Clay Soils - How to plant

This is a subject that for those whose great grand parents and grand parents knew how to resolve but this has been lost over time.

The Problem

1) Plant species, some plants enjoy clay, others will die in it. Clay is very rich in nutrients, but saturated for half the year and desiccated and rock hard for the other half. Only a few species enjoy this!

2) Plants are grown in lighter soils or compost. Then when placed into dense clay, the problems start. Moisture is wicked across from the dense clay soil into the lighter soil of the rootball or container compost of the new plant. This fills this area up like a sink, drowning the roots, this can kill the plant.

Roots undertake a gaseous exchange (breathe) and like us, if underwater (and a species that cannot cope with clay/waterlogging) can drown!

The Solution

A) Plant specimens that enjoy clay!

B) Plant raised with the root system 25-30% out of the ground and then bench soil up around the edge of the exposed root system so that the roots or soil containing then do not become desiccated or exposed to UV rays from the sun. This facilitates when the clay soil is saturated, a percentage of the root system that can still breathe.

Please note A) is always better than B) to resolve planting in clay.

"Hard Soil"

A healthy soil will be 50% air as the Soil Biology will create pockets of air. This will only feel hard if compacted.

Where soil has its Soil Biology depleted or missing, it is dirt. It collapses on itself and feels hard. It will also drain much worse and support weeds more than grass.

The use of chemical fertilisers will kill Soil Biology and should never be used,. Their use will lead to dead, hard soil.

If your topsoil is clay, it will be saturated and soft for 24+/- weeks of the year in autumn and winter, then after around a 2 week gap, in spring and summer desiccated and rock hard. I will in my next blog explain about clay soils, how to plant, how to mitigate.

So to avoid hard soil, ensure it is healthy, apply Soil Biology (give us a call), decompact/aerate to create the right structure (give us a call), stop using chemical fertilisers and ideally mulch or if lawn use mulching mowers. Composting organic matter will feed the Soil Biology.

Global Warming mitigation - it is the mature trees not newly planted trees that will help

It is a climate emergency yet local and national governments are boasting about planting X thousands of trees. Whilst not focusing on mature trees and starving Tree Departments and Planning enforcement budgets, that would assist with their protection.

It will 15-20 years before these newly planted trees will make any significant contribution.

It is the mature and young mature trees that will undertake the heavy lifting. On development and construction site these trees should retained and protected. In all locations if they are stressed or at risk from utility works / compaction etc that should be helped with decompaction /aeration and mulching.

The newly planted trees will help in a few decades and they should be cared for to ensure they establish for the benefit of future generations.

There should be a levy on all planning permissions to fund Tree Officers and Planning Enforcement Officers to help protect our mature trees.

Do not boast about trees to be planted, only about those still alive after 5 years

My local council has just ammounced 34,000 trees to be planted in the next twelve months.

This is the modern version of the emperors new clothes. It is the number that are establishing well over the next 1,2,3,4,5 years that are importatnt. There is no point planting trees unless they establish and can look after themselves.

In addition these trees will not make a significant contribution to mitigating global warming for 20-30 years. The focus should be on existing semi, young mature and mature trees, retaining these and ensuring they are happy and not stressed.

BNG (Bio-diversity Net Gain) is a joke

By excluding soil from this, half of living things, by weight on land, are excluded. To reinforce the foolishness of this omission, everything that lives above the soil, is dependent on it.

It is like thinking of the world with no oceans, seas, lakes, ponds or rivers.

In addition by classing transplanted trees as felled trees is counter productive. These trees can be ‘saved’ and should be recognised as a positive. Please note Ruskins are a leading Tree and Hedge Transplanting experts. so although there is a advantage in this for us, trust me this is highlighted more to focus on the absurdity of BNG.

Zero Carbon - The other easier, cheaper, less painful route

In 2020 the UK reached approximately 50% of its 1990 levels. I have read this is leading the world. That was the easy part, every percentage reduction from now on, will be more difficult and more expensive.

