Todays little project... Keep 'em off the lawn!

[Xerxses]

Ive been thinking about improving conditions for this poor fella for 5 years... today everything came together! Flamed the area yesterday and carefully detected where the roots were and then rotovated the whole area where it was safe to do so. I've pruned limetrees all week so source for chip/mulch was close and saved me a good few trips to our yard. CS 100 got stuck in!

 

The tree was moved some 20-25 years ago to make room for an extension of the railway station and it hasn't really put on any growth since... well se if that can be changed. loads of pedestrians as it is the shortcut between University and the mall... So diversion of pedestrians and worms for soil improvements, it would be nice to see some fungal activity...

[Grass hopper]

Nice and tidy .

[Xerxses]

Bit of cardboard and mulch...

 

Might expand to dripline next year if time permits.... pedestrians need time to adapt!

[David Humphries]

Nice work Tobias. Keep us posted

 

 

 

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[Xerxses]

Thanks David! How is your patch coming along? Have you recorded the number of species you have found under that mulched oak (and under the fruit tree, pear was it?)?

[Xerxses]

I should post pictures of th other oak I did last year... It looks really good! The best place to keep pictures and stories are probably here!

[Jake Andrews]

Why the cardboard?

 

Jake:thumbup1:

[sloth]

Why the cardboard?

 

Jake:thumbup1:

 

I believe it stops grass/weeds from growing for a time, and that worms love the glue in it. Also it rots down, unlike geotextile sheets. Happy to be corrected though!

Looks a real nice job, satisfying

[Jake Andrews]

Ah okay of course it rots down.feel like a tw@t now. i was thinkin of air not reaching the roots.

 

Also buy mulching the area around the tree, i know its good for the tree but why specificaly. cheers

 

Jake:thumbup1:

[sloth]

Ah okay of course it rots down.feel like a tw@t now. i was thinkin of air not reaching the roots.

 

Also buy mulching the area around the tree, i know its good for the tree but why specificaly. cheers

 

Jake:thumbup1:

 

Essentially, mulch rotting down improves the soil, adding organic matter, nutrients, and encouraging worms, mycorhizal fungi etc. It's not quite that simple though, it can provide honey fungus an easy meal while it looks for a living victim, or upset the natural balance of species specific organisms for example. Look here, a good thread on it. Some nice photos too...

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=2847