vertical mulching/aeration

K

KCGuy

Location
KCMo
Folks,
I'll throw this out for ideas... we are at an impasse.
Construction site, serious compaction! We attempted to drill into this "soil" with the usual electric drill and 2 inch earth auger. Not even the fat man could penetrate it.
We broke two auguers!
Anybody have any ideas? I can't believe a chain drive ditch-witch could touch it. I know our airspade wouldn't.
No organics to speak of at all... all that was dozed. We're left with clay at about 95% compaction, methinks.
Thanks for the ideas.
(0h, 2 35 year old pin oaks, north side unaffected, south side is the "rock". Trees are now becoming chlorotic, so are symptomatic already... about 1 year into process).
 
On extremely compacted clay soils we have used 3/4" ships bit augers (used of course since they will never bore into wood again) in high torque, low rpm 3/4" or 1" electric drills. Even with them its not easy but the ships bits will cut the clay much better than regular earth augers.
 
Good thought, Wiz... course, couldn't put a compost in those holes, but might broadcast, and rake it in like sand over bricks.
We're thinking of using a large vibrating plow, and making radial cracks, too. More heavy equipment to undo the heavy equipment...
 
This may have limited relevance to the established tree situation but the radial cracking reminds me of an interview I heard with a fella who was planting trees in conditions like this here in Australia and he was using small explosive charges to prepare for plantings. It had the amazing benefits of:
1: preparing holes with radial cracking--perfect for roots of course.
2: apparently these charges sterilised the soil (this is not neccesarily all positive perhaps)
3: a by-product was nitrogen left in the ground!
Maybe charges like this could be let off in a circle beyond the root zone to crack the hard clay back towards the roots.
Pete
 
air spade makes tips that cut harder soil ,maybe watering .the soil before you spade.rainbow has a new product verdur that increases chlorophyll production.
 
Pete...
LOVE the idea of blasting!
I'll suggest the LA get prices...HAR! I bet he's never spec'd THAT before on a site.
stickman... water won't penetrate. We were using the augers after the equivalent of a one-inch rain.
The good news keeps coming on this site, too. Because it's Fed, they must have traffic barriers. Guess where these are going?! On the heretofore undisturbed sides of these trees!
I'm recommending removal.
Same old story... I get tired of these "tree preservation" projects that always end up the same. The hassle isn't worth the fees.
 
We're thinking of using a large vibrating plow, and making radial cracks, too."

That or just park a backhoe outside the dripline with a narrow bucket and dig radial trenches vetween the buttress roots. Fill the trenches with compost and expanded aggregate. Yes, you'll lose medium and fine roots, but it's worked on other trees.
 
What do most of you use for vertical mulching a tree? What do you use to backfill the holes? Here in GA the clay soil in the urban setting will tear off the pilot tip of the augers and cutters. I went through 3 augers on 1400sq ft of vert. mulching.
What do you think of Permatill,Green chicken,vertimulch,myco(?), and Mr natural for backfilling the holes.
 
I was thinking along the same lines as guy... Radial trenching would work well here, perhaps you could use something like a ditch witch instead of a backhoe. Backfill with compost and create a large mulch ring to the dripline if possible...
 
Was the soil dry?

Often, decent soil is brick-like when dry.

When I encounter brick hard dry soil, I'll topdress the area with an inch of bark mulch, irrigate a few times over a week, then go at it with tools. Then the shovels and augers will penetrate.
 
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