
How to grow american hornbeam
Carpinus caroliniana
When to plant american hornbeam
Plant this tree while dormant, in fall or early spring. Extension guidance rates fall, after leaf drop, and early spring, before bud break, as the best windows; balled-and-burlapped or bare-root stock goes in during dormancy so roots establish before top growth resumes.
American Hornbeam is timed by season rather than your frost dates, so the planting calendar does not generate ZIP-specific dates for it. Check the cited sources below to fine-tune for your area.
Growing conditions
- Lifecycle
- Perennial
- Spacing
- 240 to 420 in apart
- Sun
- Partial sun
- Soil pH
- 5 to 8
Common problems
- difficult to transplant
- two lined chestnut borer
Sources
- North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox (NC State Extension): Carpinus caroliniana (American Hornbeam / Musclewood / Ironwood)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center: Planting Trees Correctly (HGIC 1001)
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