root systems airspading trees to see extent of root system

[Island Lescure]

Hi,

 

I am writing a project to inspect root systems of trees to prove photographically that they are shallow (generally) in India. Could someone with experience give me an idea of how long it would take to dig with an airspade to say a meter by a quarter of a tree's root system? The idea is to dig within only a quarter of a mature tree's root system so as not to strain it. The trees would be 10- 15 meters tall, canopies similar to sycamores of that height.

 

Any ideas, research or experience related to this also welcome! Thanks!

 

Cheers,

 

Island

[Paul Cleaver]

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Edited August 31, 2019 by Paul Cleaver

[Arboraeration]

What depth and width are you looking at excavating? What type of soil is it that you are looking to undertake the investigations in?

[Island Lescure]

root exploration drawing.dae

17 hours ago, Arboraeration said:

What depth and width are you looking at excavating? What type of soil is it that you are looking to undertake the investigations in?

Hi,

Depth would be till extent of roots so it really depends. I imagine that we wont be going further than a meter down in general.

Width would be a quarter of a circle (the canopy being the circle) but up to RPA radius. So again, generally I would assume max 10 meters out but less deep as we go out. Roots will be deeper closer to the trunk and less so farther out no?

Soils would be mainly (I am not yet certain of the structure of these but will find out):

 

Laterite Soil: The term is derived from the word 'Later' which means 'brick'. Laterite soil is found in those regions of the country which receive heavy rainfall with alternate dry and wet period - particularly, near the coasts. This kind of soil becomes soft when wet and hardens when dry. In these climatic conditions, leaching of soil takes place which is a process in which fertile portion of the soil gets washed away by heavy rains. They are formed from the decomposition of rocks and contain iron oxide which gives them red or pink colour. This type of soil is normally deficient in nitrogen and is poor in lime content; it is an acidic soil.

 

and

Alkaline Black cotton soil: Characteristics of Black Soils

• A typical black soil is highly argillaceous [Geology (of rocks or sediment) consisting of or containing clay] with a large clay factor, 62 per cent or more.
• In general, black soils of uplands are of low fertility while those in the valleys are very fertile.
• The black soil is highly retentive of moisture. It swells greatly on accumulating moisture. Strenuous effort is required to work on such soil in rainy season as it gets very sticky.
• In summer, the moisture evaporates, the soil shrinks and is seamed with broad and deep cracks. The lower layers can still retain moisture. The cracks permits oxygenation of the soil to sufficient depths and the soil has extraordinary fertility.

Thanks for the help!

root exploration drawing.dae

Edited September 1, 2019 by Island Lescure
added images and 3d image of idea. Made in Sketchup

[Craig Johnson]

the digging downs not really a problem, but moving all that soil out will be time consuming unless you have a vacuum extractor, you can get small ones that run off the compressor but i guess your looking at removing 3-4m3

[Island Lescure]

3 hours ago, Craig Johnson said:

the digging downs not really a problem, but moving all that soil out will be time consuming unless you have a vacuum extractor, you can get small ones that run off the compressor but i guess your looking at removing 3-4m3

Thanks! Good point about moving the soil out. Are you familiar with any particular extractor that would suit? I had a look and cannot find much. Only thing in India so far is this:

Compressed air for the mining industry - Atlas Copco

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I haven't contacted them yet but I might be better off getting something from the UK or US as it may not be available here. Any links or search words welcome please.

Cheers,

 

Island

[Craig Johnson]

small like this, runs from the compressor 

55 Gallon Single Venturi Static Conductive Drum Vacuums

GUARDAIR.COM

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Powered by compressed air, Guardair 55 Gallon Static Conductive Drum Vacuums are ideal for vacuuming up chips...

 

medium to large 

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xxlarge 

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[Island Lescure]

Thanks Craig Johnson!

 

So I guess the main question is: how much time does it take to remove 1m3 of soil from the ground going around roots?

 

Cheers!

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

If its sandy soil with few stones 1 to 2 hours 1 - 2 hours If there are large stones/boulders then it will take much longer.  If the root system is very dense it will also take much longer.  Very difficult to answer such a question as there are so many variables. Only way to get a good idea is to dig a test pit.

 

[Island Lescure]

22 hours ago, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi said:

If its sandy soil with few stones 1 to 2 hours 1 - 2 hours If there are large stones/boulders then it will take much longer.  If the root system is very dense it will also take much longer.  Very difficult to answer such a question as there are so many variables. Only way to get a good idea is to dig a test pit.

 

Thanks for the reply. Its certainly more on the clayey side but no stones. I really need to refine my soil understanding. Soil here is often zero to 20 cms of sandy loam topsoil followed by clayey homogenous soil. Here is a typical section:

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