Telling The Difference Between Hardwood And Softwood

Softwoods tend to keep their needles throughout the year.

Telling the difference between hardwood and softwood.

Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood. Informally trees categorized as hardwoods are usually deciduous meaning they lose their leaves in the autumn. These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. If your landscape consists primarily of softwood trees you won t have to worry about leaves blanketing your lawn and restricting your grass of sunlight.

Hardwoods shed their leaves over a period of time in autumn and winter. The primary difference between hardwood and softwood trees in a landscape is that hardwoods shed their leaves once a year whereas softwood trees retain their leaves throughout the year. Softwood has a faster rate of growth. Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood.

In reality the technical distinction has to do with the reproductive biology of the species. A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating. Softwoods are conifers which have needles rather than traditional leaves and retain them through the winter. Hardwood has a slower growth rate.

Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood. More specifically the type of seeds produced by a tree determines whether it is hardwood or softwood. The primary distinction between hardwood and softwood is based on the reproductive biology of the tree species. In contrast trees with seeds that are not enclosed are softwood.