Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Tree Planting Practices

Ewing Irrigation had an interesting article in its last newsletter titled “What is a Sustainable Landscape?” Sustainability’s the hot word right now – and sometimes, I wonder how exactly it applies.

One comment, in particular, hit home for those of us in the tree business. Ronald Dodson, Chairman of International Sustainability Council, and Founder and President of Audubon International, writes, ” There is one instance in which you should not add organic matter into the soil: If you are planting a new tree, you should not add compost into the hole, as that has been determined to discourage root growth beyond the original planting hole. it is better to top-dress the tree planting using compost as a kind of mulch rather than a soil amendment.   Additionally, never till in the compost; that essentially defeats the purpose of improving the soil structure.   Organisms in the soil will digest the organic matter and disperse it throughout the soil naturally.”

Now, there's some food for thought . . .
To read the entire article, click here.



4 comments:

Ruth said...

Interesting. I had never heard that before, but it makes total sense. I read a couple of days ago that trees should be watered less often but deeply to encourage the roots to grow deep and wide. This sounds similar.

ISO 14001 Environmental Training said...

I didn't know that plants should be planted without organic matter into the soil or add compose into the hole. I thought plants will grow and be more healthier with it. Thanks for the tips.

Mary Beth said...

I guess the roots grow so easily in rich amended soil, that they don't want to venture out into the the native stuff. What I am reading these days talks alot about top-dressing with compost and then letting the bugs and worms distribute it.

artificial lawns said...

Container trees can also be stored for a brief period of time after purchase as long as the soil in the container is kept moist and the tree stored in a shady spot.