deep root feed in the Spring or Fall

[Phil]

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There is an entire science of soil microbiology that shows that the microscopic organisms found in a healthy soil (undisturbed forest soil, for example) are responsible for providing trees and other plants with the nutrients they need to thrive, not just survive. Fertilization provides only a few of these nutrients and it has been shown that a high percentage of them leach out of the soil before they can be utilized by the tree. Fertilization has also been shown to be harmful to the benefitial microbes in the soil. There is a very complex system at work in nature that we have destroyed.
Barry Draycott

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A new soil treatment is slowly making its way to the green industry. Its known as the Soil Food Web (SFW) and attempts to return the soil in a home landscape into more of a soil representative of a forest floor. Trees do better in a fungal based soil medium and grasses favor a bacterial based soil medium (another reason why mulching around a tree is good...no grass). The Soil Food Web creates a compost Tea which is a liquid containg protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and predatory nematodes. It also contains nutrients which will help these organisms to grow, reproduce and establish themselves as self-sufficient in the soil. All these organism work to create good soil structure, take up harmful chemicals before they affect the trees, and cycle nutrients. Natural soil is abundant with living and interacting microscopic life. Urban soils are not so lucky. The SFW attempts to restore a soils biotic component to a natural level of activity.

This may be something some of you may want to look further into.

 

[TreeDr]

buy the worm [use a better word], it makes sense.

 

[phasthound]

[A new soil treatment is slowly making its way to the green industry. Its known as the Soil Food Web (SFW) and attempts to return the soil in a home landscape into more of a soil representative of a forest floor. Trees do better in a fungal based soil medium and grasses favor a bacterial based soil medium (another reason why mulching around a tree is good...no grass). The Soil Food Web creates a compost Tea which is a liquid containg protozoa, fungi, bacteria, and predatory nematodes. It also contains nutrients which will help these organisms to grow, reproduce and establish themselves as self-sufficient in the soil. All these organism work to create good soil structure, take up harmful chemicals before they affect the trees, and cycle nutrients. Natural soil is abundant with living and interacting microscopic life. Urban soils are not so lucky. The SFW attempts to restore a soils biotic component to a natural level of activity.
This may be something some of you may want to look further into.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly what I'm talking about!! It's spearheaded by Dr. Elaine Ingram. The info has been there for a long time. I'm reading a book now that was written after studies were done in the 1930's. The science was there then and in the last decade, it has developed a great deal. There is new technology that makes better use of this knowledge.

Just take a walk in the woods and check out the difference of the soil from the way that trees are planted today. Common sence should tell you that something is very wrong with what we call "plant health care".

 

[guymayor]

as far as timing goes, studies show thath oaks put out a flush of feeder roots spring and fall, so timing fert with those makes sense.

However.

"Most of them planted too close together and too deep, but that is beside the point since I was not on the property till this year."

I think it's very much to the point to correct the deep planting by finding the flare, and testing the soil, before you add anything to the soil. Taht and find out what the turf guys are putting out already. It could be that the trees are already getting an overdose of N.

Frans it doesn't hurt to repeat the truth does it?

 

[Frankkytree]

as far as timing goes, studies show thath oaks put out a flush of feeder roots spring and fall, so timing fert with those makes sense.

However.

"Most of them planted too close together and too deep, but that is beside the point since I was not on the property till this year."

I think it's very much to the point to correct the deep planting by finding the flare, and testing the soil, before you add anything to the soil. Taht and find out what the turf guys are putting out already. It could be that the trees are already getting an overdose of N.

Frans it doesn't hurt to repeat the truth does it?

Where could I find this information on oak feeder roots, and timing of fertilization?