Newsletter

New Park in Dallas

Dallas has a new park downtown over Woodall Rogers. It has been popular so far…only problem is that many of the trees are in deep trouble. There are two issues – at least two, but two main ones.

First of all many of the trees were apparently supposed to be Texas red oaks, but they aren’t. Notice the straight central leader trunks and the pointed tops. They are pin oaks or badly cross-bred red oaks that have significant pin oak genetics. For more information on the “pin oak problem”, check out this link on our website. Pin Oak

Even though the trees are planted in “manufactured soil”, the pH and trace mineral availability is lacking for pin oaks. Even if the soil was appropriate for this tree, the watered used here for irrigation isn’t. Switching to an organic program and injecting the irrigation with the proper trace minerals would help, but I’m not sure even that would help solve the problem. The Anatole Hotel on Stemmons in Dallas had the same problem and after years of applying all kinds of amendments, all of the red/pin oaks were removed and replaced with other species.

Here's the other problem and it is common to almost all landscape projects being installed. The trees are far too deep in the ground. When trees are emerging from the ground as straight as telephone poles, they are unquestionably too deep in the soil. Mulch covering the flare is just as much a problem as soil. Air Spade work and significant flare exposure is needed for the trees, not just the "red oaks" for this new park to look as good as it should.

If you have any questions on this newsletter or any other topic, tune in Sunday 8 am -11 am (CST) to the Dirt Doctor Radio Show. Listen on the internet or find a station in your area. The phone number for the show is 1-866-444-3478. Please share this newsletter with everyone in your address book and all of your friends on Facebook and Twitter to help me spread the word on organics.

Naturally yours,

Howard Garrett

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