Select The Right Tree For Your Yard

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

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The most important landscape selections are your trees. Unfortunately, these are often spur of the moment decisions with not thought of the long term consequences of what the tree will do in your landscape.

The place to start is by making your tree selection. No, I do not mean go buy a tree, I mean do research to decide which tree is going to establish, grow and thrive in your landscape without overgrowing the area. Remember you are going to share your space with these trees for many decades so make your decisions carefully.

Once you decide on the plant you want, then go shopping. Remember that the price is not the only consideration. Make certain to select those that will survive our climatic and soil conditions.

Look for healthy leaf color. Avoid plants that are weak and spindly or too tall for their container. Examine the trunk of the tree and avoid any tree that is scarred and wounded.

Most shade trees grow best with a strong central trunk and branches attached at near right angles. Tree branches attached with narrow angles (close to the trunk) often break down. Tree form varies with the species of the tree so look at several specimens to determine what form yours should show.

Like many other things in life, it is often what you cannot see that creates the problems. A plant that has grown too long in the container may be root-bound or have other defects. Check out the root ball, if you can, to see whether the roots are growing normally or wrapping around in a stranglehold.

If the tree has serious root deformities, do not buy it. Some problems will just get worse over time and might eventually cause the plant to die. J roots are caused by jamming small seedlings in pots during the propagation process. This troublesome and nonreversible defect might destroy your tree many years later.

Girdling roots are another very common problem with plants growing in containers. Roots that have started to grow around the trunk will continue doing so, even when the root ball is unwrapped or removed from the container. If the trees are planted correctly, this problem is correctable.

The tree trunk and the tree roots never change position relative to each. As the tree grows it becomes suicidal. The trunk continues to grow in diameter and the roots also get bigger around. Eventually the roots that encircle the trunk get so thick and the trunk become so enlarged the tree strangles itself.

To prevent girdling roots, take a sharp knife and cut through the outside of the root ball in three or four places. The cuts do not need to be deep, they just need to cut the fine roots that are growing around the pot. This prevents roots from circling and growing until they strangle and kill the trees.