By Anne Province, Nasco Drive
Here¹s a follow-up to the earlier discussion:
With the advice from this listserve (see below) I called Don Gardner,
consulting arborist, $125/visit. He doesn¹t provide any other services,
just diagnoses and recommends treatments. He came today and did an
extensive analysis of huge live oak tree in my front yard, 6400 Nasco.
He said this tree is stressed because of the very dry weather we¹ve had in
the last 9 months; and because it has gotten so big that its root system is
constrained by house, street, etc. He called the thin canopy ³tip die-off²
and said that the tree could recover in 1-2 years if treated, but that it
was a symptom that shouldn¹t be ignored.
His recommended treatments include deep watering everywhere in my yard under
the tree¹s canopy, organic compost spread over my yard and gardens and
watered in, and some feeding of the tree itself with an organic seaweed
blend. Absolutely no herbicides on the turf. He also recommended I pull
any plantings/dirt 10-12 inches away from the tree¹s trunk . I have
planting beds near the tree with landscape fabric/weed barrier‹I¹m going to
pull that off because it keeps the tree¹s roots from getting air. He was
happy I use Scott George of Austin Beautiful Trees whenever I need the
canopy lifted off the street or house, and that I do minimal tree-trimming,
and no stripping of trunk or branches.
I didn¹t ask him about the other arborist¹s recommended deep fertilization
and fungicide because I¹d already learned from Google what Mr. Gardner felt
about those treatments.
Most of this was specific to this tree and to my landscaping, and I
recommend Mr. Gardner to all those who side-posted me with tree concerns.
Great fun to be around someone that passionate and knowledgeable about
Austin¹s trees!
Anne Province
Nasco Drive