Red Alder Tree Care

Soil

• Red alder will do best in a heavy clay soil or in loam, reports Plants for a Future. However, it does not need optimum soil conditions to grow. The species will develop in soils that lack nutrients. The tree has the capability of turning nitrogen in the atmosphere into nitrogen in the soil, using some for itself, with the rest used by nearby plants.

Moisture

• Dry sites are poor fits for the red alder. It is able to grow in areas that undergo seasonal floods. Bottomlands, floodplains, wooded wetlands and the banks of waterways support the growth of red alder. Regions where the precipitation in winter is mostly rain are the best for red alder. The tree needs plentiful moisture in the form of rain and/or fog in the summer months.

Light

• In the wild and as a landscaping tool, the red alder does not tolerate shade. It will grow in those open spots in a forest or develop where landslides and/or fire have created open space in the woods. If you plant a red alder in a location that does not receive enough sunlight, the tree will fail to thrive and it will not survive. Red alders are short-lived trees to begin with, living on average only 60 to 80 years.

Other Growing Conditions

• Windy sites do not deter the growth of the red alder. Neither do sites close to the ocean, as the wind, fog and potential salt spray have little effect on the tree's maturing. Elk, moose and different kinds of deer can destroy red alder by trampling them, browsing on the twigs or rubbing their antlers on them. Rodents such as mice and voles will chew the bases of red alder, effectively killing the tree, but you can prevent this with tubes or netting about the base to provide them protection.