I DESPERATELY NEED YOUR HELP: What do you do for burned roots on a tree?

[NuclearNed]

I have a tree in my yard that is very special to me, a Giant Sequoia that I bought shortly after my brother died. It is about 5 years old and suddenly seems to be dying. The suspected cause of death is overfertilization with dog poop. When I clean up my dog's messes in the yard, I have gotten in the habit of putting the poop around the base of the tree. Apparently this is a bad idea as it hurts the tree.

Right now the tree still has a lot of green in it, but it seems to be slowly turning brown and needles are falling off. I have scraped as much of the soil & poop from around the tree and removed it, and I have tried to keep it well watered. A lady at a local nursery just told me that putting a little root stimulator on it might help. I desperately want to save this tree, and I don't feel like it is too late to do anything for it.

Does anyone have any advice???

 

[KLin]

I would contact a botanist and see if they have any recommendations.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: KLin
I would contact a botanist and see if they have any recommendations.

 

[dabuddha]

Originally posted by: KLin
I would contact a botanist and see if they have any recommendations.

Good luck!

 

[NuclearNed]

Originally posted by: KLin
I would contact a botanist and see if they have any recommendations.

I don't even know where to begin to look to contact a botanist. Does anyone know any good gardening websites with a chat room/forum/etc?

 

[UTmtnbiker]

Call your local state sponsored university for their horticulture extension. Basically anything State should have one (e.g. Utah State - ours)

 

[Sundog]

Originally posted by: UTmtnbiker
Call your local state sponsored university for their horticulture extension. Basically anything State should have one (e.g. Utah State - ours)

 

[awal]

:camera:'s?

 

[arcas]

For lawns, if you spill too much nitrogen fertilizer in one spot, you can pour some corn syrup (or any sugar) on the spot to prevent it from burning the grass. You have to do this soon after the spill, though.

What you can do is take a photograph of the tree, a cutting from one of the branches, a root sample (you want the small hair-like roots, not a big root) and a soil sample to your local county extension office. Tell them the problem and they'll analyse the soil chemistry and examine the root and branch for parasites and disease and then give you a diagnosis of the problem and a plan of action.

You can also contact a consulting arborist but that'll cost money.

 

[Eli]

<-- Resident ATOT Conifer Connoiseur chiming in

You've been putting dog sh!t on your tree! WTF made you think that would be a good idea?!

Pics of the tree would help.

DO NOT keep the soil moist 100% of the time, let the surface dry out in between waterings. A better method for watering is the "pick up test", assuming the tree isn't in a huge pot, a quick lift will reveal if it needs water or not. After a few times, you will get the hang of it, and will be able to tell if it needs water or not.

You need to run AT LEAST 10x the volume of the pot of water through the soil. IE: If it is in a 1 gallon pot, run at least 10 gallons of water through it. This is known as flushing, and it will leech all the nutrients out of the soil, in addition to bringing the soil pH back towards neutral.

I would also go to a garden center and pick up a small bottle of a product called SuperThrive. It is a wonderful product that will help your tree get back on it's feet. It contains a myriad of vitamins and hormones, including 1-napthyl acetic acid - a root growth stimulant.

After you flush the soil, mix 1/4 of a teaspoon of SuperThrive and 1/2 of a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide into 1 gallon of water, and water the tree until it is pouring out of the drainage holes.

DO NOT water it again until the soil is dry and in need of water.

The hydrogen peroxide will replenish the oxygen content of the soil after being so saturated from the flush.

Good luck, I hope your tree pulls through. Maybe I'll post some pics of my trees

Most likely, your tree isn't suffering from overfertilization, since feces would be quite slow to break down - I am guessing that it has dramatically altered the soil's pH. I wouldn't be surprised if your soil pH was somewhere around 2-3. That's much, much too low, even for acid-loving conifers.

When the soil pH becomes too low(or too high), nutrients are actually locked out - the plant is unable to absorb them. If you post some pictures of both the dead needles and the needles that are beginning to be effected, I may be able to tell you which nutrient the tree is deficient in.

 

[Eli]

Re-reading your post, I fear that your tree is planted in the ground.

The same thing still applies. You need to run a LOT of water through the soil. Hopefully your soil drains well.

 

[AlienCraft]

Dog Poop ( or any carniverous animal waste) is NOT a fertilizing agent. Cow poop is due to the fact that they consume plant material and do not digest it all. ( Cuds anyone?)
If you want to compost the dog poop and then put it in a vermiculture (worms) pile, that will be fertilizer, but raw dog poop is highly acidic. Ever wonder why dogs can eat a plastic toy with few ill effects? That's why.

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: AlienCraft
Dog Poop ( or any carniverous animal waste) is NOT a fertilizing agent. Cow poop is due to the fact that they consume plant material and do not digest it all. ( Cuds anyone?)
If you want to compost the dog poop and then put it in a vermiculture (worms) pile, that will be fertilizer, but raw dog poop is highly acidic. Ever wonder why dogs can eat a plastic toy with few ill effects? That's why.

Yeah.

If you want to be thorough and not just guess it, you need to go to a garden center and procure a soil pH test kit.

You should then purchase some dolomite lime. Unfortunately, you probably won't be able to find any less than a 25lb bag of it, but it will only be a few dollars.

You should sprinkle some dolomite lime around the tree, gently work it into the top soil, water it in well, wait a week or two and re-test the soil pH, making sure to dig down and take the sample soil from below where you worked the lime into the soil.

A pH of ~6 should be ideal for your Giant Sequoia.

