Planting a tree

[KevBow]

Parents are wanting to plant a shade tree next to house. What would be a good shade tree to plant? Kinda worried about roots going out and into foundation. Any ideas ?

[txhoghunter73]

Texas ash tree

[smokin6.7]

Live oak.

[buckmastertexas]

Maybe you can put in a root barrier before hand to prevent it affecting the foundation of the house.

[MySRT8U]

Red oak.

[3DW5]

Don't Oak trees affect foundations a lot?

[gingib]

following.....

[akey]

How close to the house are they planning on planting it?

[AntlerCollector]

Texas ash. Oaks grow really slow.

[KevBow]

It's gonna be about 6feet away if they plant it in same spot. I told them they should just plant it further out in yard so they can get a bigger tree to provide more shade

[Plain Lucky]

I would ask the local nursery about the root direction of potential candidates to get more info on the foundation concerns. Other concerns should be:

Pros:

- Fast growing
- Provides adequate fullness and canopy for desired shade area
- Average size
- Drought endurance if they are in a drought area

Cons:

- Sap (not pecan trees!!!)
- Cleaning up fruit or nuts dropped (red oaks are great but tend to drop LOTS of acorns)
- Cleaning up leaves (Size of leaves might be considered. Tiny leaves are harder to clean up than big leaves)

I have a Bradford Pear that I like, several pecans that I hate, and Live Oaks that I like. The Bradford Pear doesn't drop sap but does tend to lure more birds and they make lots of bird dung lol. But it doesn't drop nuts like the pecan or live oak, has a nice size and canopy, and the leaves are big and also a pretty orange and red color when they start turning and falling. The Live Oaks are nice but drop quite a few acorns and the leaves are fairly small, making them a little tougher to clean up.

[kmlj9491]

If you plant an oak tree we'll all be dead before it becomes a shade tree

[Froggy]

Chinese Pistache - Texas Superstar

http://texassuperstar.com/plants/pistache/pistachep.html

Regarded by many knowledgeable horticulturists as one of the most beautiful, pest free and easily maintained shade trees for the Southwest and Gulf Coast regions.
Winter hardy to central Kansas, the pistache forms a spreading, umbrella-like canopy which at maturity is 40-50 feet high with a width of 30 feet. This is an ideal size to provide shade, enframement and background for single-story homes.

Beautiful fall colors

Images

https://www.google.com/search?q=Chinese+pistache+texas+superstar&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=c5wtVP6eEIeoyQSQ_oCACw&ved=0CDAQsAQ

[lameduck]

It's gonna be about 6feet away if they plant it in same spot. I told them they should just plant it further out in yard so they can get a bigger tree to provide more shade

Six feet is way to close.

[PapaBear]

I would also think about a Chinese Pistachio. Ash trees are good and fast growing but have been known to have shallow roots, especially if there is a lack of water. Generally Red Oaks and Bur Oaks are less likely to have large surface roots. The main thing is to water deep so the roots will stay down and not affect their foundation. I would also recommend not planting it so close to the house. If possible, I would move it to at least 20 feet from the house. You may check one of the local plant nurseries. They should have information on what would do best in the area.