So visualise we are at +5 and zero carbon is 0. If we absorb more carbon, and achieve at -5 absorption rate, +5 plus -5 equals zero (carbon).

We are not talking about buying up acres of the Amazon or planting trees that in 30 years (if avoiding the deer and squirrels we are too squeamish to control), to reach the -5 with versions of offsetting.

It would be much much, cheaper and much less painful to treat our soils better and as a by product increase carbon storage* and biodiversity**.

* & ** We recently achieved in 6 months near 100% increases in both by treating soil better.

The madness of woodchip as a bio fuel

Half of the weight of a tree (when timber is dried) is carbon (approximately). In addition any pollution absorbed by the tree is present.

So when this is burnt for fuel, it releases the carbon and pollution.

Yet this is not included in BNG calculations or when Drax burns 12.86 million tons of wood per year……

On construction sites, the removal of organic matter from site, the pollution of the lorries that carry it to the power station or the carbon and pollution that is released into the atmosphere is not calculated in BNG / sustainability / Carbon sums.

In addition when it is considered in nature a tree grows, taking nutrients from the soil, then when it dies, it remains in situ and the nutrients in the tree are re-absorbed into the soil. There is no net loss of organic matter and the carbon is reabsorbed by the soil.

When organic matter is removed from site the soil is impoverished as the nutrients have been removed.

Yet this is not included in the BNG /Sustainability /Carbon calculations.

Tree Seed Bomb Collected from our Stand

Please find time to plant the seed bomb

Within it are a Field Maple seed and an Alder seed. They can just be placed in a suitable area and they should germinate.

We strongly recommend that the planting locations are at least 50m from properties and where possible close to existing trees. The Mycorrhizal Fungi networks from the existing trees will reach out to the new seedlings once germinated and help them altruistically, even if a different species*.

The Alder seed would prefer damper ground and the Field Maples are usually found in woodland edges and hedges.

We suggest that the seed bomb is covered with a small amount of soil or planted just below the surface. To help it establish please water during spring and summer, keep weeds away and mulch. Mulching will increase Mycorrhizal Fungi activity by upto 15 times.

* Although very altruistic and under good and average conditions they will help not only their own species, but also other species, even deciduous trees will help coniferous trees. But when the weather is very hot and dry, they can will direct all their help to their own seedlings.

If you would like any further assistance, please contact us on 01277 849990

Felled Sycamore Gap Tree

The response to this has been heartening, it proves our deep lying love for trees. Whether this relates to where the human race originated or even the recognition for the Oxygen they produce we will not lay claim to .

It would be wonderful if this love was transferred to developers planting trees who nearly always neglect the aftercare to ensure they establish, Also to householders who have trees planted in the verge / pavement, to add to the care of these trees by watering during spring and summer.

We will be posting on instagram two trees, planted in the same verge, one that has had the additional care of the nearby homeowner the other has grown without this support.

Aeration of Lawns

If the lawn has a healthy Soil Biology supporting it, it will be naturally aerated and 50% air..

The majority of current lawn management only degrades Soil Biology which leads to compacted soil, as there is no Soil Biology and the soil collapses on itself and becomes compacted.

Unless the Soil Biology is present any intervention to relieve compaction, to aerate the lawn/soil, will in a very short time fail, as the underlying issue is not solved.

Hollow and Solid Tine Aeration, Slitting, Dethatching etc address the problem, not the cause.

Ruskins can decompact using the latest air injection machines and install the Soil Biology.

The Soil Biology then associates with the roots of the grass, it aerates the soil, ensures the grass is more resilient, grows stronger, is healthier and a more natural colour.

Chemical fertilisers kill Soil Biology by unbalancing the soil. Upto 70-80% gets washed through the soil and contaminates ground water.

The cherry on the cake, is to understand the damage to your lawn that cut and collect mowing is doing. The valuable organic matter (grass cuttings) is created from nutrients from the soil. These should be returned to the soil. To remove them from the garden (week after week year after year), takes energy from the system and places it on a strict diet. Grass should be cut with a mulching mower, this returns the valuable organic matter to the soil, to become food for the Soil Biology.

