River Birch Invasive Roots

The roots require acidic loamy moist sandy well drained wet and clay soils.

River birch invasive roots. The roots of river birch are not a threat to the nearby foundations as they re not invasive. Birch roots along with willow and poplar are among the most aggressive and destructive tree roots. White mulberry roots have been known to shoot out through yards cracking pavement and upending landscaping along the way. The mourning cloak butterfly caterpillar feeds on river birch don t worry you won t even notice.

While some may fear the tree s roots if deprived of water will. The river birch is a popular tree for river banks and wet parts of the garden. Both are favorite choices for landscaping yards. Keep reading to learn more river birch tree facts such as river birch tree care and effectively using river birch trees in the landscape of your home.

The birch tree that most of us are familiar with has strikingly white papery bark. Unfortunately some birch trees can develop surface roots. They are often planted in clusters of three to create beautiful grouping. Plus white mulberry trees are known to be messy neighbors and the species male trees emit pollen notorious for triggering allergies.

I especially like the smaller medium sized dura heat as a shade tree as it fit s into smaller sites better then. And then there s the river birch with its brown feathery bark. Considerations the beauty of a cluster of birches can be worth a bit of extra planning. Worse it s a dirty tree that drops leaves and small branches continually almost like a weeping willow.

But river birch has aggressive competitive roots like a maple which makes it difficult to garden under. The cully variety of heritage river birch or betula nigra is a native of north america with a medium growth rate. Growing 40 to 70 feet tall it spreads almost as wide. Landscapers choose this tree for its attractive white or salmon colored pealing bark.

Like other birches a river birch s root system is wide and spreading but not powerful enough to wreak havoc on your foundation. As long as the soil is not too dry or alkaline river birch is a fine tree for many landscapes. Its attractive bark is especially striking in the winter when the rest of the tree is bare.