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#1
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Tree conundrum
Hello,
I have an eight year old Russian Olive that has fallen over twice in the past two years. It literally ended up lying on the ground. It was lifted upright twice as well. The probable reason that it has fallen over is because its roots system is very poor. Ie. instead of growing vertically they have grown horizontally. This is likely because there is a clay or hard deposit right below its roots. I have a few stakes set up now and without them the tree would likely fall over again in the coming weeks. I watched it today (very windy) and the entire trunk, right down to the soil, was swaying. Its current existence is definitely in jeopardy. So I'm asking for advice on what I can do to secure its life. That said, I'm not inclined to spend much money to do this. It really grew by leaps and bounds this summer, so lifting it up again, as two of us did in the spring, will not be possible. Unless three or for people or machines are brought in ($$$). TIA Ric |
#2
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Tree conundrum
wrote in message
oups.com... Hello, I have an eight year old Russian Olive that has fallen over twice in the past two years. It literally ended up lying on the ground. It was lifted upright twice as well. The probable reason that it has fallen over is because its roots system is very poor. Ie. instead of growing vertically they have grown horizontally. This is likely because there is a clay or hard deposit right below its roots. I have a few stakes set up now and without them the tree would likely fall over again in the coming weeks. I watched it today (very windy) and the entire trunk, right down to the soil, was swaying. Its current existence is definitely in jeopardy. So I'm asking for advice on what I can do to secure its life. That said, I'm not inclined to spend much money to do this. It really grew by leaps and bounds this summer, so lifting it up again, as two of us did in the spring, will not be possible. Unless three or for people or machines are brought in ($$$). TIA Ric A pick axe isn't so expensive. Spend a weekend busting up the subsoil, and give the tree a proper planting hole. |
#4
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Tree conundrum
Kay Lancaster wrote: Dig a better hole (through the hardpan) and plant a new tree. Russian olives are not, imho, one of the finer landscape trees out there, unless you're dealing with really rugged conditions. This one has been badly stressed, and is unlikely to grow as well as a freshly planted one in a properly dug hole. Great stories Kay! Enough to scare anyone away from trees for life! I agree that R.Olives aren't the finest of tree specimens, however this one has a bit of sentimental value to me. And although it has been badly stressed it has shown tremendous resilience. The growth that it put on this summer alone is quite remarkable. It was lying along the ground all through the winter. I was planning on leaving it in that position and letting it grow upright from there. But a neighbour came by and was strong enough to help lift it upright again. Late last summer when it had fallen over, I started to dig around the roots to see if I could dig down and make a proper hole. But I quickly started to hit its roots (which were just a foot under the ground) and didn't want to risk killing them. If I were to follow JoeSpare's advice (replant/move), which would involve digging in many directions for many feet (I'd say at least 12 feet) could the tree survive the cutting of main root systems? This is one heck of a heavy tree now. 15-20 feet high, 8 inch trunk. Even three guys now would have a tough time moving it. |
#5
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Tree conundrum
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#6
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Tree conundrum
Hi Kay,
Thanks for your tips! My loyalty to this house isn't all that strong. I may be moving in the next year or so. So as much as I'd like to see this tree survive and grow to great heights, I'm not about to break my back or my bank account for this to happen. I guess I'll shift my focus now to the greater powers that be. Eric |
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