It's Time for Trees!

I know, the holidays are coming in to strong focus starting with Halloween and moving smoothly into Thanksgiving and on to the winter holidays – and we have all kinds of plans for those holidays here at the store!!! But … what I want to talk about today is the health of our trees because this time of year is the best time of year to work with them and trees EVERYWHERE are under massive biological stress… 

I mentioned Alex Shigo in the last newsletter and am bringing him up again because he was critical to bringing the basic biological pulse of trees (and shrubs) sharply in to focus.  This was followed up with information from Michael Phillips, an orchardist from Maine – and like Dr. Shigo, only a memory now, but what a story he could tell about the fruiting trees and shrubs!  Here’s a link to Michael’s book -The Holistic Orchard.  The great thing about both of these batches of information is that they feed together to create a solid picture of what’s needed to help our trees and shrubs survive the challenges they’re facing. And they are facing huge challenges although mostly we can’t see them until it’s too late.

Take right now – we are DRY, so DRY and there’s no real rain in the forecast.  The only reason people aren’t seeing the damage is because most of the trees have lost their leaves.  At least that means that there is little moisture lost from said leaves, but it doesn’t help the soil system at all. All of the next batch of information counts on the fact that the “fall rains” start usually by mid-September and continue on through the slowly chilling days until the ground freezes.  That’s the “normal” pattern – and that pattern no longer exists.  If you want to work with the following information then you’ll have to keep your hoses available and work with water as well as soil amendments.

Here’s the “pulse” of the trees…and why it matters…and why you might want to step in and help them out…

Woody plants are either growing shoots or they’re growing roots.  This means that there is a surge in root development and mineral absorption that starts about 2 weeks after the leaves fall off the trees or the evergreens tighten up with cold and drop in daylength.  There’s a lot of extra carbon in the root area after the plants have withdrawn their energy from their leaves and pushed it down to the root area.  That means that there’s a surge in microbial activity – both bacterial and fungal.  The leaf litter that has just dropped on the forest floor is slowly consumed and used as part of the microbial food source – and this is where the gardener can step in and really make a difference to trees that are under care.  Adding minerals and soil supports now – with a nice additional layer of wood chip and ground up leaves is a fantastic gift to your favorite trees.

I’ve always done almost all of my tree and shrub work between Thanksgiving and Winter Solstice.  The only exception is peaches and roses since they have a hard time going completely dormant and can be tricked in to really inappropriate growth spurts if we get weird warm ups. 

One thought before we get to the amendments.  Trees in the wild have a cleanly exposed flare at the base and, except in rare instances, do not exist in grassy areas.  There are many studies that show that tree roots and grass roots are often in conflict under the surface.  If you have a weak tree, sacrifice some of the grass and give it a wider mulch bed.  You can always plant perennials in the bed so the bed looks good.  If you can’t make a whole area tree safe then work on creating an active feeding zone 18” to either side of the trees drip line.

Also, think about changing your fertilizer program for everything in your yard from a chemical product to an organic product.  Natural and organic products have a wider variety of minerals and provide a wide array of micro-minerals.  This complexity greatly increases the stability of the soil food web that is essential to the health of the trees (and all other plants including grass!!).  Look into brands like North Country Organics, Espoma etc – and read the labels!!!  You want more than two – three sources of nutrition listed. 

Here’s a quick look at what I’ve used and I’ve worked with everything from back/front yard trees, to municipal plantings, to very critical trees that are irreplaceable. I’ve used the mineral supplements Azomite, greensand, leonardite/humalite, gypsum (if it’s a street tree), rock phosphate/bone char and the protein (nitrogen) source of alfalfa meal.  

Azomite is a micronized energetic clay that has a stimulating effect on soil biology and on tree circulation.  I've been using it for the last 26 years, experimenting with it and watching the results.  It has a stabilizing effect on trees.  The leaves are greener, but they don't grow extravagantly and that's a good thing for mature trees.  Very fast growth on mature trees can lead to weak tissue and weak limbs.   

Gypsum is calcium sulfate and works to minimize salt damage without changing pH– breaks the Na Cl bond and allows the sodium to leach.  Does need water for this to happen so make sure to water your street trees in a dry spring after winter salts have been dumped on the soil surface. Calcium is one of the big drivers to healthy plant systems so that extra calcium can really help.

Greensand is potassium iron silicate and is helpful all the way around in developing healthy stems and leaves.  It’s a funny product – absorbs and holds water so helps with sandy soils but also helps to break up heavy clays and allow for water and air to move. It’s getting harder and harder to get but it really is worth it.  

Leonardite/humalite are finely ground soft brown coals (no heating capacity) and provide a long term humic and fulvic acid source –again critical to healthy tree and shrub roots.  Think of this as the most stable form of compost you could possibly add to your soil.

Soft Rock Phosphate/bone char are high in both phosphorus and calcium – both essential for plant health.  Calcium is the strength of the tree’s body – just like in humans (it’s also the mineral that drives a lot of the other mineral transactions).  Phosphorus is used in rooting, bud development and is part of the essential mineral molecule ATP that’s found in both plants and animals.

Alfalfa meal  (my favorite amendment – use it for everything – check out this link to John Sabuco’s Best of the Hardiest - My copy no longer has a cover it’s been used so much.  Find his information on alfalfa meal) acts to enhance soil biology and stimulates root production.  If you use wood chip as part of your mulching strategy, the alfalfa meal will speed up the wood chip break down and enhance the effectiveness of the chip.  I use alfalfa meal in every planting job – annual, perennial, tree or shrub.

Water the trees from September through freeze up. This is a critical time for trees as they absorb and bind water into their tissue for the push next spring.  This will use a lot of water, about an inch at a time every week – or 10 gallons per inch diameter per week- until leaf drop and then every other week until you can’t stand it anymore.  Think about down spout barrels or gray water if there is a water ban in effect. Use trash barrels (32 or 50 gallon – know which is which) and sump pumps for further out trees.  Add molasses, soap and liquid humates to the barrel before dumping if the soil is super dry (like right now).  Ratio for a 5-gallon bucket looks like this: 1 cup molasses, good squirt of any kind of liquid, non-medicated soap and a cup of liquid fish if you can afford it.  A 32-gallon barrel would take a pint of molasses, 1 cup of liquid soap and a pint of fish – lesser amounts overall but in a much greater distribution pattern.  Usually used on older, bigger trees and as a way to jump-start the soil/root system. Make sure to disperse slowly so that the water moves into the dripline area.

Here's a link to a specific story for aged sugar maples if you’d like to see how a “recipe” could work. Click HERE. Remember though that your yard and your trees might have different or expanded needs.  As always, come in to the store with your questions and we’ll do our best to answer them!  And thanks for thinking about and working with your trees!