What Is the Culture of a Speckled Alder?

Location

• Speckled alder hails from eastern North America, growing in wetlands from Canada down to North Dakota. Speckled alder grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 6, where it prefers full sun. It works well as a naturalizing tree alongside a stream, pond or wet wooded area. Because speckled alder suckers freely to create a dense thicket, it can help soil stabilization and erosion control.

Culture

• Speckled alder is not at all picky about soil, growing in clay and infertile soils. Though it prefers moist or wet soil, it will also tolerate drier sites. You don't generally need to fertilize, notes University of Maine, and you should not apply nitrogen fertilizer to the soil before planting. Water newly transplanted trees regularly, with about 1 inch of water per week, to help them establish strong root systems. Once established, speckled alder only needs supplemental water during extended periods of drought.

Considerations

• Growing speckled alder can improve the surrounding soil. Bacteria on the roots of the speckled alder fix atmospheric nitrogen, allowing the tree to grow in polluted or poor soils. This process provides the tree with nitrogen and provides nitrogen to plants growing nearby. Speckled alder also drops its heavy canopy of leaves in the fall, enhancing the soil with humus. Speckled alder hosts the green comma butterfly and provides seeds for songbirds, such as American goldfinches and black-capped chickadees.

Propagation

• Speckled alder can be grown from seed sown in a cold frame. Gather ripe seeds and barely cover them with soil. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, move them to their permanent position in the summer. You can also propagate the tree from mature wood cuttings taken in fall after the leaves have dropped. Root the cuttings outdoors in sandy, moist soil.