What grows under a Hackberry tree?

[BeeWonderful]

I just learned that Hackberries are allelopathic, similar to Walnut trees. What plants grow well under Hackberries? Would they be the same or different species that do well under Walnut trees? Our Hackberry is in the front yard, in the middle of a raised bed in which the only thing i've been able to keep alive are sedums. I have a vision of a beautiful and bountiful raised bed with Little Bluestem, Rudbeckia, and other natives. Do I need to stop dreaming? What should I try to grow there?

[Equilibrium]

Sounds like something else is going on and I'm thinking shade from the tree is probably more of an issue. Ya..... somewhat similar to walnut trees but with hackberries it's more the leaf litter that's an issue. The phenolic phytotoxins might... might.... be a problem for annuals but they shouldn't be a problem for most 2 gallon shrubs and grasses. Dig the hole 3x as large as the pot and water well until what ever you plant is well established because there's gonna be competition for water with a hackberry. Do you know which tree you have... maybe Celtis occidentalis or C. laevigata? Both are great trees to have and regardless of which 1 you have.... you'll have options.... bare roots and plugs won't be the best choice but I'd think most shade tolerant native species that we'd find in their native plant community would be fine. Check this out for a little more info and see if there's any "companion" plants that tickle your fancy, Celtis occidentalis.

[BeeWonderful]

Thanks for that. The soil under this tree is SO dry, it is never that moist even after a rain. Maybe that's why sedums are doing well there and nothing else is. But I'd really like to have natives there instead. Oddly, the shade from this tree isn't very dense shade. What do you mean when you say bareroot and plugs won't be the best choice? Do you mean growing from seed there would be better? just confused

[Equilibrium]

Sorry about that.... starting from seed would for sure be a problem.... you'd probably be throwing bad money after good.... too much competition for resources and a younger plant would be more susceptible to any allelopathic chemicals that would be leached into the ground within the drip line. Go for plants that are more developed. Maybe try planting 3 shade loving native shrubs that were grown out in 2 gallon buckets. Don't be afraid to grab the plant and lift it out of its container to make sure its tap root wasn't cut off to fit it in the pot or that the roots aren't circling and when you're digging the hole.... dig it big and deeper than you normally would and amend it with only half of the soil you removed from the hole. Mix in compost and maybe hard wood chips then make sure what ever you plant is raised up above grade by about 3" to allow for settling. Try adding a 3-4" layer of mulch around your plantings to help retain moisture then water regularly. Figure at least 3 years or longer of watering what ever you're trying to establish under a Celtis or any other well established tree.

[BeeWonderful]

Just to clarify one more time (sorry!), I should go for large plants, those would be better able to compete with the Hackberry? Would drought tolerant plants be the best choice here? thanks!

[Equilibrium]

No.... my bad... I'm working up a good "ecorant" for 1 of jack's threads.... running up and down the stairs doing laundry and... getting my fix of in-house "peep" shows.... that WAS a good question... I dropped the ball getting distracted!!! No... no large plants like a B&B for you. Bigger isn't better!!! You'd want to stay away from those... your pocket book will thank you if you avoid the temptation. The nursery industry usually hacks off most of the root structure so they can sell it as balled and burlapped in pre-determined ball sizes that are more manageable for them. And then there's the transportation costs of moving a B&B with a fully intact root structure.... it would be better if those plants had more of their roots left but.... it wouldn't be cost effective. This practice leaves you with a plant that has too little of a root system to support what you'd see above ground which happens to be why so many folk lose these trees after planting em. They have to focus all their energy on re-growing their roots and sometimes.... so much has been hacked off they can't recover. Most die in the 2nd year which is good for the nursery because they generally only warranty the plant for 1 year so.... drum roll please.... we go back and buy another plant from them. Smaller is almost always better. Less above ground vegetation to support when a plant is trying to establish itself. Bareroots are pretty much always the better bang for our buck. Not this time for you though.... bareroots wouldn't be the best choice because of special considerations with your site. You'd be better off with smaller well developed potted plants that had roots that would be less susceptible to transplant shock.
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I wouldn't think you'd want drought tolerant plants.... you don't live in a droughty region. That's the horticulure industry talking to get you to buy their selections. I'd think shade tolerant natives would be better for you.... shade tolerant natives ultimately would be able to compete with the Hackberry so you won't have to keep fussing over what ever you plant indefinitely.
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You can offset the dryness of the site until the plants are established but.... there's no way to offset the shade other than whacking off limbs of the Hackberry.
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Once you get some of the woodies you want established.... you could try starting some native grasses and forbs from seed around the bases of the shrubs.

[savannah]

Around here Hackberries are considered trash trees in landscape use. They break easily, raise sidewalks, have a poor shape, create massive numbers of volunteer seedlings, sucker badly, damage property foundations and roofs etc etc. Its on the top ten list of undesirables. They are recommended for hedgerows only.

How big is your tree? If its a smaller size that can be cut down within reason you might want to consider taking it out if possible and replacing with a more desirable tree. The thing that grows under hackberries around here is about a million more hackberries. Other than that the choices are slim under a mature tree and people resort to plants like lirope or vinca major. Its a yearly chore pulling seedlings. I wish my neighbor would have nipped about 8 of these in the bud years ago and done us all a good deed. We have spent lots of money because of them.

[Equilibrium]

Bummer it ended up on a trash tree list somewhere. That's really a shame, Native Plant Database. Hackberry's a life plant (larval host) for Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, and American Snout butterflies. I've planted several different native species of Hackberry as ornamentals hoping they'd be able to attract the wild cherry sphinx which nectars on them. So far no wild cherry sphinx though.

[savannah]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

Bummer it ended up on a trash tree list somewhere. That's really a shame, Native Plant Database. Hackberry's a life plant (larval host) for Question Mark, Mourning Cloak, and American Snout butterflies. I've planted several different native species of Hackberry as ornamentals hoping they'd be able to attract the wild cherry sphinx which nectars on them. So far no wild cherry sphinx though.

I don't think there's much danger in its disappearing. They come up everywhere. If its close to property or in a yard its definitely a nuisance. They grow very fast and have soft wood which breaks easily. The house next door has dozens of small ones lining the foundation, our foundation is threatened from some about 5 feet away and the yearly trimming is expensive on the tops, a constant battle. I must pull over a million seedlings each year from where they hang over into our back yard. Given a contest between this tree and Tree of Heaven, I'd put my money on the Hackberry as the worst offender for invading because I am dealing with both. Tree of Heaven is a piece of cake in comparison.

This guy next to us is sort of like your lady with all the cats that lives close by. I have to sneak over there and take out new trees on a regular basis.

[Equilibrium]

"Tree of Heaven is a piece of cake in comparison." Tree of Heaven is a known invasive, it's documented as being a "problem child" for ecosystems so I feel for ya if you've ever had to remove any of those. Really a shame you've had to remove millions of seedlings from a Hackberry. I have 7 here and haven't found them to "dump" on me. FWIW....the American Hackberry... Celtis occidentalis.... is locally native to MN and.... it's wildlife friendly. Here's hoping that if BW can locate species to buy that occur naturally in the wilds with her Hackberry.... that'll be just the ticket for her to get "pollinator-friendly" plants established that are more "bee-utiful to her than the sedum she's trying to replace.