Telling The Difference Between Hardwood And Softwood

Hardwoods shed their leaves over a period of time in autumn and winter.

Telling the difference between hardwood and softwood.

A wood will be classified as a softwood if the seeds don t have any type of coating and are instead dropped to the ground and left to the elements. A wood will be classified as a hardwood if the seeds that the tree produces have a coating. 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. Trees with seeds that are enclosed such as within a shell or fruit are categorized as hardwood.

Softwoods are conifers which have needles rather than traditional leaves and retain them through the winter. 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. 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.

Softwood is typically less expensive compared to hardwood. Softwood has a faster rate of growth. Hardwood is typically more expensive than softwood. More specifically the type of seeds produced by a tree determines whether it is hardwood or softwood.

Hardwood has a slower growth rate. Softwoods tend to keep their needles throughout the year. In contrast trees with seeds that are not enclosed are softwood. 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.