If you care about your tree, don't just give up and let it die. You may be able to do some things to help it.
Does it have a flower bed underneath it?
Or anything else that is interfering with the drip zone/root zone?
Can you see the root flare?
Has the grade of the location been changed?
How long has the tree had problems?
The reason I ask is because we bought a house that has a large oak tree that we
want. When we moved in, the base of the tree was smothered by a raised bed surrounded in brick. I am not certain, but I suspect it had been this way for at least 5 years, and maybe longer. Up to 10, since that's how long the previous owners had the house, and they built the raised bed.
The tree was losing bark, had limbs dying, most -- if not all -- of the joints were ant infested and oozing sap, there were long gashes down the length of the trunk that oozed sap and had insects crawling around in them, and moths were boring into the trunk and those bored holes were also oozing sap.
Now, 2 years later (and a
LOT of work later), I am starting to have hope that our tree is going to make it.
When I first started wondering if the tree could be saved, I read everything I could find on this site about tree health and sick trees.
First, I removed the raised bed. We also removed a wooden deck that was installed within a few feet of the tree. (We now have a ground-level stone patio that does not encroach so far onto the roots/drip zone of the tree).
Then I aerated the soil -- manually -- but I did it. Then (except for Zeolite), I applied the amendments recommended in Step 4 of this article:
http://www.dirtdoctor.com/organic/garde ... n/id/2205/I also applied Garrett Juice (but I've only done that once).
I bought Tree Gunk Goop at Redenta's but have never gotten around to applying it.
Maybe I'll actually do that someday, too. My thought was to apply it to the borer holes and the gashes on the trunk.
Last, and I add to this all the time, I collect pine needles that fall from the trees of several neighbors up and down my street. I've covered the root/drip zone in a thick layer of pine needles, partially completed organic compost, and leaves. We also stay off of the root/drip zone of the tree as much as possible and we don't dig or plant on top of it.
Next post has the results.
_________________
God speed!
Cara
**
Take time to stop and smell the flowers!
(or... as my ladybug refrigerator magnet says
"take time to stop and
eat the flowers!"
)