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c/arborists•quinna89quinna89•9d ago

Tried a deep root feed on a sick oak in Spokane and it got worse

I had a client with a 50 year old oak showing leaf scorch, so I did a deep root injection with a 20-10-5 mix last spring. The tree dropped almost all its leaves by July, which was the opposite of what I expected. I'm starting to think the soil was already too wet and I just drowned the roots. Has anyone else seen a tree react that badly to a feed?
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3 Comments
sean_cooper58
Read about that causing root burn in wet soil?
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marywilson
That idea about root burn from wet soil makes sense. But I've seen something else cause this. @sean_cooper58, what if the mix was just too strong? A 20-10-5 is a lot of nitrogen for a stressed tree. It could have shocked the roots. The leaf drop sounds like the tree went into survival mode. I'd check the soil salt levels now. A lighter feed might have been safer.
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karen_sanchez49
Yeah I always blamed the water but that makes more sense.
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