Welcome to Southern Native Trees. Please drop me a line if you have any comments or questions about this website!
59 Comments
Marco
10/5/2016 12:12:47 pm
Dear Alex, I maked nursery for oak's acorns, I will send to you a picture (no possible from this blog?)
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Daniela
12/22/2016 04:29:20 pm
Very nice additions to the website. We really enjoyed the new sections on favorite trees and the wild patch. Nicely done!
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Alex
9/27/2020 02:47:16 pm
Test
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Susan Lewis
9/17/2018 09:06:11 pm
I purchased and planted a red maple tree 2 weeks ago and the leaves are starting to turn red. All the leaves were green when I planted the tree. Is this normal? Is it too soon to be changing colors for the Fall?
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Alex
1/13/2019 05:23:23 pm
Hi Susan, sorry for the late reply - I only just noticed your email. If the tree was really sick the leaves would have turned brown instead of red. To know if mid September is too early to turn red, I need to know what region you live. The first autumn after planting seems to be the best year for color for some of the trees I planted, especially the Southern Red Oak and October Glory Red Maple (which unfortunately didn't make it through the next year). I would expect your Red Maple to leaf out again in spring with green leaves, and survive as long as you give it plenty of water.
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Susan
4/4/2019 09:27:11 pm
Hi Alex,
James
4/3/2019 01:58:59 pm
Hi, I was wondering if you would be able to direct me to a source to purchase the Acer Skutchii? I am having a hard time tracking the tree down in NE Texas and it appears I will need to order it online or find someone with some seedlings...
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Alex
4/4/2019 09:04:31 pm
Hi James. I found this tree at RCW Nurseries in North Houston. The owner told me it was a Southern Sugar Maple, but when it was delivered I noticed it had a label Acer skutchii attached to it. I have not seen this one available online - have you?
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James
4/5/2019 08:30:42 am
Hi Alex, I have not been able to find a source online, apparently they are fairly rare, which is one of the reasons I am so interested in it. I believe I have found a source for them in Nacogdoches, at the college, but I will need to drive there to get them. Thanks for your help though!
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Alex
4/5/2019 05:55:43 am
Hi Susan, if it is green just under the bark it is still alive. If it is yellowish-green it is likely struggling. Some of the trees in my yard in south Texas have not leafed out yet. The latest I have had a tree leaf out was in early June. So considering it is green under the bark, there is a good chance it will leaf out, especially if you live in northern latitudes where many trees will not have leafed out yet. However, I have also had rare cases where the tree was green under the bark and then just died anyway without ever leafing out (and then became brown under the bark). I would wait another month or so.
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Emily
6/19/2019 07:17:55 am
I wonder if the cupping of the leaves on your Sycamore tree could have been damage by Dicamba or another growth inhibiting herbicide. Do you live close to any cotton or soybean farms (or any farms at all?).
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Alex
6/19/2019 06:24:06 pm
Hi Emily. Yes, in fact we do live a couple of miles from some cotton fields. Interesting hypothesis!
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Sheena
7/7/2019 06:36:55 pm
Hi there!
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Alex
7/10/2019 06:00:18 pm
Hi Sheena,
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Haley Knudsen - Southern Living Magazine
11/13/2019 10:25:01 am
Hello,
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James Hart
4/11/2020 07:33:46 am
What a fantastic website!
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Alex
4/11/2020 08:16:27 am
Thanks for the comment, James. Indeed it is a mixed bag of emotions. This time of year is great when everything looks so green and healthy. The most frustrating time is late summer when the high temperatures, insects, and fungus have all taken their toll. Having a hobby like this is especially valuable in these times when local parks are closed and everyone is stuck at home.
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Douglas R Tomasini
9/6/2020 06:41:36 am
I live in south Bexar County, Texas. Is there any seed from my area I can trade for any seed you may have ?
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Alex
9/7/2020 03:38:19 pm
Not sure whether seeds from the Bexar County Area would do well in my poorly drained clay soil, and vice versa. This year it seems the only trees producing any appreciable number of seeds are the Live Oak and Water Oak.
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Hi there. I stumbled across your page while trying to identify one of the types of trees growing in my 14 acre woods. I have previously thought it was a northern red oak. I have acorns from the tree and I looked through your pages, at all of your acorn images (and on many other websites and data bases) and cannot seem to find them. By the way, nice job! I love picking up things in my woods and figuring out what they are too.
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Alex
9/27/2020 02:09:01 pm
Hi Rowann,
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Braedon Shelton
12/31/2020 11:39:39 am
Cool website. This is my dream as well. To have my own arboretum in a sense. Right now I have about .25 acres to garden, so my tree plans will have to wait. I live in NC (Charlotte), and love driving up to the NC mountains. Congrats on buying some property. Do you plan on moving to NC? Curious what interested you in buying land here? Happy New Year.
