Nickrosis
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Arboriculture and the Soil
- Thread starter Nickrosis
- Start date
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Tim Gardner
ArboristSite Guru
Always.
forgot to note that I could see saying seldom if I lived in an area where it was all the same.
Here a 1/2 or 1/4 mile could mean the difference between growing in solid limestone or deep black clay. The limestone will actually have deeper roots.
Here a 1/2 or 1/4 mile could mean the difference between growing in solid limestone or deep black clay. The limestone will actually have deeper roots.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
If the tree is showing any stress signs in the crown, the first thing I do is look at the basal area. MAybe dig around...
Stumper
One Man Band
While there are some areas in the vicinity with pretty good soil (former farms with a few decades of manure spreadings) most of the area has clay and high alkalinity. Poor trees.
Frans
ArboristSite Operative
compromised growing conditions is a main factor in tree stress.
We emphasize improving growing conditions with every job.
Heres how:
Written into our bid format are questions dealing with the chips generated by the job.
Do we spread them?
Do we place them in a pile for the landscape main. people?
Do we relocate them to another part of the property?
Written into our bid format are questions regarding the basel area:
Root crown excavation needed? Yes, No
And questions dealing with soil.
do we inject growing zone w/ yucca extract? Kelp extract?, Mycor? or Humic Acid?
Dragging the customer through these questions helps in my opinion to drive in the point that this stuff is essential for valid tree care.
We emphasize improving growing conditions with every job.
Heres how:
Written into our bid format are questions dealing with the chips generated by the job.
Do we spread them?
Do we place them in a pile for the landscape main. people?
Do we relocate them to another part of the property?
Written into our bid format are questions regarding the basel area:
Root crown excavation needed? Yes, No
And questions dealing with soil.
do we inject growing zone w/ yucca extract? Kelp extract?, Mycor? or Humic Acid?
Dragging the customer through these questions helps in my opinion to drive in the point that this stuff is essential for valid tree care.
John Paul Sanborn
Above average climber
Frans, what are you using for basal excavation?
I just got an air knife, an aluminum air-spade.
I just got an air knife, an aluminum air-spade.
Frans
ArboristSite Operative
Just us primitives here...
I use a wisk broom, hand spade, small rake etc.
I have never done anything bigger myself, but I sub out real excavations to a friend who has an air spade. He rents the compressor on a daily rate from the rental yard
frans
I use a wisk broom, hand spade, small rake etc.
I have never done anything bigger myself, but I sub out real excavations to a friend who has an air spade. He rents the compressor on a daily rate from the rental yard
frans
Tim Walsh
ArboristSite Member
Frequently...except I don't have those kind of clients in my regular job. I do have them in 2 of my hobby jobs.
TMW
TMW
Gopher
ArboristSite Operative
"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust". If any enviromental facet does not think about its roots and where they are at least momentarily, then where is the base? Where is the true starting point then?
I pull a soil sample whenever I remotely think it may prove to be necessary. In SE Wisconsin, as many of you know, the pH's are high, the phosphorus high, the calcium low, etc. I hit upon it again this morning. An older gentleman (lives on the lake, three residences - wants to save his trees, but don't bother me now - I'm trying to set up a golf date) does not want to lose the two red pine and one paper birch on his lake property.
Well, the pH is 7.4. The last time I checked, the range for red pine is 4.5 to 6.0. And of course, the birch shades both the pines, all three of which should never have been planted there in the first place.
One pine is looking fairly weak, along with the birch, while the other pine looks average right now. Without a soil sample letting me know exactly how far we can attempt to go (amonium sulfate, potash, etc.), I wouldn't be able to start helping him make the right decision.
I'll post another topic on the point that really has been bothering me; nursery's selling habits.
Gopher
I pull a soil sample whenever I remotely think it may prove to be necessary. In SE Wisconsin, as many of you know, the pH's are high, the phosphorus high, the calcium low, etc. I hit upon it again this morning. An older gentleman (lives on the lake, three residences - wants to save his trees, but don't bother me now - I'm trying to set up a golf date) does not want to lose the two red pine and one paper birch on his lake property.
Well, the pH is 7.4. The last time I checked, the range for red pine is 4.5 to 6.0. And of course, the birch shades both the pines, all three of which should never have been planted there in the first place.
One pine is looking fairly weak, along with the birch, while the other pine looks average right now. Without a soil sample letting me know exactly how far we can attempt to go (amonium sulfate, potash, etc.), I wouldn't be able to start helping him make the right decision.
