Beech Tree?

[ct greenman]

So are you saying the ONLY tree root core aeration I can do myself requires an air spade?

Another way to relieve compaction is with a needle injection. A large needle with pressurized water. Many tree co use this method to fertilize or inject compost tea. I made this suggestion on the first page.
You can always call another tree co Bartlet is not the only one. The care of trees is most likely in your area. An old bud of mine Will works for them Give them a call and see what they think.
Look for a third tree co also then look over all proposals and post main points then a good and affordable plan can be formulated.

 

[kcrossley]

To give everyone a better idea on the area in question, both trees are at the edge of a natural wooded area. To the left, right, and behind the trees nothing has been disrupted, but we have applied anywhere from 4-6" of shredded hardwood mulch.

In front of the trees, there is a mulch bed that's approximately 5 feet from the tree. I now realize this mulch bed needs to be much larger. I'm planning on removing 10 additional feet of turf and extending the existing mulch bed from 5 to 15 feet so it covers the drip edge of the trees. Does that sound like a good start?

Is there anyway I can aerate the soil myself or will I need an airspade?

 

[ct greenman]

To give everyone a better idea on the area in question, both trees are at the edge of a natural wooded area. To the left, right, and behind the trees nothing has been disrupted, but we have applied anywhere from 4-6" of shredded hardwood mulch.

In front of the trees, there is a mulch bed that's approximately 5 feet from the tree. I now realize this mulch bed needs to be much larger. I'm planning on removing 10 additional feet of turf and extending the existing mulch bed from 5 to 15 feet so it covers the drip edge of the trees. Does that sound like a good start?

Is there anyway I can aerate the soil myself or will I need an airspade?

Removing more sod will damage more roots not a good idea. See if you can rent an air spade and compressor. Or call another co my co does not have an office in your area.
You may be able to get a needle used for fertilizing and use water from a garden hose I dont know if you will get the pressure necessary from the garden hose.

 

[kcrossley]

You can always call another tree co Bartlet is not the only one. The care of trees is most likely in your area. An old bud of mine Will works for them Give them a call and see what they think.
Look for a third tree co also then look over all proposals and post main points then a good and affordable plan can be formulated.

Thanks for the suggestion. I did contact another tree company. They felt the cabling idea was unnecessary, as was increasing the size of the mulch bed. They did recommended pruning and applying some type of magic mix, but I can't recall the name. He said two containers, which run about $30 each, would be enough for my two trees. I was told it was something you spray around the base of the tree to the drip line with a hose attached sprayer.

 

[kcrossley]

The care of trees is most likely in your area. An old bud of mine Will works for them Give them a call and see what they think.

Unfortunately, the closest office is in Alexandria, which is about 2 1/2 hours away.

 

[Ed Roland]

Removing more sod will damage more roots not a good idea. See if you can rent an air spade and compressor. Or call another co my co does not have an office in your area.
You may be able to get a needle used for fertilizing and use water from a garden hose I dont know if you will get the pressure necessary from the garden hose.

Another way to relieve compaction is with a needle injection. A large needle with pressurized water. Many tree co use this method to fertilize or inject compost tea. I made this suggestion on the first page.

Why go to the bother of leaching materials out of compost and squirting them into the ground when you could simply apply the compost intact as an organic mulch layer. Mulch is a VERY cheap way to decompact soil. It also handles fertilization.
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

kcrossley, even if you decide to do nothing else, the absolute best and cheapest thing you can do for your trees is to increase that mulch ring. Avoid peddlers of extracted seaweed compost juicy juice and "magic mix".
And please, do not try to rent a supersonic airspade and 185 cfm compressor to perform soil fracturing or try that do it yourself water hose fert needle trick with material likely containing E. coli and Salmonella pathogens.

 

[kcrossley]

kcrossley, even if you decide to do nothing else, the absolute best and cheapest thing you can do for your trees is to increase that mulch ring. Avoid peddlers of extracted seaweed compost juicy juice and "magic mix".
And please, do not try to rent a supersonic airspade and 185 cfm compressor to perform soil fracturing or try that do it yourself water hose fert needle trick with material likely containing E. coli and Salmonella pathogens.

So do you think the plan I indicated in post 43 makes sense?

http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=2286647&postcount=43

 

[Ed Roland]

yes. i do.
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

The tree roots and the grass roots share the same space within the soil. Physically Removing the grass will likely effect the tree. Consider having the grass expertly treated with an herbicide. Then mulch.

 

[kcrossley]

Consider having the grass expertly treated with an herbicide. Then mulch.

Is Round Up considered a herbicide? Won't using a herbicide hurt the tree roots or does it not go that deep?

