Are your trees growing up wild and undisciplined? Is their bad behavior due to an unruly upbringing? No... actually, in reference to trees, we’re referring to growth rates.
One of the most asked questions we get has to do with "how fast a tree will grow". That is actually a very difficult question to answer (accurately), as are growing children... granted they are completely unrelated subjects. But tree growth is a complex set of inter-related factors, influenced by its environment, similar to children and the home, but still unrelated topics...
As every tree growing situation can be highly variable, it is next to impossible to accurately guess how much a particular tree will grow over a given period of time, in a specific location, although some generalizations can be made. If the chart is visible on your screen, then it will help add some light to the growing situation.
For most trees, from a fast growing willow (like our Ameri-Willow hybrid), an oak, quaking aspen, or whatever, seedling growth starts out relatively slow. As the tree becomes established, the momentum of grow speed increases, where the juvenile years typically have the fastest growth rate. How many pairs of shoes has your kids grown out of over the past several years? There is some similarity there, as juvenile life-forms of all types have their fastest rates of growth. Now for trees, this is where the species and/or genus will largely dictate the capacity for growth speed, secondarily influenced by the growth environment. Then after they "release their wiggles", so to speak, trees reach a mature phase where the rate of growth greatly slows down.
In general, and over the broad spectrum of tree species, it is the willows and poplar trees (including the aspen) that have the fastest "capacity" for juvenile growth. Oaks and spruces, are generally slower growers during this period, but individual species like the Pin Oak and Norway Spruce have a fairly fast early growth potential. All trees will go through a growth cycle similar to the bell-shaped curve on the graph. The shape will vary as per species, but this is typical of all growing things. "To every thing, there is a season."
Given each tree species has a capacity for increasing growth rates during the juvenile years, it then becomes the growing environment that will enhance or detract from the trees ability to reach its potential (puns about our school system aside). The basic primary factors include, sunlight, water and nutrients, and climate.
Some trees grow better in full sunlight, others grow their best with some shading. A fast growing birch tree may grow three to four feet a year during juvenile its period in full sun, but with increased competition for sunlight (shading), that rate will drop significantly, even to the point of little or no growth at all. The Red Maple and Tulip Tree on the other hand, may benefit from partial shading during the early years, where their growth rates might not slow down. This is when knowing your trees and your growing conditions makes a huge difference in potential growth expectations.
Water and nutrients certainly are key factors in all trees and plants, no big surprise. Ever plant a Redwood in the desert? How about planting a pine tree in a swampy location? This is the extreme in what we refer to as "off-site" planting, but the moisture regime has a lot to do with growth rates. Too little or too much water will obviously hinder growth. Either they dry up, or they drown... The nutrients in the soil are vital to growth, and if they are limited, this too can greatly influence tree growth.
Since the climate in this country varies in every situation and to the extreme, it is easy to understand how climate will influence the tree growth rate. If your growing seasons are long, like in south Florida, then you can expect a willow to better reach its juvenile growth potential, than in Minnesota with its relatively short season. Tree growth rates are not just species related, but also time influenced. Short season, shorter period of time for a tree to get growin’. Longer seasons, longer opportunities for growth.
All of these conditions, in combination, will determine how fast a particular tree will grow in a particular location. There are a number of other factors that can influence a trees growth rates, like soil conditions, animals, string-trimmers, etc. But for a general understanding of growth rates, we hope that answers some of the tree growth questions.
Juvenile trees... "can’t live with ‘em, can’t shoot ‘em."
Written by Empire National Nursery, Your North Carolina Source for Fast Growing Trees.
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