Nothing like an everlasting thread--and a notification of posts made many years ago. Thought I answered kimmsr's post many years ago. Black plastic is TEMPORARY, as is the disruption of organic activity in the soil below it. Earthworms, insects, etc., are MOBILE, and all have the ability to remove themselves from the area covered by the black plastic. Everything will return to normal once you've kiiled the tree roots and REMOVED the plastic. Newspaper is NIGHT AND DAY, compared to black plastic, regarding the heat-generating ability required to kill the roots. Don't like plastic because it comes from non-renewable sources, as kimmsr declares? Use organic black plastic, made from plants. Plastics from plants will soon become all the rage, again, as the concept was YEARS ago (1940) when Henry Ford made an entire CAR from plant-origin plastics. Google "Henry Ford's plastic car". And plastic from plants are now on the market, and will become more so as we transition from fossil fuels. But common sense tells me there's no harm in temporarily placing ANY black plastic of a moderate size over the area required to kill a tree's roots. Again, (notwithstanding Steve Eubanks post about trees that cannot be covered with plastic because of other infrastructure in place, such as fences, etc.) when black plastic CAN be put in place, the heat it generates should be sufficient to kill most any plant material, including roots, beneath it. Regarding Brian Schill's latest post: It would be best if the entire tree can be cut to the ground and then the GROUND covered with black plastic, held down by staples and/or soil. I couldn't guess the amount of time required when wrapping protruding stumps with plastic.

The Texas Red Oak trees started in small little cups. As they have grown, I have transplanted them to larger pots. They are now in 10-12 gallon pots. A local nursery ended up donating the pots to me and they filled the bed of my truck with an organic (medium) potting mixture. Yesterday, I was in the backyard and noticed that some of the pots were in the hot sun from 12pm to 4pm and those were the trees that were doing the worst. I moved these into another location so they will not get so hot. Hopefully this will help them out. Again, I appreciate all of your time and help. Any additional help and info would be greatly appreciated. Would liquid fertilizer help these grow any faster? Thanks!

Can't believe they closed! I've gotten pines from them several times for planting in east. Green Ash is a fast-growing firewood/wind-break tree. That's what I was going to plant for that purpose. Eastern Red Cedar will be the most dependable conifer you can plant for that area(and all of Tx). 18" annual growth is typical, more can be achieved with regular watering. The ever-green color is appreciated in the winter. Hackberry, Cottonwood, Bur Oak, ERC, and Green Ash are probably the big 5 when it comes to quick-growth, drought- resistant, no-care dependable trees for central Texas. Followed by Arizona Cypress, Sycamore, Shumard Oak, Cedar Elm, and Pecan. Some make good firewood, others leave something to be desired.

I would put a strong second on the Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa) Easy from seed, fast growth and drought resistant when established. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_macrocarpa Live oak would also be a good choice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quercus_virginiana The English Oak would be fun. (Quercus robur). Fast growth, drought tolerant. Good dense foliage and shade. There are the Hackberry trees. There are several species, the most common is the Common Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtis_occidentalis Kentucky Coffee Tree would also work there (Gymnocladus dioicus) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kentucky_coffeetree The Yellowwood tree is one to consider. It loots a bit like a flowering beech because of it's grey bark. But again, it has a deep taproot so it is drought tolerant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cladrastis_kentukea You may want to try the Deodar Cedar. Being in a warmer zone, this tree would probably grow well. It is the fastest growing of the true Cedars and will get to be a very tall tree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedrus_deodara The other true Cedars, Cedar of Lebanon and Atlas Cedarwould be very good choices but they are very slow growing trees. A foot a year at most. More like to get 6 inches a year. Another choice for an evergreen is the Sierra Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) For a tree that will eventuall get huge, it is a very good and well behaved tree in it's youth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum Oddly enough, the Swamp Cypress (Taxodium distichum) does not need to be in a swamp and is surprisingly drought tolerant, when established. The seeds for these can be found on line. Where possible I prefer to plant the seed where the tree is to grow. This allows for quickest establishment of the tree and better acclimation. However, you can also start them in pots if necessary. Particularly if there are vermin that would eat the seeds or the seedlings. Google these and see if any strike your fancy. By the way. How much land do you have and how much water do you get? That would be interesting and helpful in getting the trees started.