~From Roots to Shoots~

Maintaining Healthy Soil

When we think about trees, often we only consider the beautiful flowers, the graceful architecture or the shade they provide. Little do we consider the workhorse of the tree – the root system. Instead, we walk on it, we dig through it, we pour asphalt on it, and generally forget about it. If the grass is green the tree must be happy too, right? Wrong.

Since the beginning of time, trees have relied on themselves and their surrounding plant community to provide the needed nutrients in the soil. They are excellent recyclers. However, each fall when we dutifully rake the leaves off the lawn, we are robbing trees of critical nutrients which would otherwise breakdown and re-enter the soil as organic matter. As time passes, little by little, the soil nutrients slowly deplete. The natural compost which creates rich, dark soil is lost, and the remaining soil composition has reduced nutritional value.

The constant nutrient depletion takes away another important benefit of organic matter – pore space for oxygen and water. Trees rely on these voids in the soil as areas for roots to grow and absorb vital water and nutrients. Other man-made disturbances further impact the root system causing compaction and reduced pore space in soils.

As arborists, we have several tools available to help maintain happy root systems. Liquid fertilizers applied under pressure below the soil surface help break up areas of light compaction while simultaneously introducing pockets of nutrients into the soil. In more extreme cases, truck loads of compost are brought in and mixed into the soil using compressed air. This action allows us to reintroduce a layer of organic matter into the soil without injury to the root system. This has the added benefit of breaking up areas of extreme compaction.

Of course, each tree and landscape is different. Not every tree needs leaf compost tilled in. Most trees will benefit from a layer of mulch and supplemental fertilization. Finding the solution and correcting the problem begins with a visit from one of our arborists. Knowing what the root system needs and mimicking a more natural setting for roots to thrive will help maintain a happy tree canopy.