planting a willow

[topnotchtree]

I am getting ready to plant some corkscrew willows in my back yard hoping to dry up some low spots. My problem is these low spots are kinda near my septic field. Is there a general rule of thumb to follow as far as how far away from your septic field to plant? Other than as far away as possible?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I would not worry too much about corkscrews, they never get all that big before the cankers make them fall apart.

One thing to think about for drying out seasonally wet areas is to use deep rooting mezic prarie plants. Big bluestem grass gets roots some 16 feet deep over time.

You can get flowers that bloom in sucsession and all that.

Here is a search on deep rooting mesic plants http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/deep+rooting+mesic+plants

here's one on mesic wetland plants http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/mesic+wetland+plants

and lastly one on mesic trees
http://www.dogpile.com/info.dogpl/search/web/mesic+trees


* Wet mesic upland forests grow on poorly drained areas in otherwise well drained uplands. They occur along drainage ways and in seepage areas (areas that are wet, but not flooded). They contain floodplain species such as bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa), American elm (Fraxinus americana), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), and hackberry (Celtis occidentalis).

 

[topnotchtree]

Thanks JPS, I figured you would come thru. The wife likes the corkscrew trees so that is what we r gonna put in. These come from suckers I cut off last year and put in water.It will b interesting to see how (if) they grow.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Get a prarie flower seed mix for the area too, I'm sure she'll like the blackeyed susans and whatnot. Then there will ne less area you have to mow.