It was suggested by an arborist who came by my house a while back that a couple of large oaks (two red, one white) would benefit from a program of soil drench fertilization and for the white oak, Merit applications as it is fighting what may be chestnut borer (ground-based inspection of trees, and no conclusive evidence from twigs that fell or immediately visible trunk areas).
The biggest problem facing these trees is the small size of the yard that they are in and their proximity to paved areas - driveways, sidewalks. These trees may be original to the house, or may even predate it (70+ year old house). The white oak has it the worst, as it is stuck between a garage, a patio, the house foundation, and the neighbor's driveway. The roots for this tree are limited to an immediate open area of 10'x 40' before they can escape to open lawn area. My soil is clay-rich, and likes to dry out like a mudbrick during the summer months.
I am working on expanding my mulched planting beds and reducing my lawn area around these trees, but there are practical limitations on how much lawn I can lose. I'm also working on soil compaction issues (core aeration, vertical mulching, compost/peat topdressing, and longer/deeper watering sessions), but I would like to do more to keep these trees healthy. I am particularly concerned about the white oak, as it seems to be having the hardest time right now and it provides a lot of character to the property, and, to be honest, owing to the extremely tight fit where it is living it would be an expensive tree to remove if it died.
If I wanted to undertake fertilizer drench and Merit applications myself, where should I start looking to educate myself on what I need to do, what I should be applying, and where I should be buying the stuff that I should be applying? Are there any other things that I should be considering in terms of strengthening the health of these trees, given the tight quarters in which they live?
The biggest problem facing these trees is the small size of the yard that they are in and their proximity to paved areas - driveways, sidewalks. These trees may be original to the house, or may even predate it (70+ year old house). The white oak has it the worst, as it is stuck between a garage, a patio, the house foundation, and the neighbor's driveway. The roots for this tree are limited to an immediate open area of 10'x 40' before they can escape to open lawn area. My soil is clay-rich, and likes to dry out like a mudbrick during the summer months.
I am working on expanding my mulched planting beds and reducing my lawn area around these trees, but there are practical limitations on how much lawn I can lose. I'm also working on soil compaction issues (core aeration, vertical mulching, compost/peat topdressing, and longer/deeper watering sessions), but I would like to do more to keep these trees healthy. I am particularly concerned about the white oak, as it seems to be having the hardest time right now and it provides a lot of character to the property, and, to be honest, owing to the extremely tight fit where it is living it would be an expensive tree to remove if it died.
If I wanted to undertake fertilizer drench and Merit applications myself, where should I start looking to educate myself on what I need to do, what I should be applying, and where I should be buying the stuff that I should be applying? Are there any other things that I should be considering in terms of strengthening the health of these trees, given the tight quarters in which they live?
