Better Soils for Better Plants

Tree Maintenance & Soil Care

Speaker: Richard Eaton

Cohen & Master Tree and Shrub Services Ltd

Landscape Amnesia

2

What our land once looked like

What it became

Landscape Audit

• What is the character of the land

• What are the cultural factors that affect growth and performance

• What are the most limiting factors to proper performance

• What are the inputs that make a real difference

3

Soil Structure & Drainage

• Recognizing drainage patterns and good soil structure gives important clues to how plants will perform

4

Soil Compaction

• Compacted soil impedes the growth of roots; limits the movement of water; and restricts the uptake of nutrients

5

Soil Chemistry

• Detailed soils analysis can reveal what kind of fertilizers plants will actually respond to

6

Irrigation

• Can drive sustainable growth processes or be the limiting factor in plant establishment and health.

• Too much water is the same as drought.

7

Root Crown Interface

• Establishing proper interface between trunk wood and roots is vital

8

Barrel of Limiting Factors

• There will be little or no response to other inputs unless the most limiting factors are addressed first e.g. pH, compaction, drainage, etc.

9

Growth Differentiation Balance

• Plant defenses are maximized up to a certain growth rate. Growth beyond this point shifts resources away from plant defense.

10

Services

11