Why mulch?

To very simply explain, it is what nature intended. Go for a walk in an established woodland, walk off the track and have a dig. Soil that is very high in organic matter ( to the point of starting as only organic matter and with the help of Soil Biology, being slowly turned into soil).

The health of a plant / tree is dependent on its relationship with its Soil Biology. Mycorrhizal Fungi links with the roots, and provides the roots with nutrients that would otherwise be unavailable to them.Also moisture is provided.

When a mulch is applied there will be upto around 15 times more Mycorrhizal Fungi activity than under grass.

Mulch to suppress competing weeds, retain moisture and keep strimmers and mowers away from the trunk.

Your tree will be happier, grow with greater resilience when mulched and the associated Soil Biology is present. If newly planted or transplanted the tree will establish quicker.

Root barriers

Nearly all root barriers on the market, are not sufficiently deep to stop roots. They only deflect roots, some of which will go under the root barrier and exploit nutrients and moisture the other side.

Root barriers should extend down to where the soil is so dense that roots cannot penetrate.

We acknowledge that with subsidence it is the wicking across the soil of moisture that is needed by the roots is the issue and this blog post is not addressing this. The potential liability issues are huge. Suppliers and manufactuers of most root barriers are selling root deflectors. Insurers are accepting root barriers as a remedy to the problem.

We know of only one company that appears to install them correctly (and it is not us or related to us).

Helping trees affected by the drought and heat this summer

As we have trees for a temperate climate and had a Mediterranean summer (high temperatures on the back of a 10 month drought, many trees suffered.

Some died, some will have died back, others lost leaves (as these transpire moisture). All of which will have reduced photosynthesis (energy in), that will have weakened the tree.

Hopefully next year will be benign, as the impact of hot and dry weather for another year will amplify the stress.

The first step in helping your stressed trees, is to water them.. Autumnal rains are helping. The effect of a long hot summer is the baking of the soil. This massively reduces the percolation of moisture into the soil. A light forking of the soil, will allow the moisture to enter the soil. Watering should be slow to minimise run-off.

As the health of all trees is largely dependent on their associated Soil Biology, this should be applied once the moisture has started to penetrate the soil.

The root system, should be mulched with woodchip to around 10cm deep, with the area around the trunk kept clear. As this composts down it feeds the Soil Biology with organic matter. It also helps by retaining moisture and suppressing weed growth. A mulch finish compared to a grass finish will have upto 15 times the Mycorrhizal activity.

For the health of all of your trees and shrubs, they should be mulched. As nature intended.

Nature out-foxed

In the UK we have a temperate climate. We have trees suited to this, primarily with leaves not designed for hot or dry weather.

In addition their natural response to hot weather, is to transpire more, to create a cool layer of air around themselves.

So at a time when it is hot (and dry), with water less available, trees are using more.

If the trees were in a naturally hot and dry region, their leaves would be designed to minimise moisture loss. Waxy and smaller essentially.

This is why trees in the UK drop leaves when it is hot and dry, as they are a moisture losing liability.

Nature is not fast moving enough for trees to optimally respond to global warming.

Worms and bad for Soil Biology and Carbon Storage

After a lifetime of being told and thinking that worms are an indicator of healthy soils, I was shocked to read new research out of Canada.

Essentially worms were wiped out in nearly all North America by the last ice age and with the help of introductions by European settlers and the passge of time (worms march forward very slowly from the south of the USA), there are woodlands in Canade with and without earthworms.

Worms are infact very efficient organic matter hoovers. Where they exist there is less Soil Biology as the organic matter they feed on, has been eatern by worms, so there is less Soil Biology.

In addition as there is less organic matter in the soil, less carbon is stored in the soil when worms are present.

!

Water Your Trees

It has been incredibly dry since last autumn in the midlands and south of UK. Please water all the trees you can, ignore any rain until mid-late Autumn (assuming we have much more rain then .

Why is my tree dropping leaves in summer

Dry and hot weather is stressful for trees. As Arborists we pray for cold wet summers!

Evergreen trees continually drop the leaves that are internal and shaded. These are inefficient at photosynthesis and therefore dropped.

It is when this is accelerated or when deciduous trees are dropping leaves before autumn that it is a concern.

They are dropping leaves as a result of stress. Leaves transpire valuable moisture, so with less leaves they are losing less moisture.

To help the tree, you should water it for the rest of summer.

How to help a dying or stressed tree

A stressed or dying tree is able to be helped, hopefully to a point where it recovers.

What are the symptoms, does the tree look “sad”? Is the canopy sparse? Are the leaves discoloured? If deciduous has it dropped leaves at the wrong time of year? If evergreen has the natural loss of internal leaves (as they get shaded and inefficient at photosynthesisi) increased (appears sparse).

The first question to answer is has anything changed around the tree? Has ground level changed? Has a hard surface been installed near the tree? Has drainage changed around the tree? Has the ground under the canopy been compacted?

The next is has the tree been recently (within last five years) planted or transplanted? If so it should be being monitored and receiving aftercare (primarily watering, whilst its root system grows to that of a natural tree). Can the tree be rocked / is it secure in the ground?

Then, is the planting location sub optimal? Is there poor soil around the tree ? Is the tree mulched with woodchips? Are there hard surfaces or walls (reflected heat/poor percolation of moisture, poor gaseous exchange) around the tree? Is the tree the right species for the location? Does the ground around the tree drain or is it waterlogged or sodden for long periods? Is it leaning (a new lean)?

Finally are we in a period of hot and dry weather or a long period of high rainfall?

What can you do?

1) If hot and dry, water

2) If compacted, aerate (please call us for how to undertake this)

3) Add Soil Biology (please call us for how to undertake this), the symbiotic relationship between Soil Biology and the roots is crucial to the health of a tree. In addition compaction / hard surfaces / no mulch (or a mulch of stones) / poor soil will have degraded and killed Soil Biology

4) Mulch with woodchip. As this composts down, it feeds the Soil Biology with organic matter. It will boost Mycorrhizal Fungi activity by upto 15 times over just grass. It also suppresses (competing) weed growth.

5) Photograph the tree from set locations and then every two weeks (Apr-Sep) and compare.

6) If waterlogged, check if tree species suitable for this, if not either drain the soil or lift the tree so that around 20-30% of roots are above ground (with soil benched up around) and can breathe (undertake gaseous exchange).

7) Do not fertilise with chemical fertilisers, this will kill Soil Biology

8) If the tree has dropped leaves, check the cambium (see elsewhere in this blog), to see if the branch / trunk is still alive. If it is, the leaves have dropped as a reaction to stress (as they transpire/lose water) and the leaves should either re-flush or appear the following Spring. If the tree is dying back to a size it can support, please let it, it is also withdrawing the energy held in these branches.

We are happy to discuss how you can help your tree 01277 849990

Very dry autumn, winter and spring

In the midlands and south of the country has had vey dry period. The normal replenishment of water levels has not occured over winter. All recently planted lawns, shrubs and trees should be watered and this should conrinue during the remainder of spring and summer, unless we have an extended period of very wet weather. The period of watering should continue for upto five years after planting or transplanting.

Leaf burst in spring

It is that time of year again (in the northern hemisphere) that deciduous trees at first start, to swell their buds. These increase in size until the leaves burst out of them.

This is stimulated by warmer temperatures, longer days and stronger sun rays. It triggers a chemical reaction in the tree, that causes the buds to swell and then burst.

This is not a good indicator of the health of a tree as it is chemical driven.

It is whether the tree can support these leaves, that is the best indication of the health of the tree. This assessment should be undertaken a few weeks after leaf burst.

This assessment can be affected if the young soft leaves are damaged by a late frost. As this can kill these leaves. The tree in time will create a new flush of leaves, but at great expense, due to the extra energy expended.

This is why deciduous trees lose their leaves, they cannot protect them from frost.