Stumpsprouts
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Asheville
Is cattle being run around the root zone? Looks like it. I’m getting the impression that zone is wet and nitrogen rich, or heavily compacted?
Burr oak crack in trunk
- Thread starter macrocarpa
- Start date
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
No cattle. The root zone is definitely bare soil and I think just from sun and wind exposure it is pretty compacted.
Treezybreez
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Lancaster, SC
Looks like they are getting the farm equipment too close to the root zone. I’ve seen similar situations out here. In the cities folks aerate their grass and it can really screw up a tree’s root system.
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
What would he think of planting a permanent cover crop in a 10 to 15 ft radius around the tree? Whether that is fescue or clover or possibly even some warm season prairie grasses? Heck, maybe do alfalfa and skip the radial trenching as that can decompact soil pretty well???
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
I like that idea!
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
I have had best success longterm with living ground cover. Anything that grows happily there without irrigation. High quality compost is like panacea too. Also a longterm fix.
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
Did you ask what he grows and what chemicals are involved? That trees roots go way beyond the drip line.
Knowing where @macrocarpa is located:
I'll bet a nickle that he likely has a typical rotation:
Beans, Corn, Beans, Beans, Wheat, Beans, Corn, etc.... RoundUp on the beans and corn. Dicamba and/or 2, 4-D on the Wheat. Maybe even dicamba on the beans?
Dicamba and 2, 4-D aren't likely doing the tree any favors.
Knowing where @macrocarpa is located:
I'll bet a nickle that he likely has a typical rotation:
Beans, Corn, Beans, Beans, Wheat, Beans, Corn, etc.... RoundUp on the beans and corn. Dicamba and/or 2, 4-D on the Wheat. Maybe even dicamba on the beans?
Dicamba and 2, 4-D aren't likely doing the tree any favors.
evo
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- My Island, WA
Ugh this makes my head hurt and glad I live in the PNW…. Yet they freakin spray the forest as if it were a corn crop
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
I didn’t ask, but I would say ATH is correct about the crop rotation.
Hopefully, someday we move to more regenerative agriculture in the Midwest, but that’s probably a long ways away.
I will list this when I send him a written evaluation to recommend planting the crops as far out as possible from the dripline. He leases the field out these days (I thought he said he was 78 but he’s 84) He told me when he was a kid he rode a horse out to the tree and climbed it all the time and that the tree has not changed in size since then.
He had an attorney write up some sort of legal document that says whoever owns/inherits the land cannot remove the tree unless it is deemed completely dead by a professional.
Hopefully, someday we move to more regenerative agriculture in the Midwest, but that’s probably a long ways away.
I will list this when I send him a written evaluation to recommend planting the crops as far out as possible from the dripline. He leases the field out these days (I thought he said he was 78 but he’s 84) He told me when he was a kid he rode a horse out to the tree and climbed it all the time and that the tree has not changed in size since then.
He had an attorney write up some sort of legal document that says whoever owns/inherits the land cannot remove the tree unless it is deemed completely dead by a professional.
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
So as for treatments to help the tree along, what would you add to the list below?
- add mulch/compost out to the dripline (air knife or no air knife?)
- consider planting a cover crop
- Ask the farmer who leases the field to keep the crops planted further out from the dripline
- Basal bark spray of reliant
- add mulch/compost out to the dripline (air knife or no air knife?)
- consider planting a cover crop
- Ask the farmer who leases the field to keep the crops planted further out from the dripline
- Basal bark spray of reliant
Stumpsprouts
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Asheville
I think a lot of it is just extending the area of no impact as far out as possible… I think it would benefit more from copious woodchips rather than fert, as it is probably already very high in nitrogen. The fact that there is nothing growing in the drip line is very telling. Tons of mulch and a cute split rail fence could buy it another handful of decades.
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
Fence is a good idea!
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
Haha! Thats gonna happen. Possible temporary hammock installation as well.
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
That big ol' girl's got roots way past the dripline, so giving it wide berth is probably the most important. I would make it a point to, for this tree now, but also for all future trees that could benefit, find a really high quality source of well finished compost. Not in bags, but from a living pile. Living compost needs lots of oxygen, and can go anaerobic quickly in a plastic bag, and it's the biology you're after, not nutrients. The nutrient content is an afterthought at most. I make my own, mostly because it is difficult at best to find the quality that I make, and it's crazy expensive when you do. I am fortunate enough to have had none other than Dr. Elaine Ingham herself move to my area, and her lab techs once analyzed my compost. It had more than double the microbial headcount as the $21/cu.ft. stuff that was the best storebought they could find around, and mine was way more diverse. She was selling her compost for astronomical sums. If you don't have a compost wizard in your area, in can be something that really sets you apart from the other guys.
macrocarpa
Branched out member
- Location
- Midwest
I have access to this, but it’s pretty rich! I would like to know the analysis on it.
ZooBrew - Price Farms Organics
ZooBrew is our most unique product and is really what puts Price Farms Organics on the map! Composed of manure and bedding from the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, food scraps, yard trimmings, horse manure, coffee grounds and much more! This multi-use compost is chock-full on nutrients that your plants...
pricefarms.org
Matias
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Butte County
That looks interesting. I would very curious to look at it under the microscope. Do you have access to a scope, and maybe a soil microbiologist to help anylyze it? Diversity of species is what I would be most interested in.
ATH
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Findlay, Ohio
I'd consider imidacloprid as well. Two-lined chestnut borer is pretty common with declining oak and can be one of the significant contributing factors a decline complex.
Stumpsprouts
Been here much more than a while
- Location
- Asheville
Good advice I’ve seen is to analyze the soil content first and see what it is lacking before adding to the soil. My armchair analysis is that there is a lot of fert there already from all the years of agriculture, more than the tree wants or needs, perhaps.. not everything is a tomato. If it were in a forest, it would be completely sufficient nutritionally from the leaf litter / duff and its associated web of tiny buddies.
