Deep Root Feeding

[jeffyr]

Hi guys.

My neighbor and I share an oak tree that has been neglected for many years. It is his tree and I moved in a couple years ago and finally got him to go in on having it pruned. The tree co. said that the tree has drought damage from last year and will need a deep root feeding. The tree is at least 30 years old.

While I am pretty sure that deep root feeding will do only good, will this help a tree that has drought damage ? What does the drought damage look like ? I see alot of dead (since I moved in) and whatever it drops is always rotten. Never dried and hard.

I am grateful for any info you guys can give.

jeffyr

 

[Treebeard]

Drought damage is generally crown die back. Limbs & branches on the outer crown look dead & leafless. The top of the tree is being retracted more or less to match the reduced root area that soil moisture can support. When & if the tree gets enough water to replace the dieback it will come from the existing green & living limbs, never from the portion the tree has sacrficed to stay alive. That deadwood can be pruned off to clean-up the crown & open space for live growth, otherwise it'll self-prune over time...ie, fall off the tree. Feeding may or may not help since the primary problem is water, but mature trees have been mining the soil around them for quite a while, so a feeding can be a boost.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

What type of oak is it?

When do they want to do the feeding?

Personaly I don't think there is much need for adding nitrates to trees at the high rates the industry currently does. These programs were derived from agronomic studies. Oaks are not like corn or sorgum.

What are they calling "drought damage"? if that is all they say, I would be skeptical. Most large trees can handle one season of drought stress.

I am more in favor of using "organic" products such as seaweed or fish emultions that have a low N analysis abd broad spectrum of minor elements.

This you can do with an over the counter fish emultion and a bucket (stinks like bilge water from a trawler), and drenching the soil under the canopy. just give the area a good soaking witht he hose first for good penetration.

 

[Treebeard]

Totally an aside....ever wondered what life must be like in the factory that "deoderizes" that Alaskan fish goo? Gods, I hope to never smell the straight goo

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

HOO MAN!

I thought the same thing, I was doing ok till I tried to rince the tank out! Urrrrp. almost lost it.

 

[newt]

Can't be much worse than the chum we use for shark fishing. It comes in 5 gallon pails also. WHEW!

 

[jeffyr]

Thanks for the replies. I will talk it over with my neighbor, but I am not paying for it so what ever he decides is fine with me.

Thanks again.

jeffyr

 

[Tim Walsh]

With a stressed tree you should be careful with fertilization (I assume that is what you meant by feeding.)

You can cause a tree to grow itself to death.


Good luck,

TMW