Have you been camping, hiking, or exploring the great outdoors recently? Aside from the beautiful vistas, towering canopies, or breathtaking wildlife, did you notice the ground beneath your feet? If you were in an even moderately dense area, you would have noticed that the forest floor is covered in leaves, grass, twigs, branches, moss, ivy, fungi, and other forms of decaying organic matter. In fact, that “floor” is more of a pile of debris, but it’s one essential for the continued growth cycle of the living forest. All of that plant and animal life is replicating a working compost heap; this grand show of decomposition provides living trees with a smorgasbord of nutrients, with vital materials sinking deeply into the soil to reach the trees’ roots.
Now look at your own urban or suburban trees — they’re cut off from this banquet of nutrients and have to compete with lawn grass (notorious for sucking up nitrogen) for sustenance. If you try to apply fertilizer across your lawn, you’ll end up with darker spots or even dead grass from too much saline. Luckily, our deep-root fertilization service can prevent these unsightly incidents, and will ensure your trees receive all that they’d normally get if they grew in a forest.
Deep-root fertilizing means nutrients are injected beneath the ground to hit the tree’s root system. One of our trained arborists uses a needle-like probe to deposit macronutrients such as potassium, nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium, and magnesium, micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, or zinc, or both. Soil tests can be performed to determine what a particular tree might require; experts can also judge shoot growth, observe leaf discolouration, and read the history of a property to understand what nutrients are needed, if at all. Fertilizers are balanced according to chemical composition, yard requirement, and soil readings, and are deposited using the best patterns and methods to deliver the most effective dosages to your leafy investments. Our tree-care experts can also provide deep-root watering — getting moisture directly to the roots, where it’s required — for trees in the grip of drought, which is a common concern during our dry and hot summers in Edmonton.
Using the proper tools to inject the fertilizer and nutrients, balancing the correct amount, mixing the adequate combination of nutrients for your trees’ wellbeing and the surrounding soil pH levels — these decisions involve complex equations and equipment that are best left in the hands of professional tree care specialists like ourselves. Trying to do it yourself comes with serious risks; failing to perform deep-root fertilizing properly can have dangerous effects for your trees’ overall wellbeing and vitality, and can add to the very problem you’re trying to solve.
If you think your new or mature trees could use a boost to their health, pick up the telephone and give us a call or send an electronic message — we’re more than happy to have one of our ISA certified experts visit your home and discuss what options will work best for you, and your lawn.
