ILLINOIS TREES: SELECTION, PLANTING. AND CARE 



Trees commonly 



Arborvitae 



Ash 



Black locust 



Buckeye 



Cherry 



Chestnut 



Coffee tree 



Cork tree 



Crabapple 



Elm 



Ginkgo 



planted in either fall 

 Hackberry 

 Hawthorn 

 Honey locust 

 Horse chestnut 

 Juniper 

 Katsura tree 

 Linden 

 Maple 

 Mulberry 

 Osage orange 

 Pagoda tree 



or sprmg are: 

 Pawpaw 

 Persimmon 

 Pine 

 Plum 

 Redbud 

 Russian olive 

 Serviceberry 

 Spruce 

 Sycamore 

 Tree of heaven 

 Zelkova 



Other Considerations 



Chances of survival. — Species of trees that survive and re- 

 cover from transplanting shock more readily than others include 

 ash, catalpa, cork tree, crabapple, elm, hackberry, honey locust, 

 linden, maple, pin oak, poplar, sycamore, tree of heaven, and 

 willow. Species that survive and recover from transplanting 

 shock less readily include beech, hickory, hornbeam, sassafras, 

 sweet gum, tupelo, walnut, and white oak. The remaining trees 

 described in this circular fall between the above two groups in 

 relation to survival. 



Soil pH requirements. — Tree growth is influenced by the acid 

 or alkaline reaction of the soil. Most trees grow best in soils that 

 are slightly acid, pH 6.0-7.0. However, many trees like ash, 

 catalpa, elm, hackberry, linden, sycamore, walnut, white oak, 

 and yellowwood, which prefer a slightly acid soil, will tolerate 

 alkaline soils with pH reactions as high as 7.5. Some trees, such 

 as Douglas fir, flowering dogwood, ginkgo, pin and red oak, red 

 cedar, sweet gum, tulip tree, and tupelo grow best in acid soils, 

 pH 5.0-6.5, and will not tolerate alkaline soils. A few trees, for 

 example bur and shingle oak, grow best in acid soils, pH 5.5 and 

 below. 



You may want to select trees suited to your soil condition, 

 or modify the soil to suit the trees. Excessive acidity can be cor- 

 rected by adding lime to the soil and alkalinity can be corrected 

 by adding sulfur to the soil. The pH of the soil is determined by 

 soil analysis, which can be obtained through the ofl!ice of the 

 county farm adviser or the University of Illinois Department 

 of Agronomy. 



