Old Monkey
Treehouser
- Joined
- Mar 9, 2005
- Messages
- 8,764
I find it interesting how many assertions people make are based personal anecdotes and not on some sort of factual evidence. Our pediatrician told us that there is no evidence that milk or dairy increases mucus levels in people and yet I hear that assertion all the time. In our field we have prescribed different treatments and types of pruning that have, later after study, turned out to be false. I am thinking of things like thinning out trees to reduce wind sail, putting dressings on tree wounds and cuts.
Today was the last day of our Idaho Horticultural Exposition and our speaker today muddied up the water on a few things I had been telling my clients. For about a year I have not been recommending amending the native soil when you plant a tree. The thought process explained to me by last years lecturer was that you create two different soil mediums and that the tree roots stay in the nice porous medium and circle around instead of trying to force their way into our native clay soil. Today's lecturer says that amending the soil is beneficial and that the only problem associated with the two different mediums is that water will not pass between the two zones unless saturation occurs. She does say that the roots won't venture out into the native soil if the compaction is too great but seemed to suggest that the composting of the planting hole would give the tree a boost and make it more vigorous before it tries to breach the native soil.
Now I understand the logic to planting bare root in native soil that has been broken up so you have one continuous medium. I also see the logic to what she has suggested. What will I tell my clients? I am not certain. I have planted two trees in my yard by washing all of the planting soil off of their roots and digging shallow and wide for planting. I guess I will have to give this time and see what works for me. Too bad I don't have room enough for a control group.
Today was the last day of our Idaho Horticultural Exposition and our speaker today muddied up the water on a few things I had been telling my clients. For about a year I have not been recommending amending the native soil when you plant a tree. The thought process explained to me by last years lecturer was that you create two different soil mediums and that the tree roots stay in the nice porous medium and circle around instead of trying to force their way into our native clay soil. Today's lecturer says that amending the soil is beneficial and that the only problem associated with the two different mediums is that water will not pass between the two zones unless saturation occurs. She does say that the roots won't venture out into the native soil if the compaction is too great but seemed to suggest that the composting of the planting hole would give the tree a boost and make it more vigorous before it tries to breach the native soil.
Now I understand the logic to planting bare root in native soil that has been broken up so you have one continuous medium. I also see the logic to what she has suggested. What will I tell my clients? I am not certain. I have planted two trees in my yard by washing all of the planting soil off of their roots and digging shallow and wide for planting. I guess I will have to give this time and see what works for me. Too bad I don't have room enough for a control group.