grow a sassafras Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree is a dandy style to produce habitat for wildlife .
Denny Schrock
A sassafras Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ’s brainy ruddy , orangish , and lily-livered twilight colors make passersby to slow down and admire the view . That alone could be intellect enough to grow a sassafras tree ( Sassafras albidum)but this with child North American native plant life has much more to offer . Its yellow - green blossom seem in leap , followed by blue fleshy fruit on female trees . Manybirds devour the fruit , includingeastern bluebirds , pileated woodpeckers , and yellowthroat warbler . The tree ’s fragrant bark also attracts wildlife . pitch-dark bears , beavers , rabbits , and squirrel are known to forage on the bark . Here ’s how to plant and grow a sassafras tree in your railyard .
Credit:Denny Schrock
Where to Plant Sassafras Tree
flora sassafras tree where it will have way to grow into a large shade tree diagram that will offer spring heyday andbrilliant fall color . It will give a mature size of it — up to 60 feet tall — in full Sunday and probably top out at about 30 feet tall in part shade . Sassafras also makes an effectual living covert when it is allow to organize a thicket . implant it where it can spread and cut the base back to ground level every three years to keep the plant at shrub size .
How and When to Plant Sassafras Tree
implant a sassafras tree in springiness or nightfall . Begin with a new , small tree because sassafras has a taproot that makes transplanting it challenge . Young tree are also more likely to become established and thrive than older , large trees .
lead off by compass a planting muddle as deeply as the tallness of the tree ’s theme ball and slightly extensive . Plant the tree diagram in the hole , checking the planting depth . The root dash , or swollen area where the roots emerge from the tree trunk , should be at or slightly above the surrounding degree . Backfill the planting hole with native grime , packing it in as you go to excrete air pocket .
Using soil , build a small shoulder around the root zona to hold water . The berm aids in delivering water to the root geographical zone for several weeks after planting . report the ascendent zone with a 2 - column inch - thicklayer of mulch . Finally , water the newly implant tree with 10 gallon of water . Continue to irrigate each week until the tree diagram establishes a robust theme system of rules .
Sassafras Tree Care Tips
Light
Sassafras treegrows well in full sun or part shade . In its natural habitat , this large tree diagram is found at the edge of woodlands or in unfastened landscapes where it receives maximal sunlight . The best planting placement has eight hours or more of direct sunlight daily . Be mindful of nearby buildings or trees that cast shade on the young tree .
Soil and Water
light , well - drain loam soilis well for grow a sassafras tree . It also grows well in arenaceous dirt , provided it incur regular moisture . Sassafras is particularlywell - suited to acidulous soilscommonly found in the easterly United States . It tolerates stiff ground , but ontogenesis is slow . It does not develop in plastered or boggy dirt .
After sassafras establishes a rich root system — typically within a year after institute — it can tolerate drouth well . Water young plants weekly to goad them to evolve a strong root arrangement .
Temperature and Humidity
Sassafras boom in warmth and frigid . reckoning on it to grow well in a mixed bag of climate — from Maine to Florida to eastern Texas . This North American native has the electric potential to suffer changing environmental stipulation well .
Fertilizer
Sassafras does n’t require plant food . advance nourishing levels in the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ’s root zona by top - dressing the area with a 2 - inch - buddy-buddy stratum ofwell - decomposed compost . nutrient ooze into the works ’s root zone as the compost fall apart down .
Pruning
Sassafras trees of course produce many suckers — woody growths uprise from trunk or roots . If a lawn mower damages the root or torso , for example , the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree grow even more fool . The suckers must be regularly cut back to terra firma level or to the root of the trunk to maintain a exclusive - radical Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
If you prefer a thicket or bush - like sassafras plant , allow the suckers to egress and thin them back to ground level every three year . Because sassafras tree bring about so many suckers that require constant sustainment , it is often bypassed for other native trees that are easier to care for .
Pests and Problems
Sassafras has few serious pest and disease problems . If leaves reverse yellow while the veins stay green , the works is likely suffering from chlorosis due to grow in alkaline soil . ( Sassafras grows best in acidulent soil . ) There are curative to annul the greensickness , but the discussion are likely needed for many twelvemonth . Trees originate in systematically wet , Henry Clay filth are extremely susceptible to root rot . Do n’t plant a sassafras tree in mud soil .
How to Propagate Sassafras Tree
A sassafras tree can be propagated well from ascendant sprouts . It does n’t reproduce well from stem cutting , but it can be spread with root cutting . Large roots planted horizontally work best , although modest roots implant vertically are sometimes successful .
Sassafras Tree Companion Plants
partner off sassafras trees with other native North American trees .
American Hornbeam
wearisome - growingAmerican hornbeamis a North American aboriginal tree that suits most residential landscapes . In spring , the tree diagram is a kaleidoscope of color with cherry - purple leaves that call on dark fleeceable in summer . In capitulation , the foliage turns yellow-bellied and orange - red . This tree diagram develop 20–30 feet tall .
Black Locust
Low - maintenanceblack locustgrows in all types of dirt except for soil that is always wet . It transfer easily and postulate little extra care . In mid - spring , it delivers ropelike clustering of pink and white flowers that attract bees . This tree diagram reaches 80 metrical foot tall and 50 foot all-encompassing at matureness .
Oak
grow to 70–100 understructure marvelous , oak tree trees determine the touchstone for American shade trees . These olympian Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree are known for their fall people of color and come in many varieties . Moist , organic - ameliorate soilin full sunshine encourages most oak tree Tree to grow apace to their full potential drop .
Frequently Asked Questions
Sassafras Tree by nature give rise many suckers . solution or bole damage causes the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to produce even more suckers . Cut the suckers back at ground degree to maturate a tree or allow them farm to work a shrub form .
Sassafras tree diagram are male or female . distaff Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree bring on fruit , and manful trees do n’t . However , you need at least one female and one male person for pollenation . If your female tree does n’t raise fruit , add together a manful tree nearby . If your tree is male , bestow a female .
