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Planning for a Shade Tree
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Posted by jflood1985 3 (My Page) on Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 10:48
| Hello everyone,
I have been doing a lot of reading online about where is the best location to plant a shade tree. But no one really give any good information about the proper distance from my home. I understand the West and South sides are the most important but I don't want to end up with a tree that doesn't really shade the house in the summer when the sun is the highest in the sky it will be. I am planning on planting 5 Hybrid Salix (a hybrid willow which grows very fast). They grow 50' high or so and 20-15' wide.
Thanks to anyone who can help!
Background information:
I just moved to this farm but the previous owner cut down every tree on the property. I have basically have a bare 40. I have no wind protection, no sun protection. The house is a two story house with a living room addition coming off the south side of the house. I am concerned about the second story as well as the addition. Thanks again for the help! |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| i would not put any 'fast-growing' tree within 50 feet of my house .... fast to grow.. fast to be injured.. fast to age ... fast to shed major limbs .. you need to come up with a better plan ... i am not real familiar with z3.. or its trees ... but i really like oaks.. can grow up to 5 feet per year in my zone ... where are you.. whats your soil ... and any other information that might help us guide you .. good luck ken |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| There are good fast growing trees such as sycamore, tuliptree, shumard, red, and bur oaks, red maple, elm, river birch, honeylocust, black locust, cherry, ash. And there are fast growing trees that are weak wooded that you don't want growing anywhere near structures. Poplars, cottonwood, willows (Salix sp.), flowering pears (Bradford, cleveland etc.), Silver maple. I would also refrain from planting pines near the house. This really is no joke. It's a serious warning. Do you really want to pay a tree service thousands to remove a row of dead willows when they are damaged in a storm or die? As for the distance, plant far enough away so that branches will not overhang structures. In other words, half the mature spread minimum. Although it seems like it would be ideal, you don't want 24 hours of shade. The house needs to dry out when its wet. It needs a little sun. Trees cast shadows and that's what will provide the shade for you. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| Thanks for all the information. These trees are designed to be used for a windbreak. The are flexible so they take to wind very well without breaking. They have a dense canopy which makes them very good shade trees. These trees are phase one of my total plan for about the house. along with these trees I will be planting slow-growing longer term shade trees to replace them in 5-10 years. There is a risk they may blow over, but once again, since they trees are meant for a windbreak, they tent to be strong rooted. In the works is a windbreak to the south west of the house barn which will wrap around to the north sides. But I can understand I do not want to have them too close because you are right I do not want branches on my roof and the water issue is something I didn't even thing about. Thanks for all the great info. Any other ideas? |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hybrid Salix
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| by definition.. windbreaks are not planted near a structure ... ken |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| You brought up another consideration with willows and poplars is the invasive nature of their root systems. you can only expect a willow to look like it does in those photos if growing in full sun with moist soil. I left out Dawn Redwood. It's another rapid grower that likes full sun and moist conditions but they're much more desirable than willows because they can live for hundreds of years. Very strong wood and I believe they are popular for windbreaks. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| For fast shade and a great tree if it were my yard I would plnt red oak Quercus rubra just MHO poaky1 |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| House windbreaks are evergreens non the NW and N side. Shade trees for energy savings are on the SW-SE sides. Good diagram I like: 
As for specifics, best to have a spp first before saying how far from house. Lots of opinions here, surely. Dan |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| Hi: I 'got the tree bug' this past summer, so my input will be that of a relative newcomer to the hobby. 1.) Do you have city sewer, or a septic tank? You mentioned having 40 acres, I think. This summer I unknowingly planted a 14.5' October Glory Red Maple in our septic system's leach field. Serious no-no. Spend Veteran's Day digging it up, & the next day getting it out of the hole & rolled much farther out into the the backyard & replanted. If you have a septic tank, it's going to make a big difference. 2.) I'm Zone 6; never lived in Zone 3. Do you want shade during the winter? Do you need a windbreak during the summer? If 'yes' to both, you'll likely be looking at evergreen conifers (not all conifers are evergreen; I'm thinking Bald Cypress & Dawn Redwood are not, if memory serves). 3.) The question of how close a tree can be to the house and what dangers it may pose to a foundation (e.g.: from causing large-scale soil moisture fluctuations by the foundation, or roots pressing on things, etc...) is one that's hard to answer. I've done to Googling on the subject and it's just plain hard to get a definitive answer. You'll drive down the road around here & see large maples growing several feet from houses and think 'That can't be right...,' but there it is. Richard. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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I missed the 3 part.
Disregard just about all the good trees. You're stuck with willows and poplars. You might do ok with some northern elms and ashes. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| Do we really need SHADE tree in zone 3? I understand that they are extremely helpful for zone 8 but zone 3? How hot does it get in the summer? |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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There are a lot more options than just willows and poplars for zone 3! However, it would be helpful if you told us what region you live. The USDA hardiness zones only take into account minimum temperatures, and there are many other aspects of local climate that determine what trees you can grow. Where I live, Burr Oak and Hackberry are my favorite trees for shade and windbreaks. If you are looking for a fast grower I think a seedless Cottonwood would be better than a hybrid willow. Cottonwoods are longer lived and are less likely to break.
lou_midlothian_tx, it can get quite warm in parts of zone 3. Summer temps often get into the 90's in the zone 3 areas of the northern plains states. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| Record high temperature for North Dakota, which is more or less all Zone 3, is 121 degrees. Yes, we need shade even this far north. |
RE: Planning for a Shade Tree
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| I would consider some other options. The willows will no doubt grow fast but that makes their wood weak and in an area that's windy like North Dakota their lifespan will not be very long. I would suggest one of the newer varieties of American Elm that is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease. Their growth rate is reasonably fast, they are definitely hardy in your zone, and the wood is cross-grained which makes them highly resistant to splitting in the wind. |
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