We have finally (hopefully) removed ground hornets
We have finally (hopefully) removed ground hornets
Your question got cut off... Can you put a thick layer of dirt over the exposed root and lay down some grass seed or plant a type of ground cover .
Why not surround the roots with landscape edging and fill it in with dirt and plant some shade loving plants? Not only will you get nice color but a neater, finished look.
Hello Byran,
I suggest grouncovers suited to your planting zone, to cover any area under trees with visible roots. It’s very difficult to get plants and grass to grow under trees with shady circumstances but ground covers seem to thrive here in my zone seven.
I use pachysandra and sedum.
Unfortunately, a live oak puts out a LOT of seedlings that push upwards through all zone 9 ground covers.
apparently my question cut off the important information about how much soil had eroded UNDER much of this raised hillock.
i hope to learn whether topsoil poured in or pea gravel or sand will help support the live oak, or if I should go to a richer mixture involving perhaps compost? For the water to get below the surface, perhaps I should be mixing in a humectant? Any extra nutrients?
thank you so much!
You can fill in with dirt but never put more than 3 inches of dirt and/or mulch at any given time. Too much will kill your tree.
If you have an agricultural extension office in your area, I suggest you check with them. Some trees need those roots to be bare and will die if you cover them.
Bryan, As You obviously have an erosion problem, the bigger question is: Do you want to keep tossing $20 a year for another 2 decades into soil that ends up not where you wanted it anyway? Or would you prefer to save $200 down the road?
Thus my recommendation is: Get 2 Gross of Bricks, 288 qty or cobblestones at 288, or make your own bricks with 9 bags of Quickrete to construct a Tree Ring.
Explanation
Key to understanding why the Tree Ring is smart and why most use brick or cobblestone for these is because
A. You need to prevent future erosions.
B. To so Do, You want to construct a Tree Ring of Brick or Concrete around the Area you Devote for the oak, (or any Large tree really for that matter)
C. When you pour soil, or add mulch, you always pour it inside that Tiny Retaining Wall.
D. That Ring once solidified, ain't going anywhere at a weight between 800 lbs and a Ton,
E. when you do it right, with bricks or cobblestone those components seldom stand more than 3" above the Most Exposed root.
Doing it Right...
Doing it right, rarely if ever exceeds a 102" diameter at
6" construction height via 2 tiers of Resource with an Underlay as the tier at the bottom, and an Above root top, The Top of the ring will never exceed 3" above the roots, and that secures:
1. Ability to level the nearby grounds to a Level outside the ring that is consistently lower than the Tree Ring.
2. Inside the ring, your roots always bury beneath a healthy amount of soil or compost that never exceeds the 3", as you can more easily by the ring there, judge where 'over the top' is at.
3. There are far fewer concerns about Children or pets stepping in muddy areas around the tree when it rains nor when you manure the tree.
4. You never develop a Cannabalistic Body in your yard, instead you want Symbioses. Raking leaves for grass fertilizer creates Grass trimmings and pouring wood chip mulch made from your oak twigs onto the flowerbeds becomes a breeze as you know exactly where you dump them.
5. Ever the tree dies, as it eventually must, preferably 300 to 400 years from now, you have a prebuilt Firepit in advance to the necessity.
And
6. If there is a complete Goon Society who inhabits the lands in 4 centuries, (always likely in U.S.) then 'the Tale of the Mysterious Rings that the Trees Grew' (which any real doomsday prepper always places in a Time Capsule buried nearby a Tree Ring) will guide the Goofball Society to: where to plant a Tree.
I agree with DWP. Great answer!
Hostas!