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Alexander Williamson
3/6/2021 08:21:34 am
Braedon - I sent a reply directly to your email address a while ago in Jan. Perhaps it went straight to your junk email box. Anyway, just replying here also in case you didn't get it.
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Andrew
3/5/2021 03:38:55 pm
HI. You said you bought your sycamore from TyTy nursery? It is definitely a sycamore, not a London planetree? I ask because I recently ordered one from them and want to be sure it’s an actual American Sycamore. The website doesn’t give the Latin name, just says sycamore tree.
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Alexander Williamson
3/6/2021 08:17:54 am
Hello, yes, it is definitely an American Sycamore, thankfully. London planetree leaves are more deeply lobed - also they produce clusters of two of more seed balls, whereas the native sycamore seed balls hang singly. Hope this helps.
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Andrew
3/6/2021 05:11:49 pm
Thanks! One other thing, I live on a family farm - in NC - and I planted mine where I thought it would have plenty of room to grow, but I now wonder if it isn’t a little too close to the power lines. I just measured and it’s about 33ft away from the nearest line. I’ve read varying sources on the suggested distance. One says “at least 30ft,” while others say 40, 50 or more. I suppose I could prune it, but I know sycamore branches are notoriously hard and as it grows taller, I imagine pruning it would become difficult. Any thoughts or suggestions?
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Alexander Williamson
3/7/2021 07:48:53 am
At that distance, I think it will be several decades (like 50+ years) before the tree grows big enough to interfere with the power lines, if at all. If and when it does, the local authorities will likely send professionals to prune it (I've seen it done many times with large trees planted directly below power lines). By then it will be far too big to do it yourself.
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Laurel
5/13/2021 12:10:07 am
Does your cottonless cottonwood put out sticky buds when it starts to leaf out each spring? I'm basically wondering if I need to place mine far away from where the kids play to avoid sticky buds getting tracked all over the place. Thanks so much!
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Alex
5/15/2021 08:53:59 am
Yes, the buds are slightly sticky, but they generally stay on the tree. So I would not be concerned about buds being tracked all over the place. Regards, Alex
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Henry
7/23/2021 08:53:29 am
Hi and from all the information I've read on this website, I think I have some suggestions here:
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Alex
7/23/2021 06:05:11 pm
Henry, thanks for the suggestions. Actually I do have a Cottonwood which is growing vigorously. Black Locust, Beech, Tulip Tree, Eastern Redbud, Sassafras, etc all died during rainy months and they all prefer well drained soil. Basically I think the solution is to not plant trees that need well drained soil (that doesn't stop insects and diseases attacking them of course). I don't want to plant Paulownia (China native) as I am growing only native trees. Thanks, Alex
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Jeff
9/1/2021 10:34:21 am
Hi Alex,
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Alex
9/1/2021 11:16:26 am
Hi Jeff,
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Hi. I am making a photo guide to teach children about trees as they change through the seasons. In my search for reliable photos, I found your website. I am writing to ask permission to use a few photos from your website and I would like to attribute you to your photos, assuming they can be used. Please let me know what you think and thank you, Rachel
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Alex
9/14/2021 06:44:23 am
Hi Rachel - yes, you are welcome to use any of the photos on the website. I'm happy that you can put them to educational use! I would be interested in seeing your final product when ready. Best regards, Alex
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9/14/2021 09:21:53 am
That's awesome! Thank you so much! If you email me, I will have your address and can send the guide your way. I would like to include your full name in the caption. If you could email that as well, I'd appreciate it. I don't see your full name here on the website. I love what you're doing and thanks again, Rachel
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Alex
9/14/2021 12:47:17 pm
Hi Rachel - I sent a note to your email. Thanks, Alex
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Jake
10/1/2021 10:52:03 am
Hi, I'm in Dallas and looking for two trees for my suburban home front yard. Which ones have you particularly enjoyed, in terms of low maintenance and sturdiness?
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Alex
10/2/2021 02:22:42 pm
Hi Jake. It will depend whether your yard gets wet or waterlogged with heavy rains. If it gets wet for extended periods, my favorites would be Overcup Oak (if you can find one), Bald Cypress, and Nuttall Oak. If it is a relatively dry area, you could go for White Oak and Sweetgum. Most people get Live Oaks which are really low maintenance, but they are kind of boring because everyone has them.
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Cody
10/23/2021 08:54:36 am
Hello sir. I live in Beach City/Baytown, Tx. I was curious what the ph of your soil is? My property has alkaline soil and I would like to use your trees as reference to what would grow nicely in my yard.