Is the tree activly growing right now? I'd imagine it has stopped for the year, unless you live in a rather temperate area?

If it is still growing, that is a good thing.

If you can't find a soil pH test kit, you can get a freshwater pH test kit in any pet supply store. To use it to give you a pretty good estimate of soil pH do this:

1) Place a small sample of soil in a pot
2) Use distilled water. Measure it's pH. It should be around 7.
3) Run the water through the soil in the pot, until it just starts running out of the bottom.
4) Capture the runoff into the test vial, add the reagent, and compare the color. It will most likely be bright yellow, since most pH test kits don't go below around 5.0.

The more soil you run the water through, the more accurate the reading will be.

This is the cheaper alternative.

 

[SagaLore]

Originally posted by: Eli
<-- Resident ATOT Conifer Connoiseur chiming in

You've been putting dog sh!t on your tree! WTF made you think that would be a good idea?!

Most likely, your tree isn't suffering from overfertilization, since feces would be quite slow to break down - I am guessing that it has dramatically altered the soil's pH. I wouldn't be surprised if your soil pH was somewhere around 2-3. That's much, much too low, even for acid-loving conifers.

When the soil pH becomes too low(or too high), nutrients are actually locked out - the plant is unable to absorb them. If you post some pictures of both the dead needles and the needles that are beginning to be effected, I may be able to tell you which nutrient the tree is deficient in.

Not just a PH problem. Dog poop is highly toxic.

http://www.roversleftovers.com/home.htm

It contains parasites and bad bacteria, and the decay of it uses up the available oxygen and leeches ammonia into the soil. Also I recall reading a news article not too long ago that talked about public parks having a problem with dog poop - there is a certain fungus that grows on it, and once it gets into the soil it stays there for several years and hurts the grass.

 

[RU482]

When I was young, I had a dog. Had it for about ~6 years. Over that course of time, a tree that was at least 50 yrs old (don't know what kind) damn near died and withered away. My dad was thinking about cutting it down because the branches became brittle and started dropping all over the yard.

Then the dog "ran away" (that's what I was told anyway)

Within a year or two, the tree was on a mission to make up for lost time. I mean it just exploded with life. I bet the top is at least 6 feet taller than back then (pretty good for an older tree)

EDIT - it was not a conifer type tree

 

[Eli]

Originally posted by: SagaLore

Originally posted by: Eli
<-- Resident ATOT Conifer Connoiseur chiming in

You've been putting dog sh!t on your tree! WTF made you think that would be a good idea?!

Most likely, your tree isn't suffering from overfertilization, since feces would be quite slow to break down - I am guessing that it has dramatically altered the soil's pH. I wouldn't be surprised if your soil pH was somewhere around 2-3. That's much, much too low, even for acid-loving conifers.

When the soil pH becomes too low(or too high), nutrients are actually locked out - the plant is unable to absorb them. If you post some pictures of both the dead needles and the needles that are beginning to be effected, I may be able to tell you which nutrient the tree is deficient in.

Not just a PH problem. Dog poop is highly toxic.

http://www.roversleftovers.com/home.htm

It contains parasites and bad bacteria, and the decay of it uses up the available oxygen and leeches ammonia into the soil. Also I recall reading a news article not too long ago that talked about public parks having a problem with dog poop - there is a certain fungus that grows on it, and once it gets into the soil it stays there for several years and hurts the grass.

The ammonia is probably what acts to reduce soil pH.

Interesting, though.

 

[SagaLore]

My recommendation is to scoop about 6 inches of the soil off the top, 6 inches from the trunk and about 2 feet out in a circle. Soak the ground with water with a mild mixture of the root stimulant. Let it drain for a few hours. Then create a mixture of 1 part bagged topsoil, 1 part shredded hardwood mulch, 1 part peat moss, 1 part sand, 1 part pulverized limestone. Cover the cutout up to 3 inches, then cover the rest with plain bagged topsoil. Cover the circle with remaining hardwood mulch. Water again, and don't water again until dried out.

My trees and bushes always do real well with that mixture, although I also use 1 part bagged composted manure.

 

[Azraele]

I'm sure other people's advice is better than what I have to offer, since I'm no expert, but perhaps you could try sprinkling some new soil around the base of the tree.

 

[jyates]

You might do a google search for tree forums and post the tree's problem on there.
I did it a whle back on a maple tree I had that was dying but didn't get much help
but maybe they will have an answer for your tree's problem.

 

[UDT89]

just go to your local garden store. i have found many of the older employees to know lots about plant life.

if not go to a landscapers supply place, where they buy their bushes and stuff.


These people work there for a reason, and while they might not be botanists, they still have a lot of knowledge.

 

[NuclearNed]

UPDATE:

Last night my wife and I talked to some gardening experts from both a local nursery and the Home Depot. They suggested spreading a specific type of fertilizer around the base of the tree, which we did. Now only time will tell. We've been getting a lot of rain from the hurricane, which can only help the situation.

I don't want to get my hopes up too much, but I noticed last night that some of the lower branches that I had presumed were completely dead have started putting out some new growth in just the last day or two. These branches were completely brown and brittle, but now have some bright green "needles" that are sprouting.

 

[Ogg]

Originally posted by: Eli
SuperThrive

:thumbsup:

 

[RbSX]

Originally posted by: KLin
I would contact a botanist and see if they have any recommendations.

It would horticulture, not botany.

 

[Anubis]

call a tree doctor

 

[Bootprint]

Originally posted by: Anubis
call a tree doctor

AKA an Arborist.