On Sat, 1 Feb 2003 10:24:01 -0600, "J&L Morris"
wrote:

I fell a grove of poplar trees in my front yard in the spring of 1999. I
had the stumps ground. I then deep tilled and bought in a guy with a tree
spade. I had him move about 22 Spruce trees (all approximately 10 ft high)
to replace the poplars. I trimmed off the lower branches up to about 1 foot
off the ground to allow clearance for tilling around. I drive in fertilizer
stakes every year...They are doing fine to this day, but have I two
questions.

Enough with the fertilizer stakes. Unless you have an identified
deficiency in your soil, you don't need to fertilize that much. In
the extreme, too much fertilizer can kill trees.

1) Last year we had somewhat of a drought. ....they show absolutely no
signs of turning brown (I kept them well watered during the drought) but,
they produced MANY pinecones.... My brother tells me a tree will do this if
it is 'Stressed" and is a natural way to preserve its species....is this
true?

2) I literally want these trees to "Jump" (grow fast) because I want my
privacy. I presently till around the trees. Should I till around the trees
or put down sod ?...Which will make them grow faster?...Or maybe this has
nothing to do with the speed the trees grow.... any thoughts?...Thanks in
advance for any replies..... Jim/ Saskatchewan Canada

Trees generally put most of their fine, feder roots in the top 12"-18"
of soil, where they can get air as well as water. Tilling in this
critical root zone is a bad idea generally since it destroys these
roots. Perhaps if one did so regularly, the soil would be loose
enough that the tree would put down deeper roots and still they could
breathe, but I wouldn't try it.

Sod around trees is also a bad idea. The grass gets first crack at
all moisture and nutrients that come from the surface, so the tree is
always losing the competiton. In trees with a higher canopy, it can
also lead to problems with string trimmers hitting the bark regularly,
but that would not be true in your case, presumably.

The best thing to do is apply a 3"-thick layer of organic mulch to the
critical root zone (1 foot of diameter for every inch of trunk
diameter at 4 feet high) without piling it against the base of the
tree (think volcano, not mountain). The mulch moderates temperatures,
decays into available nutients, and improves soil composition. This
allows deeper air penetration, letting the feeder roots thrive closer
to 18" than 12" and thus making them less susceptible to drought.
Cheap, easy, low-tech, and a great tree tonic.

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist



For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www2.champaign.isa-arbor.com/.
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