Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Scotch Thistle on September 11, 2011, 18:49
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We have a silver birch in the corner of the front garden, and I am sure it is leaching significant amounts of water and nutrients from a about a 3m radius. I never really bothered before, it was mostly grass that was affected, and I plant alpines around the tree because they can stand poor conditions quite well. Now however the tree seems to be getting to the hedge down the side of the house, and a hydrangea we have. They are all a pretty poor shade of lime green, leaning towards yellow tbh.
I need advise on what I can use to put nutrients back into the soil. Now maybe isn't the best time of year for feeding plants but they look pretty sorry for themselves. I am thinking maybe some bfb?
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I have 3 silver birch very close to my plot, one my water butt rests on, it seems for every pint of water I apply half goes up the trees same with any feed I add. Also birch being shallow rooted doesn't help they don't look far for water. I just water more than most of my plot neighbours and with autumn approaching the trees are going to give themselves 6 months off any time soon anyway. It's just another factor to contend with in the learning curve of growing stuff. The only real solution to the tree nicking nutrients is to remove the tree, a bit to drastic for some, on the plus side in the next few weeks you are going to get a ready supply of leaves to mulch or compost
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The tree will take water and nutrients from an area at least as wide as the leaf canopy.
It's getting toward leaf shedding time anyway for the hydrangea, so I wouldn't add any fertiliser now as the plants go to sleep for the winter. Feed in the spring with BF&B or any slow release fertiliser and water well
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I thought i read somewhere that Hydranga is from the Greek language literally meaning a gallon a day. Make sure you water and feed it well.
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MoS, I've found recent research that most trees actually forage water and food from closer to twice the height of the tree. At one time it was believed that they foraged the width of their canopy, but that's been found inaccurate.
I have 100 year old maples along my west property line and the tree canopies end at the west edge of my house. However, during various digs at the east side of the house, we've found huge tree roots circling the house! They've actually wound around sidewalk and garage footings heading toward my east neighbour's house.
Trees and veg gardens really don't mix unless the veg are in raised beds where tree roots can't get access.