This native tree is highly resilient and adaptable to tough growing conditions, including urban pollution and salt.
Its bright green leaves turn yellow in autumn.
It also has an interesting bark.
Young branches sport corky outgrowths, while older bark features a unique warty, sometimes scaly, look.
Hackberry grows at a moderate rate of 12 to 15 inches per year.
Hackberry makes a good shade tree.
It is well-suited as a windbreak because its branches won’t break easily even in strong winds.
you’re free to also plant it for erosion control.
Trees in nursery pots can still be planted later in the spring.
Position the tree in the planting hole so the top of the rootball is level with the surrounding grade.
Backfill with the original soil.
Water the newly planted tree regularly during the first year after plantingabout 1 inch per week.
Watering is only required during the first year.
The established tree is considered drought-tolerant.
Temperature and Humidity
Hackberry tolerates both hot, windy conditions and cold winters in northern locations.
It is adaptable to pollution and salt, making this plant suitable for urban and suburban yards and streets.
It is not known to be negatively affected by high humidity levels.
For the amount to use, follow product label directions.
Otherwise, hackberry does not need fertilizer.
Pruning
The annual pruning of the tree should be done during its dormancy.
Potting and Repotting Hackberry
Hackberry is not suitable to be grown in a container.
This can be treated by applying an acidifying agent such as sulfur or iron chelate.
Common hackberry can be disfigured by witches'-broom.
These clusters of twiggy growths are thought to be resulting from a combination of mites and powdery mildew.
Unfortunately, there is no practical remedy for this issue.
Don’t fret, though: this problem is also merely cosmetic.
It has no apparent effect on a tree’s vigor and is only noticeable when the tree is dormant.
Some people like the character witches'-broom gives to a tree’s silhouette in winter.
How to Propagate Hackberry
Hackberry trees are propagated from seed.
Plant the seeds 12 to 1 inch deep in pots or in a weed-free garden bed.
Keep the soil evenly moist in the absence of precipitation.
It grows 40 to 60 feet tall and wide.
Zone 3-7
Dwarf Hackberry
Celtis tenuifoliaisanother, rare hackberry species also known as Georgia hackberry.
it is an irregularly shaped, scraggly shrub or small tree usually maturing at under 20 feet.
It grows rapidly and thrives in hot summers and sunlight.
It is less susceptible to witches'-broom and galls than the common hackberry.
This fast-growing tree is resistant to urban pollution and tolerates soil compaction.
Zone 5-10
Netleaf Hackberry
Celtis laevigatavar.reticulatais a hackberry native to western North America.
Because it is so tough, it is often used in ecological restoration projects.
Zone 4-9
Arrowwood Viburnum
Viburnum dentatumis an upright shrub native to areas of North America.
It grows 10 feet tall and wide.
The leaves of the hackberry tree are more pointed than the leaves of the elm tree.
The berries won’t remain on the tree, though; wildlife will certainly enjoy them.
