Pensacola News Journal

for: Sunday, Feb. 18. 2001

by: Daniel E. Mullins

Extension Horticultural Agent

Santa Rosa County

Fast Growing vs. Slow Growing Trees

Can you recommend a fast growing tree for my landscape? This is a common question, and one that I find difficult to handle without qualifying my answer. Often implied, but not stated in the question, is that the gardener also wants a tree species that reaches the appropriate size, is pest resistant, has good flower or foliage color and is wind resistant.

Simply providing a list of known fast growing trees is easy enough. In our area that list would include sweet gum, tulip poplar, laurel oak, sycamore, cherry laurel and mimosa. Just to know that these grow rapidly is not enough for making a good decision. Many of the fastest growers for example, produce wood that is not very dense, and the branches are therefore more prone to breakage.

In the past, it appears that we have placed too much emphasis on selecting known fast growing species of trees at the expense of other desirable characters. Most of the information that is generally available is also likely based upon observations made of the various tree species’ growth rates under natural conditions.

The live oak for example, is an excellent ornamental or shade tree, and it is obviously well adapted to the Gulf Coast region. This is the first species that comes to mind when asked for tree selection information. There are many reasons why it is a good choice. It is evergreen, has a beautiful form, is pest resistant and is strong and wind resistant.

Why aren’t more live oaks being planted to replace old specimens which are being lost? I fear that it is because this wonderful tree has been labeled as a slow grower.

Live oaks existing under natural conditions might indeed produce growth rates that are slow. In natural plant stands they must compete with other native species and survive without supplemental water or minerals.

A live oak established in the typical home landscape on the other hand, can yield quite different results. I have seen young trees, under such conditions, with trunk diameters of over 6 inches that are large enough to begin providing shade after only 8 to 10 years.

There are several reasons why trees might grow much faster in a yard than in the woods. The supplemental irrigation that is normally applied to the lawn, shrubs and flowers also provides extra water for the trees. Likewise, lawn and garden fertilization provides extra nutrients. Tree spacing is usually greater in home landscapes than under natural woodland conditions, allowing more sunlight to enter the canopy.

Though the live oak comes to mind first, there are several other good trees that have been unfairly labeled as slow growing. This group includes Fringe Tree, Pignut Hickory, American Holly, Southern Red Cedar, Southern Magnolia and Ginkgo.

Growth rate might be important in specific cases, but this one characteristic should not be allowed to dominate all others when selecting trees. In some cases the term can be misleading and even so-called slow growing species offer desirable features sometimes not found in fast growers.

Question of the Week: My Camellias have many brown leaves on them. What could be causing this?

Answer: There are several possibilities, but all Camellia samples that I have examined over the past couple of weeks appear to have been damaged by cold temperatures. Don’t despair. Most of these damaged leaves will probably fall and be replaced with new foliage during the first flush of growth this spring.