Thsi is similar to Dan's way, and Bartlett's patented method (use the search function here for threads on this, CC!):
This is right, so my (radical?) method of vm uses 45 degree angled holes, made with
a miner's pick. Using this tool allows fracturing of the soil well beyond the hole,
by simply pushing back on the handle. I typically fill the holes with 1 part compost,
1 part soil coniditioner (mostly fine pine bark and gravel fines), and 1 part expanded
slate aggregate (stalite). This mix is similar to Cornell's blend of CU soil.
The mix is blended into the holes with a jet of water from the garden hose. Yes
all this is high-labor going in--I've demo'd it at workshops like macisa and gotten
a lot of blank disbelieving looks from folks who seem to think that no method can
be feasible if it does not involve the use of power machinery. Add to the disadvantage
of augering the FACT that it cuts roots, no matter the distance from the trunk.
I've used airspades and airknives on compacted clay. It felt like my arm was going
to break, like that poor fellow's did while augering. Neither tool made acceptable
progress, and watching that air blast the skin off of 1" oak roots was injury
on top of insult. I'm perplexed by the patenting of this method, as it has been
widely used for over ten years, since Gary Watson brought over the concept of radial
trenching from London from Tienanmen square (you think we have compaction problems--they
have tank traffic grinding human bones into the earth to mitigate!).