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Alex
10/31/2021 09:20:56 am
Hi Cody, sorry about the late reply. My soil has a pH of 7 which seems to work for most native species in my experience, although trees that like very acidic soils don't really thrive. The biggest factor seems to be how well-drained the soil is. Trees that need well-drained soil almost always die in my yard. My soil is clay and when it rains a lot it gets waterlogged and when it doesn't rain for a few weeks it becomes concrete.
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Cody Love
10/31/2021 09:31:12 am
My soil is exactly like yours then. Super black gumbo clay. Your site is a perfect reference for my property. Thank you! As far as planting your trees do you cut the rootball in an x or just leave the rootball alone and just plant it straight from the container? I have heard mixed stories about if you should cut the rootball before planting.
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Alex
10/31/2021 05:23:01 pm
I typically don't cut the root ball unless the roots are circling around severely. Then I may try to pry some of the roots loose, or make a couple of cuts. On some of my larger trees that were planted for me by workers from the tree farm, they always cut the root ball. However, in many cases they were not experts at planting as they made mistakes such as piling mulch up around the trunk or planting the tree too low.
Andy
1/18/2022 08:49:06 am
I came across your website while searching for info on Carya myristiciformis. I was fascinated with your seed collections and the work you are doing tracking your trees. I would like to talk to you more about seed collecting and places you are visiting. Could you email me directly? I've spent some time in NW Arkansas looking hickories and other native trees. Hickories are so interesting to study with all the hybridization happening. have you planted any Gymnocladus dioicus?
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joel ruark
5/30/2022 09:09:21 pm
this website has explained my cypress problems. i was down the same path with no results. i thought water.
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Alex Williamson
6/24/2022 11:30:57 am
Hi Joel - apologies for the late reply! I'm glad my website helped with your cypress issues. I believe I used spinosad for bagworms. I used abamectin as a spray - since I started using that for the rust mites, the bagworms never came back either.
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Duane Schultz
8/8/2022 09:17:02 am
Hi I just saw your article about eastern cottonwood trees. I’ve been wanting to get some cuttings or routings or layerings was roots of a female eastern cottonwood tree. Could you help me out with that? I’d be willing to pay for it and pay for the shipping. Please let me know. God bless you and your family. Duane
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Alex
8/21/2022 04:50:03 pm
Hi Duane. Sorry for the late reply. Unfortunately my Eastern Cottonwood is male. Also, I have tried to get cuttings to root-out and have not been successful. Regards, Alex
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Duane Schultz
2/18/2023 06:25:39 pm
I tried getting some cuttings to root this year and didn’t have any success with it either. Thank you for your advice on that. And I’m sorry for replying so late. God bless you and your family. Duane.
Duane Schultz
2/18/2023 06:26:35 pm
Thank you for your help. I tried getting some to route from cuttings and it didn’t work out either. Sorry for the late reply. God bless you and your family. Duane.
Ryan
2/9/2023 09:29:40 am
I really appreciate what you're doing here and it's great to see such variety, but as an FYI, I notice a lot of your trees are planted too deeply.
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Alex
2/18/2023 02:53:49 pm
Ryan - thanks for the note. You are right about some of the trees being planted too deeply. Some of the tree nurseries employ inexperienced workers to do their plantings. One of the worst examples was my Southern Magnolia BBB which I purchased from Big Tex Trees. It was planted way too deep with clay packed around the trunk and did nothing but decline every year. With every tree I am able to plant myself, I make sure the root flare is around 2 inches above ground level. Regards, Alex
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Henry
3/10/2023 12:11:44 am
Hi looks like the yr 2022 is tough for trees and some died. In my opinion looks like if site has tough soil too so one good strategy maybe closure which involve just letting the weed or whatever the pioneer to grow first so that they fix the soil for u first, then with better soil u could grow more finicky trees. Also the advantage with this strategy is that u could observe what grow well and what doesn’t.
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Matt
4/30/2023 10:11:27 pm
I think your 2021 Montezuma cypress is the real deal. I have two of them. That one branch arching downward and the co-dominant leaders in the pic are good signs. They definitely grow more irregularly than American Baldcypress but adjust themselves (the leader often flops to the side but the tree will soon grow a new one going straight up).
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Alex
5/5/2023 04:07:35 pm
Great to know! Thanks for the encouragement!
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Leighann
5/17/2023 08:22:13 pm
I just absolutely adore your website! I have been learning more about tree identification and I have found your photos to be so helpful. Thank you for putting together such a great site.
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Alex
6/3/2023 08:24:43 am
Thanks Leighann, so glad you like it!
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Hi,
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Alex
6/3/2023 08:27:19 am
Hi Doug,
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