Telling The Difference Between Hardwood And Softwood

With this test you press your fingernail against a piece of wood or scratch it along the wood in a direction parallel to the edge of your fingernail.

Telling the difference between hardwood and softwood.

Softwood has a faster rate of growth. Hardwood has a slower growth rate. Softwoods tend to keep their needles throughout the year. In reality the technical distinction has to do with the reproductive biology of the species.

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. Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood. Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood. 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.

Informally trees categorized as hardwoods are usually deciduous meaning they lose their leaves in the autumn. Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood. The primary distinction between hardwood and softwood is based on the reproductive biology of the tree species. Hardwoods shed their leaves over a period of time in autumn and winter.

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. Softwoods are conifers which have needles rather than traditional leaves and retain them through the winter. These coatings can either take the shape of a fruit or a shell. A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating.