Tree pit knowledge anybody?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

SLA specific leaf area enmag maybe magnesium?

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have always stuck to blood fish and bone meal

[Dr.Green]

thanks , i will take this all into consideration when putting my final thoughts onto paper, thanks for helping

 

now , whers my spade?

[shabz1978]

I got a cold shiver reading this thread! Planted thousands of standards at pretty much that spec. We used to just dig a hole big enough for the root ball and scatter some mulch about so that it looked like we had done it to spec!

 

I'm not so sure about fertilising trees either. Summat to do with rhizomes??

[sloth]

I got a cold shiver reading this thread! Planted thousands of standards at pretty much that spec. We used to just dig a hole big enough for the root ball and scatter some mulch about so that it looked like we had done it to spec!

 

I'm not so sure about fertilising trees either. Summat to do with rhizomes??

 

Very professional :eek:

[shabz1978]

I know! That was back in the day. Piece rates were low and beer took priority!

I could take you back to most of them now though, still alive and thriving. We planted hundreds of thousands of them. Millions of saplings and forestry plants. All growing well.

We never fertilised either. It usually got sold to garden centres. Maybe that's why??

 

 

Professionalism personified nowadays.

[shabz1978]

Just in case anyone important reads this, I didn't work with Eden Woodlands in those days, we were like ****** trawling the country in a knackered transit with people sitting on the floor.

 

Some people find god, I found arboriculture!!

[shabz1978]

How come p1keys got starred out?? Is that offensive nowadays??

[ScottF]

I've seen this spec dozens of times from dozen of landscape architects all over the country. It's a generic cut and paste spec (I think originally from the DMRB series 300 specification) which describes tree planting in general terms for a generality of conditions. Most landscape architects and other specifiers expect you to use your judgement to get the trees in and have them survive. Indeed, they depend on your judgement becuase they don't really have the practical knowledge themselves- this isn't a criticism; in the same way, an architect is going to expect the builders to be able to build a block wall, but don't ask an architect to build you one themselves.

 

I'm obviously generalising a bit here, but you're the contractor, and if there's a liability period involved (and there should be), then it's in your interest to have the trees thrive. If you know the site conditions, soil types etc etc, then you should know what to do. By all means stick to the spec if you think it's sensible, but query where you don't. For exmaple, if the soil on site is rich and friable, then why add compost and fertliser which may well increase adjacent weed growth?

 

One of the easiest ways to get a planting contract right is good plant handling- store them correctly, don't let them dry out or freeze, treat them with care and plant them with equal care. If you think that there's any chance of first year drought, make sure there's a clause that will get you paid if you need to come back and water them (never depend on someone else to do your watering).

 

Good luck

[Dr.Green]

sound advice scottf ... with so called hose pipe bans possible / and the fact its on an area where a new substation is being built i doubt once building is finished anybody will care , however it round the corner rom my home , and it be great to see these trees take root over the years

 

il dig a bit and test the soil to make sure i sleep at night when i return there this week