Plant and Root Identification-Garden Revamp - Ask Extension
Please see attached PDF for my question and photos.
Thank you so very much for the time you devote to helping people.
Knowledgebase
Plant and Root Identification-Garden Revamp #937920
Asked July 04, 2026, 8:35 AM EDT
Please see attached PDF for my question and photos.
Thank you so very much for the time you devote to helping people.
Washtenaw County Michigan
Expert Response
Hello
On my computer screen the pdf pictures are quite blurry. A clear picture of the tree bark and of a single branch held away from the tree and photographed from about 8-10 inches away will help. I need to see the texture of the bark clearly, and how the leaves are arranged down a branch. Any fruit on the tree? Please take a close up of that, too.
Roots cannot be identified. A tree’s roots reach 2-5 times the width of the crown. Large shrubs about the same.
The tree remaining could be a black cherry, a native species. I am including a link to information with pictures so you can compare to yours.
https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/black_cherry.html
I would remove large stones that inhibit your digging with a shovel (baseball size and larger) and leave the rest.
Before deciding on plants, it is a good idea to test your soil so you know macro nutrient levels, soil type, pH, and organic matter percentage. For a soil test you would remove the smal stones, sticks, roots, leaves, and submit about 1 cup of soil from several samples from throughout the planting areaand mixed together. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/soil-testing-returns-through-msu-extension
Some plants require a certain pH and are suited for sandy, loamy or clay soils. So it is good information to know before selecting plants
On my computer screen the pdf pictures are quite blurry. A clear picture of the tree bark and of a single branch held away from the tree and photographed from about 8-10 inches away will help. I need to see the texture of the bark clearly, and how the leaves are arranged down a branch. Any fruit on the tree? Please take a close up of that, too.
Roots cannot be identified. A tree’s roots reach 2-5 times the width of the crown. Large shrubs about the same.
The tree remaining could be a black cherry, a native species. I am including a link to information with pictures so you can compare to yours.
https://naturalresources.extension.iastate.edu/forestry/iowa_trees/trees/black_cherry.html
I would remove large stones that inhibit your digging with a shovel (baseball size and larger) and leave the rest.
Before deciding on plants, it is a good idea to test your soil so you know macro nutrient levels, soil type, pH, and organic matter percentage. For a soil test you would remove the smal stones, sticks, roots, leaves, and submit about 1 cup of soil from several samples from throughout the planting areaand mixed together. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/soil-testing-returns-through-msu-extension
Some plants require a certain pH and are suited for sandy, loamy or clay soils. So it is good information to know before selecting plants
