Bald Cypress Knees in Lawn

I plan to add 3 more cypresses over the next year. I have removed 16 trees from my yard and planted 17. Most are citrus trees, some live oaks, a shumard oak, a red cedar, an eastern red bud, a fig and an olive tree. I have removed many sweetgums that had 2004 hurricane damage and a column of rot going from the old wound to the base. I have taken out 3' diameter pines that were less than 2 feet from my house and water oaks that were over the house. I got through the past 2 hurricane seasons with no debris on the ground after the storms.

I am really looking long range into the future with my planting and I plan on taking care to shape the trees the whole time. I want my children to inherit a house that has the best trees around with good structure and form.
 
Tom Dunlap said:
There's an old saying, that you're not
Following

The tailors kids go naked
Cobblers kids go shoeless

Good plans!
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I am not a professional tree man. I just take it seriously and it has paid off by helping me supplement my income while my wife was in school. I really like trees and I do tree work for other people now because I want to help them take care of trees more than I need the money. Not saying that I don't like additional income.

By trade I am an electrician and in that sense I do not follow the old saying because I have replaced every switch, outlet and fixture in my house. I have also done a pretty extensive electrical upgrade. I went from 1 electrical panel to 8. Once my budget allows I plan to put in a 20kw photo-voltaic array on the roof and the tree master plan takes that into account.
 
@Santiago Casanova

You know the value of preventive maintenance!

A friend on mine whose Dad was a plumber. No helpers, just he and his van. My friend told me that his Dad never mentioned work. He couldn't even comprehend plumbers going to a trade show and delving into any of the new fangled standards or fixtures. Unlike arbos that seem to only stop
Talking Trees when they sleep!

What about electricians? Hahah

Scroll down a ways to read what Hunter S Thompson said about electricity:

http://www.treebuzz.com/forum/threads/working-around-electricity.1194/page-2#post-44894
 
I'd move that mulch off the root ball until the tree is well established. It can act like shingles on a roof and keep water from infiltrating the root ball. Removing the mulch will also let you show off that first lateral root at the surface as well as your drip irrigation emitters.

When you put it back down later, don't let it go all the way to the trunk. It's always good to have a bit of open space for light and air around the trunk. It also lets predators have a shot at any wood/bark/cambium munching critters who were using the mulch as cover to get to the stem of the tree.
 
Page 16 of the ISA BMP on Root Management applies to the cypress knee/pavement issue. "Root shaving" is described in torturous detail. What about regrowth? Styrofoam!!!

I don't recommend buying this piece of crap. I'm an avid ISA supporter, but this BMP proves that PhD's are as dumb as anyone if they stray too far from their experience and expertise.
 
guymayor said:
Mulch off the flare is essential; let's all agree on that.

Off the root zone? That depends.
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I did pull the mulch back from the tree but I have left it over the roots. It helps keep the moisture from evaporating and it helps to keep the squirrels from chewing on the roots. Those rats always dig into the roots and chew some off.
 
Actually UF did a study that found no difference in water retention in soils with mulch and those without. Mulch is relatively good at discouraging weed growth....relatively, and can over time leach nutrients into the soil, but I never put it on the root balls of newly planted trees.....trees which I guarantee to replace should they die within the first two years. (touch wood) I've never had to replace one yet.
 
I bet they included a statement along the lines of "in these soil conditions, under this amount of time, with these types of mulch, and with this amount of irrigation/precipitation, we found that..."
 
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