Common Questions:
What should I replace my tree with?
When replacing a tree there are lots of factors to take into account. Here are some of the basics:
What trees are less messy?
Unfortunately all trees are messy. The question is which mess is the easiest for you to manage. Some trees, like a birch, have a fine mess that is almost constantly falling but does not need you to go out and pick it up as the mower can suck it up or a blower can blow it away. A Ginko drops leaves for only one week a year, all at once. The challenge with ginkos are that they potentially female and their fruit smells horrible and their structure tends to be weak. Maples drop big leaves in the fall and some years drop tons of seeds. Oaks are the same way. Conifers are always dropping needles and grass struggles to grow beneath.
What trees are great for shade, yet low maintenance?
All trees provide some shade. Different trees provide different levels of shade. Looking at the maple family in our area: the Norway maple offers dense shade. The dark, large leaves block the majority of the sun, so much so it is hard to get grass to grow. A red maple does not grow as tall and the smaller leaves do not block the sun as well yet can give great shade. The Silver maple grows so large it can give a large area of shade but is partial.
As with all things this is a hard question to answer and there is not clear answer. All of these trees provide shade and “low mess”. Your personal situation will be what determines what tree works best for
How often should I trim a tree?
A tree should not need trimmed. The only reason we typically would prune a tree is to undo damage due to storms, animals, or poor past pruning. The other reason we prune is to help with the human tree interface AKA to make us happy, have a better view, keep the tree off a roof, etc., typically at the tree’s expense. ????????????? (May want a comment about poor tree stock, from nurseries, poor structure remedying, otherwise this may just make people feel bad ….)
Will it die from an invasive species?
Trees are susceptible to invasive species. What we can do to reduce the risk is to water properly, plant a varied species of trees, and plant trees suitable to the area. A healthy tree has a defense system similar to an immune system that can fight off most pests. If your tree is focusing on trying to regrow foliage because it is over pruned, or stressed because it was under watered, or has a poor root system then the tree is likely to suffer from pests.
How long will a tree live?
Trees live for a very long time. Some have lived thousands of years. Trees tend to live significantly shorter lives in urban areas due to quickly changing conditions, smaller root zones, harsher climates, and damage from humans. A typical tree can live 80-100 years, although most never make it that long. It tends to be not the fault of the tree but a new owner that does not water, an arborist that over prunes, a new pool goes in, the tree is “too messy” or some other reason that trees tend to be removed. There are shorter lived trees that I would not plant in a smaller urban setting because they are short lived. In Walla Walla I am thinking of the Aspen, Willows, Cottonwoods, and Lombardy poplars.
How to properly water a tree:
Contrary to what many say you water your trees when you water your grass. Don’t listen to your landscaper when you water your lawn. Listen to George J. Pinyuh, Ray R. Maleike, Ph.D., and Marianne Ophardt, M.S. at the the WSU https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/watering-home-gardens-and-landscape-plants.
Basically, water when your lawn turns slightly silvered and stressed and then water deeply to about 12”. Do this as needed and not to a schedule. Another key note from this great article “Too much water is as bad as, or worse than, too little. Rate of water application should be no more rapid than the rate at which the soil can absorb it.“
Will the root get into the ….?
Will the roots get into my sidewalks and will it break up my sidewalk?
This is likely—roots are looking to give a tree support and to get water, carbon dioxide and nutrients. If there is a sidewalk it will go under it looking for root zone on the far side. There are things you can do to help make sure the sidewalk is not lifted or negatively affected by the tree. Seth Gillman did a great study showing that there was little effect to sidewalks when there was washed river rock put down below the sidewalk as a base. The large clean media didn’t have the elements the trees were looking for and so there was little root mass in this media. From my experience if a tree is at least 6’ from the sidewalk we typically do not see it interfering with it.
Will tree roots get into my foundation?
Trees have been known to go almost everywhere. I have heard of them raising the floor in a basement, yet I have never seen that in Walla Walla. Roots tend to be near the surface. Under your house is typically not an environment that is welcoming to a tree. It should be dry under your house and not a place a tree would go.
Will it get into my sewer line?
Maybe.The sewer line either connects you to the city sewer system, in which case your worries are over, or your own septic tank and attached drain field, in which case it is less clear on what is good or bad. I tend to think that I would not plant a tree close to the tank or the start of the drain field, but I could see lots of advantages to planting it at the end of the drain field. Here is a link to a person passionate about septic systems and his views. Please just view this as one opinion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ0msYbMP4c.
There are things that we can do to help our trees stay out of our sewer systems and that is proper watering. To my understanding most root blockages happen in the summer as the trees are desperately looking for water. Finding your leaky pipes it tries to provide for the area’s depleted water supply from this newfound “unlimited” source. It would not have built such large root systems or maybe even found it if the yard was already properly watered.
What should I replace my tree with?
When replacing a tree there are lots of factors to take into account. Here are some of the basics:
- Size—Mature size is calculated at 20 years. Plan on the tree being twice the size as the label tells you.
