"beecrofter" wrote in message
oups.com...
I think you need to sit on a "Ross" root feeder.

If you are of a mind to fertilize your trees ,plain old 10-10-10 or
5-10-5 broadcast lightly in the drip zone is mostly what you need to
do, a soil test would be great but a coffee can of fertilizer
broadcast over a few hundred square feet of drip zone is plenty and
cheaper than the test. Adding organic material is even better, a half
inch of sifted compost now and again won't even interfere with lawn
mowing. Or mow your lawn to discharge towards the tree and direct the
cuttings towards the dripline, trhe same goes for fall leaves.

Lawns interfere with the tree. Its best to cut the turf low and place 3-4
inches of composted wood chips and leaves.

Instructions you can use are here.

Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html
and
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/ Look up "Mulch"

Also 10-10-10 is a corn treatment and not a tree treatment. What about the
other 14 elements trees require?

The dump on method of 10-10-10- and such is old arboriculture.


There are many other tree related problems worth mentioning.

--
Many tree problems are associated with the following: They are Case
Sensitive.

Troubles in the Rhizosphere
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

Unhealthy Trees from the Nursery / Improper Planting
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub1.html
and
Look up "Tree Planting" http://www.treedictionary.com

Improper Mulching - http://home.ccil.org/~treeman/sub3.html
and
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/M/ Look up "Mulch"

Improper Pruning
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/tree_pruning

Improper Fertilization (See A Touch of Chemistry)
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/CHEM.html

Tree Farming and Related Problems
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/SOUND/

Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Arborist
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us
that we are not the boss.