Telling The Difference Between Hardwood And Softwood

In contrast trees with seeds that are not enclosed are softwood.

Telling the difference between hardwood and softwood.

Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood. Hardwood has a slower growth rate. 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. A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating.

Softwood has a faster rate of growth. Softwoods tend to keep their needles throughout the year. 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. The primary distinction between hardwood and softwood is based on the reproductive biology of the tree species.

Softwoods are conifers which have needles rather than traditional leaves and retain them through the winter. More specifically the type of seeds produced by a tree determines whether it is hardwood or softwood. These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. Hardwoods shed their leaves over a period of time in autumn and winter.

How to tell the difference between hardwood and softwood the general rule for distinguishing whether a wood is hardwood or softwood is to use the fingernail test. In reality the technical distinction has to do with the reproductive biology of the species. Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood. Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood.