FERTILIZING AND WATERING TREES 



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Fig. 2. — The increment borer (left) and the increment hammer (right) 

 are tools used by the arborist or forester to obtain cores from the wood of 

 standing trees. The cores obtained with each (insets) have been marked 

 with ink to make the widths of the annual rings more evident. In each inset 

 the lower core's most recent annual rings are closely spaced, indicating a 

 slow growth rate, but the upper core shows the widely spaced rings associ- 

 ated with the rapid growth of healthy trees. 



2) Soil texture should be noted. Is it composed predomi- 

 nately of sand, silt, or clay? 



3) Soil structure is best determined when the soil is moist. 

 Does it stick together to form a tight ball or, more desirably, 

 remain in crumbs that can be sifted through the fingers ? 



4) Is the subsoil tight clay, stony, or gravelly? 



5) Has the soil been disturbed? Soil compaction, a change 

 in drainage, removal of a layer of topsoil, or a fill of clay above 

 the original topsoil often reduce plant vigor and growth. 



A soil with a deep topsoil, silty loam texture, aggregate 

 structure, high organic matter content, high nutrient content, 

 good aeration, moderately high water-holding capacity, and a 

 subsoil allowing internal draining is ideal. An agronomist, farm 

 adviser, or extension agent should be contacted for assistance 

 with local soil problems. 



Two types of chemical tests are currently used to determine 

 soil deficiencies — soil tests and plant tissue analysis. No method 

 of determining soil nutrient deficiencies is applicable to all plants 

 under all conditions. Soil tests indicate general soil deficiencies. 



