Thursday, June 27, 2013

A Tale of Two Trees


It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, or how vertical mulching almost helped save my tree...

Most of us are aware of the five basic uses for compost. Do you know another use for backyard compost? Vertical mulching keeps your trees healthy and helps conquer some of their most ardent antagonists. It will relieve soil compaction and in turn, increase aeration, moisture permeation, and add beneficial micro-organisms to promote feeder root growth.

I was introduced to vertical mulching the middle of last summer when within a matter of a week, my sugar maple lost all of its leaves. I turned to a Master Composter who explained how I could save my maple. With this new information I set out to revive this most beloved shade tree. With willing (ok, some coercion) help from my husband, we purchased a bulb auger for our drill. Next we drilled holes in the soil at about 2 feet intervals around the drip line of the tree. A tree drip line can be thought of as a wine glass with the base being the roots, the stem being the trunk, and the bowl the crown. Turn your wine glass upside down and you have the drip line.

My husband drilled down approximately 18 inches and I filled each hole with compost. After a few weeks of keeping the tree watered, new leaves emerged. We strutted around like peacocks as our neighbors marveled at our accomplishment.

This spring we held our breath to see if the maple would leaf out to its full glory. Alas, it did not. Our tree had been granted life support but was unable to recover from years of neglect. We will be replacing the tree with another sugar maple and this time I vow to water and vertical mulch on a regular basis. Being pro-active is my new battle cry.

Oh you may ask, why a tale of two trees? The maple’s neighbor, an ash, has been infested with the emerald ash borer and too has to be put down.

… it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…





9 comments:

  1. Why is it called "vertical" mulching? I understand putting mulch in holes around the drip line for all the reasons expressed, but I am missing the vertical part.

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    1. It is called vertical mulching because you are drilling holes into the ground and placing the mulch in them rather than placing it on top of the soil which you could consider to be horizontal mulching. Hope this helps!

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  2. so at what time in a tree's life does vertical mulching prove to be effective? When does one start treating for the E.A.bore? We're taking down 3 ash trees this year due to the bore.

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    1. I have read that vertical mulching can be done once a year as necessary. I don't believe there is a hard and fast rule, as each of us has different environmental stresses whether you live in an urban, suburban, or rural area. In my case, the past few summers of drought were also a contributing factor. As far as the Emerald Ash Borer, if you are going to treat your ash tree, it needs to be before infestation. The treatment is purported to be effective up to two years.

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  3. Thank you. I have never heard of vertical mulching. I will certainly add this to my yard work list now. Is there a better time of year to vertical mulch?

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    1. Late fall or early spring when roots are actively growing is the best time to vertical mulch, but you may do it at any other time, if it's more convenient to you.

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  4. Great idea! I'm going to try this on a few of my trees.

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  5. Enjoyed your story, I wish it had a fairy tale ending. Enjoy picking out a new tree.
    Sally

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  6. Great information! I will be working on many trees in my yard. Beth S.

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