Planting Birch Trees

A white birch tree living amongst pine, spruce, oak and cedar trees adds a special touch of beauty to the landscape. The peeling bark of the birch next to the solid, firm bark of the other trees inspires artist paintings. The delicate foliage of the birch next to the large oak leaves providing a lesson in composition.

Planting a birch tree in your yard and keeping it happy and healthy however can be quite challenging. People fall in love with the tree while hiking in the woods and yearn to have one in their own yard. Unfortunately, birch trees can start to decline after just a few years if not planted under the right conditions and cared for properly.

Think about the places you have seen healthy birch trees in the forest. The soil in these locations has been cool and moist which is what birch trees need. Birch trees have very shallow root systems which makes them very sensitive to dry, hot soil. Consequently, if they are planted in hot, dry soil they do not do well. They should be planted where the soil will be shaded, cool and moist. That’s not all though. To grow well birch trees need full to partial sunshine on their leaves.

Are you wondering how you get shaded, cool and moist soil and full to partial sunshine on the leaves? Try to place them on the east and north side of your house where the building will provide afternoon shade. This way you are avoiding the southern and western exposures during the hot afternoon sun which heats up and dries out the soil. You can have other things in your environment to provide shade besides buildings like other trees. Take a look in your yard in mid to late afternoon and look for spots where the ground is shaded.

Another important consideration before planting birch is to make sure the soil is not compacted or become compacted near them. The shallow root system of birches can be easily damaged by people walking on them so plant away from traffic and apply lots of mulch.

Birch trees like slightly acidic soil but can grow well on more alkaline soils. If you don’t know the pH of your soil it is best to get a soil test. You can always add soil amendments to make it more or less alkaline. They don’t like wet soil so it is also important to make sure the soil drains well and doesn’t flood even for short periods of time. Check with your local garden center or your tree service professional for a recommendation on what type of birch tree to plant in your area.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

What is Allelopathy?

Allelopathy is when plants secrete a biochemical which keeps other plants from growing near them. These biochemical materials are called allelochemicals. These allelochemicals inhibit the germination of other plants around them. They affect the physiological processes of the plants such as respiration, cell division, and water and nutrient uptake. Symptoms include leaf yellowing and wilting or part of the plant will die. The allelochemicals can be found in leaves, roots, flowers, fruits or stems and in the surrounding soil.

Allelopathy is the plants way to compete with other plants for the available resources just like animals do in claiming their territory. Plants are competing for sunlight, water and nutrients with other plants and by secreting the allelochemicals into the soil the plant gets rid of its competition and controls its environment.

There are a lot of allelopathic plants. Salt cedars, sugar maple, hackberry, eucalyptus, black walnut, juniper, sycamore, oaks and balsam poplar are all allelopathic. There are a variety of chemicals these plants use, some use phenols, coumarins, juglone and terpenoides to name a few. An unusual aspect is that some alleopathic plants discriminate and release more chemicals on specific plants. Most of the chemicals are released through the soil and the amounts of chemicals that accumulate are dependent on how well the soil drains. Clay soils don’t drain well so the chemicals really build up in clay soil.

Most things in life have a positive and a negative side and there are some positives to allelopathic plants. Scientists are studying the chemicals in these plants for their potential use as natural pesticides and weed killers. Studies on the possibilities of using allelopathic chemicals to slow the growth or contain the growth of trees are being conducted which would be especially helpful for trees near power lines which require regular pruning by tree care specialists. Allelopathic plants can also be used for weed control for agriculture.

There really isn’t a way to stop the effects of the allelopathic plants on the plants they affect. The best strategy is to not plant anything near them that will be hurt by the chemicals. Salt cedars, for example, will affect any plant near them. Other allelopathic plants will affect only certain plants near them. One of the best known allelopathic plants is the black walnut tree which can be a tall, majestic tree. You won’t see any vegetation growing under black walnuts because they release a powerful allelopathic chemical called juglone. However, there are some trees that can be successfully grown near black walnuts like serviceberry or arborvitae.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and Austin tree service trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.