CARTER: ILLINOIS TREES: THEIR DISEASES 



31 



feet of the trunks of large trees to supply the feeding roots there. 

 Distribute the tree food evenly in the holes. Then fill the holes 

 with water and keep them filled for about 3 days to soak the tree 

 food into the soil and make it quickly available to the feeding 

 roots. The holes may then be filled with sand, peat moss, or loose 

 soil. Or they m.ay be left open to facilitate water absorption dur- 

 ing rains, aerate the soil, promote development of feeding roots, 

 and provide a means of supplying water during droughts. 



Liquid Feeding. — Tree food can be applied in liquid form 

 with a sprayer (Fig. 31) that develops suflficient pressure to 



Fig. 31. — Hydraulic sprayers that develop several hundred pounds 

 pressure can be used in liquid feeding of trees. 



force the liquid into the soil. The only special piece of equipment 

 needed is a feeding lance or gun (Fig. 32) that replaces the 

 standard spray gun. A feeding lance may be purchased from a 

 seed store, hardware store, or arborist supply store, or it may 

 be devised by almost anyone handy with tools. 



Liquid feeding of trees can be done from early spring until 

 late fall. The tree food should be released in the soil 12 to 18 

 inches below the surface. Injections should be made 4 to 6 feet 

 apart in concentric circles around the trunk of a tree. The outer 

 circle of injection holes should be somewhat beyond the limit 

 of branch spread ; the innermost circle may be 3 to 5 feet from 

 the trunk if the tree has a trunk diameter at breast height of 

 6 inches or more. 



