Alder (grey)
Do you want to plant a Alder (grey)? Here you will find all the information you need on how to best plant the Alder (grey), and on pruning and caring for your Alder (grey).
General characteristics of a Alder (grey)
White alder, gray alder or gray alder (Alnus incana) is a tree belonging to the birch family (Betulaceae). The tree is native to northern and central Europe, North America and western Asia. In the Netherlands, this tree is not native; it is possible that the species is native along some river and stream valleys in the central and eastern part of the country, but this cannot be well confirmed.
Characteristics
How to plant a Alder (grey)
You can let the alder grow quietly. As a solitary, its beauty will be shown to its full advantage. You can also plant alders in a row as windbreaks and then pollard them at a fairly early stage. As a shrub, they will serve well. Alder grows quickly and multiplies enormously if the seeds get into moist soil.
How to harvest a Alder (grey)
Can be pruned well, just like willows.
Caring for and pruning your Alder (grey)
Alder trees, like willows, can be pollarded. This allows them to be kept reasonably small. The tree does not necessarily need to be pruned but then it grows into a larger tree. So the size depends on maintenance.
Where does a Alder (grey) grow
On nutrient-rich and mineral-rich soils, this light-loving tree species grows best. Low oxygen soil conditions, e.g. during prolonged flooding, black alder can also survive well.
General
| Origin |
Alien
Integrated
|
| Tree Type | Deciduous tree |
Length and Age
| Length in about 10 years | 7 Up to 20 Meter |
| Reproductive Maturity in How Many Years | 3 Up to 100 year |
| Maximum Age | 100 Up to 125 year |
| Required Space | 6 Up to 10m2 |
| Growth Rate |
Reproduction
| Tree is Self-Pollinating | No |
| Reproduction Method |
To be pollarded (the slit is approximately 2m)
|
| Reproduction rate |
|
Reproduction rate
| 1. Very low reproduction rate. The plant hardly spreads, has few seeds or vegetative spread (e.g., trees with heavy seeds). |
| 2. Low reproduction rate. Spread via limited seed production or specific conditions required |
| 3. Average reproduction rate. Regular spread, depending on wind, water, or animals, at a moderate speed (e.g., dandelion). |
| 4. High reproduction rate. Many seeds and multiple spread strategies (wind, birds, vegetative). Quickly colonizes open spaces |
| 5. Very high reproduction rate. Invasive species that spread explosively over large distances (e.g., Japanese knotweed). |
Pruning Period
| This Tree is Evergreen | No |
| Summer | No pruning in summer |
| Winter | January tot March |
| Leaf Shapes | Egg-shaped |
| Easy to prune | Yes |
Bark Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Lenticels | Yes |
| Colour |
Bud Characteristics Seedling (50-200cm)
| Colour | |
| Bud Position |
Varied
|
| Bud Shape |
Pointed
|
Other
| Root |
Deep and wide roots
|
| Bloom |
Has fruits
|
| Wind sensitivity | Not sensitive to (sea) wind |
Diseases
| Sensitive to the Following Diseases | Information not available |
Harvest/recognition in winter
A grayer bark and darker buds than the purple buds of the black alder.
Light requirement of the Alder (grey)
The Alder (grey) thrives best under these light conditions.
Suitable soil types for the Alder (grey)
In this overview, you can find which soil types are best for the Alder (grey) to grow.
| Soil type | Suitability |
|---|---|
| light clay |
|
| heavy clay |
|
| sand |
|
| peatland |
|
| Loam |
|
| Moerig op zand |
|
| Lichte zavel |
|
| Zware zavel |
|
Humidity
A (ground)water level indicates how deep the groundwater usually is below the surface. The higher the Roman numeral, the deeper the groundwater.
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
VIII
Suitable acidity level for the Alder (grey)
Each soil type has a certain acidity level, measured in pH values. You can plant the Alder (grey) in soil that falls within this range:
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
Nutritional needs of the Alder (grey)
Some soil types offer more nutritional richness than others.
