Care of Coastal Oaks and Sycamores Part 1

Many people are losing these beautiful trees to drought and heat conditions, and they are asking me what they can do to prevent this from happening.

Several things are happening to cause these trees to die Let's go over the causes:

1. Drought normally will cause many trees to die naturally. Those that have shallow roots or damaged roots will be too weak. They not only will not be getting the water they need but also the nutrition they need.
2. Overwatering is the main cause of these trees dying. People think that because it is hot, they should water more. They tend to water almost daily, and their roots are very shallow because of this watering. Watering not deep enough will cause root systems to stay on top near the surface. There are two types of root systems: deep and shallow. The deep roots are very important and provide an anchor for the trees, which will not only keep them from falling over when windy or when it rains a lot and the soil is soaked but also help to survive through drought periods by seeking out below-ground water. The shallow are the main feeder roots. They work with the soil biology available at this layer of soil. This is where organic matter is converted into essential minerals and nutrients.
3. Trees die prematurely because they are not getting the nutrients they need. The only place this comes from is soil biology and not from chemical fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers are not complete food, lack trace minerals, and kill off soil biology. Trace mineral deficiency will always lead to pests and diseases attacking the tree.
4. Human damage from direct damage like cars running into them or other incidents that damage the main trunk. Also, human-generated toxins either directly applied or applied to soil or in the air, in the water (city water is very bad for soil biology), through other sources like flooding, chemical spillage, oil spillage, improper pruning, improper planting (whether planting wrong variety or just planting it wrong), to name a few. Humans are very clever at causing damage to not just trees but to everything around them.

What you can do to correct this is coming in Part 2 next week!

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Any questions?

Please send your email to andylopez@invisiblegardener.com In the subject, please use “All Things Malibu and if you have a specific question in reference to an article mention the name of the article.

Thanks,

Andy Lopez
Invisible Gardener