TREATING SOIL COMPACTION NEAR TREES
As well as caring for trees above ground, we also have a team of rooting environment specialists to deal with the the effects of compacted soil causing root suffocation and decreased water permeability.
The application to both private residential trees and lawns, and commercial sports surfaces such as golf courses, football pitches and bowling greens, offers a cost effective way of dealing with water-logging and ill-health in trees.
80% of all tree problems can be attributed to the surrounding soil
Tree roots need air too. For root growth, an ‘ideal’ soil should be as much as 50% air and water, present as many tiny ‘pores’ throughout the soil structure. When a soil becomes compacted, the pores of air and water naturally present are squeezed out.
Consequently, soil oxygen levels fall dramatically, root activity is quickly diminished and can lead to visible stress symptoms such as stunted leaves, crown die back and potential attack by pests and diseases due to weakened defences.
Most issues however, are present long before they are visible. This is where our Arborcheck system can be used to detect early signs of stress and dysfunction.
The root of the problem
Significant changes in soil structure can quickly lead to reduced nutrient availability and the loss of beneficial mycorrhizal fungi, which help trees to find water and uptake nutrients. Natural decompaction of soil can take many years, and severely compacted soil may never recover naturally.
Compaction is the most prevalent cause of soil related tree problems, and yet is easily overlooked and even more easily caused. In fact, a human walking across the ground exerts a similar pressure on a point of soil to a loaded 3-ton dumper truck! Occasionally soil can withstand this, but it doesn’t take much more to cause damage. When a soil is wet, compaction occurs even more readily.
Healthy soil means healthy trees
As well as effectively loosening compacted soil, the Vogt GeoTech Injector can also administer granular or liquid biostimulants such as phosphites, chitin and Biochar directly into the root system of the tree at the same time. This combined approach aims to kick-start long term soil health by providing vital nutrients as well as habitat for beneficial fungi and soil bacteria to thrive sustainably in a newly created environment.
Carbon Gold enriched Biochar is charcoal used as a soil amendment. Biochar is a stable solid, rich in carbon, and can endure in soil for thousands of years. Like most charcoal, biochar is made from biomass via pyrolysis. It is unique in that it is made from FSC® compliant, sustainably sourced, untreated woody biomass.
Every batch is subject to rigorous chemical analysis to meet International Biochar Institute standards and conforms to EU regulations for PCB, PAH and other toxicants, and the soil and substrate additives are certified for organic production by the UK's Soil Association, Skal and Demeter.
When you care for trees, they care for you
The results can usually be seen as early as the next growing season. Expect thicker, greener leaves, increased crown density and reduced incidence of pest attack due to a boosted defence system and improved air and nutrient availability. At the very least, before and after tests with our Arborcheck system can show a tangible decrease in stress levels and an increase in photosynthetic efficiency.
Healthy trees capture more sunlight, uptake and lock away more carbon, capture more pollutants due to an increased leaf area and can reduce reactive maintenance costs in the long run, and most importantly healthy trees can secure their own future and the many benefits they bring.
Whether you have a single specimen tree which is looking sickly, or a large collection threatened by compaction, contact our experts today to discuss your requirements.
Areas we cover
We cover most of the South East including Kent, Surrey, Sussex, London and Essex.
An unpleasant job, taming the leylandii trees which we had inherited and had been allowed to do their own thing for too long! We are grateful to our friends who recommended "Down to Earth" and we are very happy to say to anyone else who reads this, that from Andy who came to give us a very reasonable estimate, and Frankie's team who did skilful and beautiful job, we couldn't be happier. Very nice people too!
Excellent service, professional team, very large job bringing down dead sequoia; handled the job very well, cleared everything up, went above and beyond what we expected
Down To Earth were great. They did an excellent job from start to finish. Good customer service. Excellent team on site who did a fantastic job that went beyond my hopes and cleared up after themselves in an extremely thorough way.
An excellent job from start to finish, arrived on time and did a great job at clearing up afterwards. Worked the whole time they were here and couldn’t be happier with the results!
Exceptional service from start to finish. The job was carried out (non-stop working by the crew!) at the exact time agreed with all the remnants cleared up and taken away. They even ended up clearing my patio!
Another excellent job from Down to Earth trees. They have carried out all pruning and planting a new hedge in my garden for many years and I would never use anyone else. They are reliable, everything is cleared at the end of the job and all the staff from start to finish are polite and professional. I was happy with the quotation given. The 2 guys who carried out the latest work were very pleasant and listened to what I said before beginning the work. I would definitely recommend them.
I have been most impressed with DTE's professionalism and integrity. The scope of work I proposed I discussed was reduced as it wasnt all needed, and the work itself was carried out to a high standard
I had my trees done recently and the four gentlemen did a great job. Very professional and cleared all fallen debris at the end. Will definitely use the company again.
This is an excellent company to do business with. Their quote was thorough and very competitive. The team turned up on time and were very professional, polite and respectful of both our property and our garden. The work undertaken, (tree prunning and removal of a large shrub), was carried out to a high standard and everything was left very tidy. I can only recommend this company for their excellent service.
This company is outstanding in professionalism, care and efficiency, so we didn’t hesitate in using for this job. The weather was bad on the day of the booking and we thought they might postpone the work, but they didn’t. Our job involved varied work - trees, bushes and hedges. Everything is in much better shape now. Thanks, again to Down to Earth.
I have used this company on 3 occasions now. I have found all staff including administrative and the tree surgeons themselves to be consistently efficient, polite and informative. They have always arrived at the arranged time and date, completed the work effectively and well and left the garden clean and clear of all cuttings. Have recommended to neighbours and friends.
Fantastic from start to finish, from the quoting process, application to local council for approval, and the people on site doing the work. Had two trees taken out, one planted and general hedge height reduction work done. Superb team, cleaned up after themselves, very polite to me and neighbours. Will be using again. Thank you!
Had Ben along for a tree survey and risk assessment. Very professional and knowledgeable. Inspected every aspect of our spinney. Would highly recommend!
All work was carried out to my specification and care was taken to protect my walls and side gates. All refuse was removed from my property and my neighbours efficiency
Very professional. DTE did an excellent job reducing my large dead oak tree; and leaving everything in good order when they had finished the job.
We had one tree cut down, bushes cut back and a very high and difficult-to-reach ivy hedge trimmed neatly into a straight line. The team were brilliant; very punctual, tidy and polite and they did an excellent, professional job. Highly recommended.
One tree was felled, two pruned and large hedges cut back, all done neatly, quickly and exactly to my specifications. Everything was tidied away afterwards. I am more than happy with the result, and would definitely recommend this company.
They turned up on time and did a good job. They were polite, professional and left the place tidy. Would recommend.
Arrived on time, friendly professional team, did the job quickly, safely at height and went to considerable trouble to reduce any damage to plants or garden pots, ornaments etc. Left site cleared and tidy. Value for money. What more would you want ?
Thoroughly professional service from start to finish. Used on numerous occasions and never dissatisfied!
Very neat work. Professional and safe. We were happy with the quote. We had asked instead of grinding the root to put plugs in and were a little surprised that this was not included as the surveyor had suggested it during his visit
