And They All Came Tumbling Down

Well, if not tumbling down, they certainly got a good lean on them. What am I talking about? Trees which have not stood up to the recent strong winds, that’s what.

During the past couple of months, I have come across a number of trees that have suffered wind damage, and the vast majority have a number of things in common. Pure coincidence? I think not.

The majority of the trees are conifers growing in lawns, not irrigated independently of the lawn, and were quite large when first planted.

Plants are lazy. During the summer these conifers were getting watered every day, but only enough to wet the top of the soil where the grass is growing. (Please note that this is not necessarily good for the grass either, but that is another story).

So, the trees think: Why expend energy to send roots down into the rocky sub-soil to find water when there is enough of it in the nice, soft topsoil?

The result is they grow quite happily during the summer months but do not produce the deep anchoring roots that they will need to withstand the wind.

To compound this problem, most plants nowadays are produced in containers. If you knock a plant out of its pot you will see the roots growing around in a spiral, following the shape of the pot. This seems to be habit forming and some plants, conifers in particular, tend to carry on growing in this way when planted out. Again, not putting down strong anchor roots.

Generally speaking, the bigger the tree, the older it is, and so it has had longer to get into bad habits.  A 2-3m high plant that is growing in the wild, having grown from a seed, will have very deep and far ranging roots which anchor it into the soil. These poor plants haven’t developed such good anchors so instead of bending with the wind they just fall over.

Since many of us like to see conifers and other trees growing as a feature in a lawn, this is what we should do:

a)When buying plants, try to avoid those that look as if they have sat in the nursery for a long time (they will not be showing much, if any, softer, new growth). These plants have become "pot bound" and their roots will be too trained into this spiral growth.

b)If you do not need an instant effect, then buy smaller, younger plants (cheaper too).

c)When planting, ensure that the pit that you dig is big enough for the root ball with room for growth. Fork over the base of the pit and break up the sides as well. If you are incorporating a soil improver, fork some of this into the bottom of the pit also. This will encourage the plant's roots to break into the surrounding soil.

d)Before placing the plant in the pit, gently tease out some of the mass of roots.
 

e)Try to give them water independently of the lawn. It is important to get water deep into the soil to where the roots should be. Infrequent, but heavy watering is needed. If an automatic irrigation system is to be used, it may well be worth considering a sub-soil system.

Red Palm Weevil: