A healthy root means healthy tree and soil compaction is one of the biggest killer of urban trees, as soil compaction restricts water and oxygen uptake by roots, ultimately kill trees, and is associated with roads, physical interference, construction, and poor soil preparation. The health and structure of trees are true reflection of soil health. Compaction affects trees in many ways from overall decline in health, systemic damage, biological and structural disruptions.
Soil compaction is a leading cause of trees health decline and is very often ignored by Arborist. It is easier to avoid this disorder of soil by thoughtful design and construction of the landscape than to correct it after it appears.
Unfortunately, prevention and correction procedures are not readily used, nor recognized and not given enough importance for their value. Soil compaction has bigger meaning in trees life and it should be consider as an important factor for assessing trees health. As, in urban soils, we are dealing not only with compacted, hard-to-penetrate soils, but also with droughty, low in organic matter and nutrients poor soil as well. Therefore, you must have to address and correct all of these soil limitations for treatments to be effective.
Treatments :
- Drill-hole soil replacement
- Compressed air treatment
- Radial-Trench soil replacement
- Soil cultivation
- Mulching
What is organic matter?
Organic matter is mainly composed of dead and decaying materials and the living that contains the carbon compounds that were formed by living organisms. Decomposed, decayed dead plant materials, living roots, living soil microorganisms, and soil animals are the main important components of organic matter in soils.
We have seen how soil organic matter (SOM) improves moisture-holding capacity of sandy soils, aeration of clay soils and how it helps over-all tilth of any soil. SOM is the chief contributor to cation exchange capacity, a measure of a soil's ability to retain nutrients. The break down or decomposition of SOM releases nutrients, which can be used by plants. In summary, a moist, warm, well-aerated soil with a pH between six and seven provides ideal conditions for decomposition of SOM and form the optimum growth condition for trees.
