetic and natural pesticide products. Labels will always list
where the product may be used and which pest it is certified to cover. If you
spray pesticides, do it early in the morning or late in the evening after bees
have returned to their colony.
If your tomatoes are too tall and gangly,
now is a good time to prune the top of the plants by as much as 1/3 to ½,
depending on the plant. This will stimulate new limb growth and new fruit
production heading into fall.
Reseeding fescue is best done from
mid-September through mid-October. If you plan on reseeding, begin scouting for
good seed. There is no “best” variety. Purchase a fescue blend of three or more
varieties, with or without Kentucky bluegrass. Read the label on the seed bag.
A good blend will have 0.01 percent or less of undesirable “other crop” seeds.
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