I'll post another topic on the point that really has been bothering me; nursery's selling habits.
Gopher
Gopher
ArboristSite Operative
"Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust". If any enviromental facet does not think about its roots and where they are at least momentarily, then where is the base? Where is the true starting point then?
I pull a soil sample whenever I remotely think it may prove to be necessary. In SE Wisconsin, as many of you know, the pH's are high, the phosphorus high, the calcium low, etc. I hit upon it again this morning. An older gentleman (lives on the lake, three residences - wants to save his trees, but don't bother me now - I'm trying to set up a golf date) does not want to lose the two red pine and one paper birch on his lake property.
Well, the pH is 7.4. The last time I checked, the range for red pine is 4.5 to 6.0. And of course, the birch shades both the pines, all three of which should never have been planted there in the first place.
One pine is looking fairly weak, along with the birch, while the other pine looks average right now. Without a soil sample letting me know exactly how far we can attempt to go (amonium sulfate, potash, etc.), I wouldn't be able to start helping him make the right decision.
I'll post another topic on the point that really has been bothering me; nursery's selling habits.
Gopher
I pull a soil sample whenever I remotely think it may prove to be necessary. In SE Wisconsin, as many of you know, the pH's are high, the phosphorus high, the calcium low, etc. I hit upon it again this morning. An older gentleman (lives on the lake, three residences - wants to save his trees, but don't bother me now - I'm trying to set up a golf date) does not want to lose the two red pine and one paper birch on his lake property.
Well, the pH is 7.4. The last time I checked, the range for red pine is 4.5 to 6.0. And of course, the birch shades both the pines, all three of which should never have been planted there in the first place.
One pine is looking fairly weak, along with the birch, while the other pine looks average right now. Without a soil sample letting me know exactly how far we can attempt to go (amonium sulfate, potash, etc.), I wouldn't be able to start helping him make the right decision.
I'll post another topic on the point that really has been bothering me; nursery's selling habits.
Gopher
Nickrosis
Manned by Boderators
Hmm....I voted my heart - I don't always check the soil. It's not a habit that I've instilled, but it's something that I'm working on. Now that I know a tad about soil after some soil science classes, it's a little easier, but I have still dug through soil in the past month and never thought about it. Easy for me to do.
Gopher is 10 steps ahead of me on this.... Like I said in the other thread of his, I hope to one day reconcile the landscaper and treeman that live inside of me. Recognizing the soil is a step in that direction.
Thank you for your votes.
Nickrosis
Gopher is 10 steps ahead of me on this.... Like I said in the other thread of his, I hope to one day reconcile the landscaper and treeman that live inside of me. Recognizing the soil is a step in that direction.
Thank you for your votes.
Nickrosis
Nickrosis
Manned by Boderators
Here's a good resource on urban forestry and soils:
http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/pubs/ufmanual/soils
http://www.urbanforestrysouth.org/pubs/ufmanual/soils
Sudo Tsuga
ArboristSite Lurker
I would have to say seldom since I work on a golf course, alot of good fill soil, and native clay. But, since going to school my professor is constantly stressing the relationship between soil texture, structure, and pH. Dr. Kudish, a man that trancends the boundries of conventional tree studies, he teaches a class totally devoted to the study of soils. So from no on I will start to look down after looking up.
tshanefreeman
ArboristSite Operative
I voted frequently.........
I think that it would be almost impossible to respond everytime, because every call doesn't deal with some pathological disorder.
Yes, I inspect the overall tree before climbing................yes, I observe for any potential problems that the customer might not be aware of...................yes, I am aware that soil problems directly translate into the trees. But if I'm going to be pruning/deadwooding an ornamental crab and that's it, I'm not going to be testing the soil pH or figuring the percentages of texture. I simply focus on the task at hand. If I'm called to diagnose a particular sign or symptom or if I notice a 'problem', then yes, the soil is one of the first places I observe!
I think that it would be almost impossible to respond everytime, because every call doesn't deal with some pathological disorder.
Yes, I inspect the overall tree before climbing................yes, I observe for any potential problems that the customer might not be aware of...................yes, I am aware that soil problems directly translate into the trees. But if I'm going to be pruning/deadwooding an ornamental crab and that's it, I'm not going to be testing the soil pH or figuring the percentages of texture. I simply focus on the task at hand. If I'm called to diagnose a particular sign or symptom or if I notice a 'problem', then yes, the soil is one of the first places I observe!
