Sounds like you need to get used to prairie grass - or move.

That's only partially sarcastic. Qualify what "high acid" means, as well as what the "ammonia level clay" is. Maybe even tell us where in PA you garden. That will give evaluators a clue as to what might be suggested.

Wouldn't everyone want a strong healthy tree that grows 4+ feet a year! Guess what - most trees that will achieve that on GOOD soils are not worth the investment, since they would be considered pioneer species that don't live long full lives. Also, that much top growth can equal up to twice as much root growth - meaning devilish conflicts with sewer/septic/leach field components.

Every tree blooms, though some more spectacularly or more interestingly than others. That's part of plant reproduction.

If you have sewer lines in the yard, depth of rooting is not the issue. Woodiness and vigor of rooting is - and trees or other woody plants are generally NOT recommended anywhere near the vicinity of a sewer, septic system, or leach field lines. Can you plant this tree 100 feet or more away from the nearest sewer component and still have it provide the shade you are desiring?

I think you need to get used to full sun conditions - or look for a different set of site conditions. You've set up some rather insurmountable hurdles for success.

I agree that more information about the soil would be helpful. Have you had a soil test done and that's why you know it's high acid and ammonia?
It would be tremendously helpful if you could post a picture of the site you want to add trees to and a diagram of the where the sewer lines, power lines, etc are.
I'm also interested in what trees you've planted and how long they lived, what time of year they were planted, who planted them, any soil amendments and your watering regime.
If it takes a little time to gather the info, that's ok. We'll be here. You'll get much better advice if you give us all the factors involved.
I'm interested since I have a problem site myself in that our septic and leech field are due west of the center of our house, right where I'd love shade trees. I know I can't plant trees there, but a screened porch would be great...some day.
Barb

what they said.. more facts please ...

and also.. what trees grow within 1000 feet of the property???? in other words.. what is native to the area???

ken

I made a mistake with my soil it's alkaline and ammonia. The ground is mainly limestone and clay which makes up the alkaline component and the ammonia we attribute to the high amount of animal droppings and traffic we have but were not totally sure what is causing in. We had done a Ph test in two different areas in the yard. One area had a ph of 5.5 and the other was about 6.9. There is a slight grade and well drained area that we want to plant in but it's right next to where we got the 5.5 ph test. As for the sewer lines there is no way to avoid them because there are 3 lines that run the whole length of the property from the street to the rear and one that crosses sideways in the rear of the property. I'm sorry but I don't have a camera to use. As for what has been planted; mugo pine, flamingo/goldenrain tree which is a willow if I remember correctly, kwanzan cherry, a crabapple tree that was native in a different location, and an eastern redbud. The cherry tree was the only thing that actually grew but we lost a battle to slugs who ate the roots. The flamingo tree was the most recent try and it was planted about4 years ago but hasn't even grown 6". All of the trees were either planted a few weeks after the the winter thaw or in august/september time frame to allow acclimation before winter. We water in the dry summer months of june-august regularly but the rest of the year is fairly wet. We want to plant it in this location to provide shade to a nearby deck and the south side of the house. There are no plants over 12ft in the area and the biggest plant is a wisteria that is growing on the deck and it is thriving well. It's about 40-60 feet away from where we want to put the tree. Also, in terms of what tree we want something under 25 or 30 feet fully grown and we don't care to much of the spread. We had contemplated a smoketree or trying to train a rose of sharon or something like a tulip poplar but in a dwarf size. We have tried treating the soil regularly with tree spikes but it doesn't seem to help much. Natives in the area are Sycamores, paper birch, american linden, and lots of scots and pitch pine.

You were right, if the pH of the soil is below 7 it is acidic.

If you were to take the average acidic level of the two tests it would be about 6 which isn't unreasonably acidic...most plants actually prefer slightly acidic soil.

If sycamores, etc. are growing in the area, they should be able to grow for you. How ammonia-filled is the soil? How are you sure that it has such high ammonia?

Almost all of the trees that you planted will not provide the type of shade that you are talking about. For the type of shade you are talking about, you need something larger, so no more redbuds and crabapples.

Others can pipe in, I just wanted to clear up that anything below 7 is acidic, not alkaline. You had it right the first time.

Hello, I am in SW Pa, There are many trees to choose from, your sewer lines situation I would get an opinion from someone knowledgeable about that I certainly am not, but I think the ph of 7 is neutral and less is acidic with higher than 7 is alkaline.

Gazebo.
Your whole yard is full of sewer lines.
Do you have an idea how much it costs to replace sewer lines?
I do. A pin oak broke mine.
Don't do it.
Buy a gorgeous gazebo and save yourself thousands!
Plant arborvitaes in pots (half barrels) if you must to see some green around the gazebo. By the way, they do well in half barrels.
Good Luck!

The reason I said alkaline is that a majority of the yard has significant amount of limestone in it. The ammonia can be seen in some of the smaller plants and other trees that had been planted. Instead of working as a nitrogen it kills a lot of roots and causes the plant to discolor. Originally, we though it was the same slugs that killed other trees but there was no evidence of it. What is an accurate way to find out the soil condition.

Unfortunately a sycamore and some of the other locals end up being to big when fully mature.

If it is ammonia and the yard is criss-crossed with sewer lines, any chance a sewer line is already broken? Or is the ammonia from over fertilization?

tj

We haven't put down fertilizer for 4 years.

Nitrification is inhibited in soils with poor aeration. Compacted and clay soils would be more susceptible to high ammonia levels because it it would be more tightly bound to clay particles than loamy soil and the conditions are less aerobic. You could be getting run-off from adjoining properties who use ammonia-based nitrogen supplementation. It can even be present in your water source. Have you taken soil samples in the areas where you 'treated' the soil with tree spikes? What are we looking at as far as drainage in those areas? Does the soil even percolate?