To Mulch, or not to Mulch?

[Big 'Ammer]

excuse me while i go bash a landrover with a big hammer until it works again

 

Ow! stop bullying me!

[D Mc]

Fertilising mature trees is a total waste of time, money and effort. Artificially changing the nutrient balance of soils by using fertilisers creates more problems than it solves, because it all happens too fast.

 

Mychorizal inoculations of mature trees are also a waste of time, because the tree could not have survived to maturity without having good associations with mychorizal fungi.

 

The only effective 'treatment' is to remove grass out to the drip line, de-compact the soil (with an AirSpade), which gets the oxygen back in, and then incorporate a good composed mulch to replace the organic horizon that is an essential part of the trees growing environment.

 

However, even adding mulch should be carefully considered with reference to the trees age and stage maturity. Any remedial work should be undertaken with full consideration to the long life span of trees and with respect for the natural time scales involved.

 

I have attached more information on the various things to consider about mulch applications.

 

 

I will add what I think is an interesting side note. A local University Ag Research center has an ongoing research project on mycchorizal innoculation. This project was started studying reclimation of barren sites in mining areas. A byproduct of this research was that if the plants do not "need" the mycchorizae (i.e., well-watered and fertilized) they would not develop the relationship with the mycchorizae. Instead, accepting the most readily available path of nutrient-uptake.

 

So if you want a plant to thrive on its own and achieve the benefits produced by the mycchorizal relationship, fertilizing may not be appropriate.

 

Dave

[patrickosborne]

I think what you have done should show results within 2 years.

In Epping we had a veteran beech pollard which was showing severe signs of crown die-back.

Ground compaction was severe due to proximity to a carpark and mountainbike traffic not to mention picknics.

 

We tried three things :

1 felled a few silver birches around it and left them to re direct the public away from the dripline.

 

2 Very minor crown reduction with secateurs

 

3 Mulch the base to the dripline

 

The tree now has a healthy crown with good new growth every year. I still check it regularly.It was very positive due to the nature of many veteran beech pollards.

I did also read a report a while back proving that cherry mulch proves to be most beneficial whereas conifer mulch is the least beneficial.

 

I am also about to try this on a large Chestnut in Enfield, any thoughts ? It hasn't succumbed to the bleeding cancer yet !

[David Humphries]

I think what you have done should show results within 2 years.

 

I am also about to try this on a large Chestnut in Enfield, any thoughts ? It hasn't succumbed to the bleeding cancer yet !

 

Hiya Pat, hope things go well with you and the buisness.

 

 

Did you have a standard format for haloing around the Beech Pollards, in terms of levels of light introduction or was it as I presume, learning as you go along?

 

Did you hear that Helen took two or three of the Epping lads over to the Basque for a week of pollarding last year, lucky buggers. Would have been really keen on that meself.

 

Good luck on the Chestnut mulch, post some shots if you get a chance.

 

Take it easy

 

David

[treewizard]

nice work monkeyd that looks wicked, like the way you finished it off with the logs, looks a pro job

[Dean Lofthouse]

, looks a pro job

 

Wouldn't go that far !!!

 

His head will swell to a point it may be dangerous to stand beside him

[David Humphries]

Wouldn't go that far !!!

 

His head will swell to a point it may be dangerous to stand beside him

 

Did that lump in ya ava bounce back off the lines?

 

 

 

 

 

.

[Dean Lofthouse]

Did that lump in ya ava bounce back off the lines?

 

 

A good half click away from the lines .

 

Please note Tim Craig, hard to see but "tied in twice" can I have a gold star please??

[David Humphries]

A good half click away from the lines .

 

Please note Tim Craig, hard to see but "tied in twice" can I have a gold star please??

 

 

I've never seen such fine posture up in a tree.

 

Do you do balet in your spare time Dean?

 

 

 

.

[Dean Lofthouse]

I've never seen such fine posture up in a tree.

 

Do you do balet in your spare time Dean?

 

 

 

.

 

Balet, at my age ?

 

No, I do all that new stuff bouncing off walls in the street and jumping off parapets