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Jangchub · 18-12-2006, 09:19 PM posted to austin.gardening

On 16 Dec 2006 10:25:04 -0800, wrote:

Hi,

I have several live oaks in my yard (Austin, TX) and
an arborist recommended deep root fertilization plus
a micro injection. He visited my property November 1st
but I didn't schedule an appointment immediately. It
is now December 16. QUESTION: Is it too late now for
the treatment? Should I wait for early spring?

Thanks!

The only trees I actively fertilize are fruit trees. I never
fertilize my live oaks, and mine are hundreds of years old. One
arborist told me the big one is about 500 years old and all of them
are officially tagged by the county. I cut them down, each tree will
be a fifteen thousand dollar fine.

That said, what I DO, DO, is to spread a liberal layer of fine
compost. I buy a yard or two from The Natural Gardener, their
"Revitilizer" mix is best for both trees and vegetable gardens. Then,
I pay someone to come in and core aerate the ground under the trees.

When it doesn't rain, I lay out soaker hoses and water the trees very
deeply for about eight hours and have virtually NO loss to
evaporation. I do that once a month in summer.