Planting Trees in Your Yard? Watch Out for These Complications

Homeowners hoping to amp up their landscaping often consider planting trees in their front or back yard. Though planting trees may seem like a fairly simple process, it can become quite complicated once all the factors are considered. Keep the following potential complications in mind when planting trees at home.

Shady Areas vs. Sunny Areas

Like any other plant, trees require an ample amount of sunlight to grow. Fruit trees, for example, need six hours or more of daily sunlight to grow. To ensure that these trees have a long and fruitful life ahead of them, homeowners must scout out the perfect sunny areas to start growing their trees. Depending on the species of tree, these homeowners may find that certain kinds require more or less sunlight and should plant these various types accordingly.

Poor Soil Quality

In addition to planting these trees in an area where they will receive adequate sunlight, homeowners need to identify the quality of the soil in the spaces they hope to plant the trees. Generally, trees need to be planted in nutrient-rich soil that will allow them to thrive as they grow. Each species of tree, however, will have its own soil requirements. To illustrate, homeowners that are considering palm trees will need to plant them in soil that is 20% sand, 40%topsoil, and 40% other organic materials.

Roots Compromising the House

Many homeowners find that older trees planted several years before they move into their house are slowly wreaking havoc on their home’s foundation. As beautiful as these trees maybe when they were initially planted, they were far too close to the home. Over the years, their growing roots expanded and begins to affect the foundation of the home. To avoid an unfortunate and costly scenario that will require future foundation repair, homeowners that are growing trees would do well to plant them far enough away from the house.

Crowding the Other Plants

Just as trees need proper soil and sunlight to grow, they need their own space as well. Trees that are planted too close to other plants will be restricted as their roots expand. If trees and other plants are too close to one another, both will suffer as they continue to grow. While the distance between trees and other plants will vary, if the trees selected are expected to grow broader and taller, they should be set several feet apart from one another to prevent crowding.

When planting trees, there are several do’s and don’ts to follow to ensure the trees grow healthily. Keep tabs on how the placement of your trees could affect your need for foundation repair or affect the needs of the tree itself, and consider working with a professional landscaper to help you determine the best placement for your plants.