As the name implies, a river birch’s native habitat is near river banks, so they prefer moist soil. However, they can tolerate drier soil as the tree matures and the roots become well-established.

When you don't properly plant the river birch tree, it often causes problems when it comes to water and root growth. Read more: The 11 Most Difficult Vegetables To Grow In Your Garden.

Because my river birches are planted close to the sidewalk, the root system is restricted on one side. Both trees have branches with bare portions that lack leaves. They also lose leaves during ...

Birch trees also perform poorly in compacted soil because they have shallow root systems, and compacted and heavy soils impede the tree’s roots from absorbing nutrients.

A fairly fast-growing tree, river birch can reach a height of 70 feet or more. Native throughout the eastern U.S., it is typically found on the banks of rivers and streams as well as in floodplains.

Grass prefers full sun and in the long run gets out-competed by the tree roots for moisture and nutrients. If the birch could talk, it would pick a nice bed of 2 or 3 inches of bark mulch and/or ...