- Location—Plant it further fro m the house than you originally think. Also consider deciduous trees on the South side of the house so you get the sun in the winter time and shade in the summer. Conifers and evergreens are a great choice on the North side.
- You are planting a tree for the next generation. Slower growing trees are typically sturdier and live longer. The fast growing trees grow quickly yet then tend to need more work and be more at risk for failure.
- Plant a diversity. Storms, disease and pests tend to just affect one tree species at a time. Instead of planting three maples, plant a maple, birch, and an oak.
What trees are less messy?
Unfortunately all trees are messy. The question is which mess is the easiest for you to manage. Some trees, like a birch, have a fine mess that is almost constantly falling but does not need you to go out and pick it up as the mower can suck it up or a blower can blow it away. A Ginko drops leaves for only one week a year, all at once. The challenge with ginkos are that they potentially female and their fruit smells horrible and their structure tends to be weak. Maples drop big leaves in the fall and some years drop tons of seeds. Oaks are the same way. Conifers are always dropping needles and grass struggles to grow beneath.
What trees are great for shade, yet low maintenance?
All trees provide some shade. Different trees provide different levels of shade. Looking at the maple family in our area: the Norway maple offers dense shade. The dark, large leaves block the majority of the sun, so much so it is hard to get grass to grow. A red maple does not grow as tall and the smaller leaves do not block the sun as well yet can give great shade. The Silver maple grows so large it can give a large area of shade but is partial.
As with all things this is a hard question to answer and there is not clear answer. All of these trees provide shade and “low mess”. Your personal situation will be what determines what tree works best for
How often should I trim a tree?
A tree should not need trimmed. The only reason we typically would prune a tree is to undo damage due to storms, animals, or poor past pruning. The other reason we prune is to help with the human tree interface AKA to make us happy, have a better view, keep the tree off a roof, etc., typically at the tree’s expense. ????????????? (May want a comment about poor tree stock, from nurseries, poor structure remedying, otherwise this may just make people feel bad ….)
Will it die from an invasive species?
Trees are susceptible to invasive species. What we can do to reduce the risk is to water properly, plant a varied species of trees, and plant trees suitable to the area. A healthy tree has a defense system similar to an immune system that can fight off most pests. If your tree is focusing on trying to regrow foliage because it is over pruned, or stressed because it was under watered, or has a poor root system then the tree is likely to suffer from pests.
How long will a tree live?
Trees live for a very long time. Some have lived thousands of years. Trees tend to live significantly shorter lives in urban areas due to quickly changing conditions, smaller root zones, harsher climates, and damage from humans. A typical tree can live 80-100 years, although most never make it that long. It tends to be not the fault of the tree but a new owner that does not water, an arborist that over prunes, a new pool goes in, the tree is “too messy” or some other reason that trees tend to be removed. There are shorter lived trees that I would not plant in a smaller urban setting because they are short lived. In Walla Walla I am thinking of the Aspen, Willows, Cottonwoods, and Lombardy poplars.
How to properly water a tree:
Contrary to what many say you water your trees when you water your grass. Don’t listen to your landscaper when you water your lawn. Listen to George J. Pinyuh, Ray R. Maleike, Ph.D., and Marianne Ophardt, M.S. at the the WSU https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/watering-home-gardens-and-landscape-plants.
Basically, water when your lawn turns slightly silvered and stressed and then water deeply to about 12”. Do this as needed and not to a schedule. Another key note from this great article “Too much water is as bad as, or worse than, too little. Rate of water application should be no more rapid than the rate at which the soil can absorb it.“
Will the root get into the ….?
Will the roots get into my sidewalks and will it break up my sidewalk?
This is likely—roots are looking to give a tree support and to get water, carbon dioxide and nutrients. If there is a sidewalk it will go under it looking for root zone on the far side. There are things you can do to help make sure the sidewalk is not lifted or negatively affected by the tree. Seth Gillman did a great study showing that there was little effect to sidewalks when there was washed river rock put down below the sidewalk as a base. The large clean media didn’t have the elements the trees were looking for and so there was little root mass in this media. From my experience if a tree is at least 6’ from the sidewalk we typically do not see it interfering with it.
Will tree roots get into my foundation?
Trees have been known to go almost everywhere. I have heard of them raising the floor in a basement, yet I have never seen that in Walla Walla. Roots tend to be near the surface. Under your house is typically not an environment that is welcoming to a tree. It should be dry under your house and not a place a tree would go.
Will it get into my sewer line?
Maybe.The sewer line either connects you to the city sewer system, in which case your worries are over, or your own septic tank and attached drain field, in which case it is less clear on what is good or bad. I tend to think that I would not plant a tree close to the tank or the start of the drain field, but I could see lots of advantages to planting it at the end of the drain field. Here is a link to a person passionate about septic systems and his views. Please just view this as one opinion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ0msYbMP4c.
There are things that we can do to help our trees stay out of our sewer systems and that is proper watering. To my understanding most root blockages happen in the summer as the trees are desperately looking for water. Finding your leaky pipes it tries to provide for the area’s depleted water supply from this newfound “unlimited” source. It would not have built such large root systems or maybe even found it if the yard was already properly watered.