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
| 1. | Very nutrient-poor soil |
| 2. | Very nutrient-poor to nutrient-poor soil |
| 3. | Nutrient-poor soil |
| 4. | Nutrient-poor to moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 5. | Moderately nutrient-rich soil |
| 6. | Moderately nutrient-rich to nutrient-rich soil |
| 7. | Nutrient-rich soil |
| 8. | Extremely nutrient-rich soil |
| 9. | Very extremely nutrient-rich soil |
Humidity
Does Alder (grey) like to have its roots in extremely dry (1.0) or wet (9.0) soil?
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
6.5
7.0
7.5
8.0
8.5
9.0
| 1. | Extremely dry soils |
| 2. | Extremely dry to dry soils |
| 3. | Dry soils |
| 4. | Dry to dry/moist soils |
| 5. | Dry/moist soils |
| 6. | Dry/moist to moist soils |
| 7. | Moist soils |
| 8. | Moist to wet soils |
| 9. | Wet soils |
To be applied in landscapes
0 = not filled in, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
| Landscape | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Agroforestry |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Hedge |
|
| Forest |
|
| Feeding hedge |
|
| Back yard |
|
| Small back yard |
|
| Solitary |
|
| Wood wall |
|
Cultural-historical value
0 = not filled in, 1 = low, 9 = high
Insects
| How many insects typically live on this tree/plant? | 141 |
| Which insect groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
| Are there insects dependent on this species? | No |
| Which insect species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Birds
| Average number of birds per tree/plant? | |
| Which bird groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
Mammals
| Average number of mammals per tree/plant? | |
| Which mammal groups live on this tree/plant? |
|
| Are there mammals dependent on this species? | No |
| Which mammal species are dependent on this tree/plant? |
Bloom Period
| Summer | February Up to March |
Tree Species
| Tree species that this tree prefers to grow with |
|
Suitable for mammals?
toxic, 1 = unsuitable, 5 = very suitable
| Mammal | Suitability |
|---|---|
| Horse |
|
| Human |
|
| Beavers |
|
| Badgers |
|
| Squirrel |
|
| Ferret |
|
| Goat |
|
| Herbivorous rodents |
|
| Deer |
|
| Dog |
|
| Cat |
|
| Chicken |
|
| Cow |
|
| Mouse |
|
| Roe deer |
|
| Sheep |
|
| Pig |
|
| Foxes |
|
| Wild boar |
|
Explanation
Explanation
Edibility
- Toxic: This tree or shrub is toxic to mammals and absolutely unsuitable for consumption.
- Very unsuitable: This tree or shrub is unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can be harmful.
- Unsuitable: This tree or shrub is generally unsuitable for consumption by mammals and can have adverse effects.
- Moderately suitable: This tree or shrub is moderately suitable as food for mammals, possibly with certain risks or limitations.
- Suitable: This tree or shrub is generally suitable as food for mammals, with little to no risks.
- Very suitable: This tree or shrub is very suitable as food for mammals, safe, and of high nutritional value.
Trunk Height
Average Trunk Height (hg) of the basal area median tree
from - to, in whole meters, average
Information not available
Trunk Diameter
(dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree.
from - to, in whole centimeters, average
Information not available
Aboveground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Belowground Biomass
in whole kgInformation not available
Substance Binder
| Which substances can be bound or absorbed? |
CO2
Particulate matter
|
Carbon Attraction (kf)
| (dg) (1.30m) of the basal area median tree | Deciduous Trees (Kf = 0,48) |
Warming Resistance
| This tree is well resistant to the warming (plus 3 degrees) of our climate and fits into the future of our climate (heat and drought resistant). | Yes |
CO2
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no storage |
| 2. | low storage |
| 3. | moderate storage |
| 4. | high storage |
| 5. | very high storage |
Fine Dust
| 0. | not filled in |
| 1. | no capture capacity |
| 2. | low capture capacity |
| 3. | moderate capture capacity |
| 4. | high capture capacity |
| 5. | very high capture capacity |
This is what an adult tree Alder (grey) looks like
Grey elder
Grey alder in winter
This is what the bud of a Alder (grey) looks like
Buds of the grey alder
This is what the leaf of a Alder (grey) looks like
Leaf of the grey alder