Big Hole In My Yard

[whitenack]

Back in the spring, i took this forum's advice and dug out around my newly planted tree to expose the root flair. Everything worked out well and my tree has survived.

The problem i have now is the big hole left in the yard. I had to dig down pretty deep, and it looks like a grenade exploded and a tree grew up out of it. The hole is almost a foot deep.

Is there any way i can fill the hole and not sufficate the tree? Would a loose mulch allow enough oxygen through?

thanks

 

[Jay Banks]

Your saying you have a saucer depression around your tree? This can be mulched with 2-3 inches of mulch but keep it away from the trunk of the tree.

I don't understand where the hole came from.

 

[tshanefreeman]

I think that this is the discussion whitenack is referring too:

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4382

 

[tshanefreeman]

If I'm understanding this properly, you have a 12" deep hole with a radius of 24"????????????????

This, as Jay states, will be too much mulch to be ideal for gaseous exchange between the root zone and the atmosphere.

I would suggest construction a Tree Well around the excavated area. The tree will remain sunken in the ground, but gaseous exchange will continue with as little disturbance as what can be expected. If you try to fill/level your depression, you will stress the tree, perhaps even leading to death. Therefore, beautifying your landscape may require the addition of a hardscape construction such as the well or retaining wall.

 

[tshanefreeman]

Here are some links that you may find useful:

1. A drawing of a shallow well:
http://www.efn.org/~ipmpa/treewell.html

2. Info on why fill can kill a tree:
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/gt/fillkill/fillkill.htm

I'm sure that there are many more if you search for 'tree wells' under various search engines.

 

[whitenack]

Yes, follow the link above to remember what i am talking about.

I have mulched a little, but i still have 1/2 a foot to go before i level out the hole. is a 1/2 foot of mulch too much for the roots to get oxygen?

 

[tshanefreeman]

I have read and personally found that 3-4 " is ideal. Therefore, if you have already placed some mulch down and are needing to put down another 6", I would say that gaseous exchange would be greatly hindered.

There is a reason why roots prefer to grow in the top 6-12" of soil, and if you burry them, even with less compactable organic mulch, you are still going to be stressing the tree. Therefore, I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND FURTHER APPLICATION!

Also keep in mind that Jay is correct with keeping the mulch away from the trunk............berm it away. This lessens the chances for pest problems and bark rot due to continuous moisture contact.

 

[treeclimber165]

The only reasonable long term solutions I see are
1- Dig up the tree and replant at the proper height.

2- Cut the tree down and replace with a tree planted at the proper height.

You obviously will not tolerate a hole around the tree for very long, and filling it will stress the tree. So therefore, this tree is doomed without replanting.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

If you couls slope the hole out some it would help

do as Shane suggests and make a retaining wall would the edge of the pit. the textiles ar not needed.

I know a guy who doeas a modest amount of air excafation on deep planted trees. He says he has had good results using a medium sized smooth stone that is a medium gray color to avoid heat probelms

The one concern is that the stone will ahve to be removed periodicaly to clean it out, so wind deposited soil does not build up.

The wider the hole the better, it will allow better gass exchange and leave a longer period before trunk growth requires widening.

Got any digi pics to post?

 

[whitenack]

i'm not sure if this will work...

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I would try to taper it out significantly.

can you post a closeup of the hole?

 

[whitenack]

close up and far away

 

[tshanefreeman]

The picture makes a big difference in visualizing your problem.

If you really don't want to taper out or build a retaining wall, the tree is still small enough that you could dig up through a balled & burlapped technique and replant at the correct depth. It's ultimately up to you, but to keep the tree alive, you will not be able to burry it!

However, everything else said during this discussion still applies.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

That little guy was buried deep.
It is small enough, that I would suggest replanting.

 

[Jay Banks]

I'd hate to say but digging that little guy up is the way to go. Dig it wider than the original rootball if you can ( I don't know how the soil is on your lot). Place a tarp under the root ball and slide it out of the hole and replant.

Good luck

 

[whitenack]

Thanks for all the help.

Is there a better time of year to do this replanting?
How large a hole should i dig?
It has been in the ground since last winter, how far out have the roots grown?

What are the risks? If i leave it the way it is, will it die anyway?

 

[tshanefreeman]

I will begin by stating that I'm not a 100% familiar with your area or its soil texture and structure.

However, with that said, I wouldn't think that your tree's root system would be out much farther than it was last year. Yes, you can bet on the presence of small absorbing roots growing past the boundaries of the former rootball, but you will not find any major leaders. The stress inflicted upon the root system causes the tree to produce many small hair-like roots from what was left after the severe root-pruning. Therefore, the majority of the new roots are typically in the original rootball, at least for the following growing season.

As long as growth hasn't significantly penetrated the surrounding soil, you would probably be ok with digging a few inches extra around the original rootball. This can be easily tested by digging down on one side only..........if you're cutting through vast numbers of roots, make your ball larger than the origianl.........if not, keep it the same! However, if the soil texture (make-up) of the surrounding soil is quite different from that of the rootball, your tree will be facing interface problems. In such an instance, I would recommend taking only the original ball and moving it to it's new location. You don't want to escalate the problem by creating a double interface.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Is there a better time of year to do this replanting?
Fall is best.

How large a hole should i dig?
Bigger than the original ball.

It has been in the ground since last winter, how far out have the roots grown?
I would guess about 6" or 8". You can remove loose soil from the new roots to get the ball back to the original size. I bet you could dig around the ball, tilt it, add soil under one side, tilt it over the new soil, and add soil to the other side. Perhaps by going gently back and forth, you could raise your tree with minimal root disturbance.

What are the risks? If i leave it the way it is, will it die anyway?
I worry that the dish will get filled in in tme and cause problems. In addition to that possibility, it looks bad, and once it gets big you can't fix it. Although if it stays dished out, it will most likely do ok.

 

[FBerkel]

The problem with raising the rootball within the same hole on new soil is it may want to wallow back down and find the original level. Probably best to dig a new hole.

The primary concern about replanting is that you might disturb the root ball (i.e. roots caused to loosen within the soil). But a tree that's been in less than a year should still have a fairly compact original root ball, unless it was disturbed when planted the first time.

 

[Nickrosis]

If you don't make the change, you'll end up having this in your front yard down the road:

Don't know the origin of this picture, but I would have referenced it if I did.

Replant!

Nickrosis