 

[Ed Roland]

Round up (glyphosate) is sprayed onto the grass blades and it then translocates into that plant. Properly applied it should only kill the grass. If you want to avoid chemicals then try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_mulching

 

[kcrossley]

Round up (glyphosate) is sprayed onto the grass blades and it then translocates into that plant. Properly applied it should only kill the grass. If you want to avoid chemicals then try http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheet_mulching

With an area this large, Round Up is probably best. So, your advice is to use it sparingly, correct?

 

[Ed Roland]

It's what i would use. Just apply to the grass only. Not to the point of runoff.
Roundup is effective on actively growing plants so allow some time for it to work. Then simply mulch over it.

I would also re-visit that cabling issue. Your pictures show tight attachments and targets.
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/hazards.aspx

 

[kcrossley]

I would also re-visit that cabling issue. Your pictures show tight attachments and targets.
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/hazards.aspx

The cabling wasn't that expensive, so I think I can afford that.

 

[ct greenman]

Why go to the bother of leaching materials out of compost and squirting them into the ground when you could simply apply the compost intact as an organic mulch layer. Mulch is a VERY cheap way to decompact soil. It also handles fertilization.
http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare/mulching.aspx

kcrossley, even if you decide to do nothing else, the absolute best and cheapest thing you can do for your trees is to increase that mulch ring. Avoid peddlers of extracted seaweed compost juicy juice and "magic mix".
And please, do not try to rent a supersonic airspade and 185 cfm compressor to perform soil fracturing or try that do it yourself water hose fert needle trick with material likely containing E. coli and Salmonella pathogens.

I am not "peddling" :censored: The big problem is compaction and I am trying to give the man an affordable solution. To even snuggest using round up with the shallow and sensitive root system of a beech is ludicrous. The compost tea or other biostimulants are working very well for us in my state.
A good way to rid yourself of grass is a tarp over the grass for a week. I will stop peddling my insanity now.

 

[Urban Forester]

Round-up is not mobile in the soil, it binds to soil particles quickly. If mixed and used correctly it will control the grass w/o entering the root system of the Beech. I've used roundup within the root zone of my beech for 10 years. Follow label instructions and you should have no problems.

 

[Ed Roland]

To even snuggest using round up with the shallow and sensitive root system of a beech is ludicrous.

Ct, i'm not snuggesting nothing to you. I'm having a conversation with friends.

You included. So here, my friend, is the moa for glyphosate.
http://www.ncwss.org/proceed/2006/abstracts/94.pdf

 

[kcrossley]

I spoke with Bartlett about removing the turf yesterday. They believe there is at least 4-5 inches of fill dirt on top of the Beech tree's roots, so they didn't see a problem with using a turf cutter. They also felt that increasing the size of the mulch bed was a good first step towards reducing the compaction of the soil and prepping the area for the root invigoration process this fall.

 

[S Mc]

Holy Cow, have I missed out on a lot.

I was concerned about the glyphosate around the beech trees as well, but UFs personal experience reassures me.

kc, you can dig a sample hole to see how deep the fill is (unless that was already performed and reported on in a post I missed...I thought I went back and reread everything, but it sounds like I missed something).

Fertilizing a stressed tree is NOT recommended. Pushing new growth gives us a visual that is instantly gratifying and, IMHO, is one of the reasons fertilization is so often recommended....it will produce reliable results that "prove" we have done something. However, if a tree is not reproducing adequate carbohydrates and instead is existing partially or mostly on stored reserves, you are in fact, using up those stored reserves faster as it pushes new growth.

So as has been pointed out by several, you need to know the reasons and reactions of what the treatment is trying to produce and what is actually going on.

I'm with the aerate gang, but I'm not quite in with all the recommendations on how. (Again I may have missed something). A core aerator designed for aerating your lawn is going to be insufficient. The grass roots will be much more opportunistic and take advantage of the space faster than your tree roots will.

I'm with Ed on having concerns about your renting an air spade and doing it yourself.

Ct, are you suggesting a needle injector so the air spade would basically "terra vent" as opposed to creating larger holes or trenches as in vertical mulching? If so, I'm on that band wagon. The aeration needs to occur out in the turf where the compacted roots are.

Did anyone test the compaction level turf vs mulch? (If so, please direct me to the post and I will reread.)

Sylvia

 

[Ed Roland]

Sylvia, Ct suggests the homeowner rig a garden hose up to one of these soil injectors.

And remember our recent case of the oak with turf surround? Removal of the turf was way more intrusive than topical kill.

Fill or no, tree roots manage to find that ideal area in the soil that favors growth. Why would the tree roots stay below the grass roots? I would not have the grass cut out. Running machines over the beech roots caused this problem. Running another over the roots to cut grass away seems counterproductive.

 

[ct greenman]

Sylvia, Ct suggests the homeowner rig a garden hose up to one of these soil injectors.

He wanted to do it on his own. I should have said leave it to a pro. Teas and other microbiology type ferts are to improve soil biology for the roots not push top growth.