How much water does it take to provide a healthy start to shrubbery in South Florida?
No one knows for sure. That seems hard to believe, considering how many shrubs have been planted in yards, in front of commercial buildings and along roadways. But, from a scientific viewpoint, the literature on watering is deficient.
So, several water districts and the University of Florida are conducting a $1 million study to find an answer.
This research is not an example of taxpayer money wasted if its findings eventually reduce costs and perhaps conserve a natural resource, water.
The truth is, homeowners, business owners and governments often end up winging it when they invest in landscaping, even though the expense may be quite sizable. For instance, a mistake in plant selection or care on a road median project can cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
And, we can't always depend on the so-called experts. Ed Gilman, professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida, says, "Most tree service people do not understand the process of how trees grow."
That's like throwing a recruit into Marine combat without basic training. In the world of the arborist, ignorance can lead to improper watering, fertilizing, pruning, plant and site selection, and ultimately, unhealthy or dead plants.
Gilman, a researcher and author who is widely viewed as the state's foremost tree expert, conducted a daylong seminar Wednesday in Punta Gorda. His talk attracted about 30 homeowners and government landscape professionals from Sarasota, Lee and Charlotte counties.
Many swapped mismanagement horror stories. David Jahn, Charlotte's landscape manager, mentioned a truck he's seen around town advertising "topping" as a tree service. Not only is topping a big no-no as a tree-pruning method, but it's a specific county violation, warranting a visit from code enforcement.
Gilman had plenty of advice on how to approach tree plantings in urban settings, particularly along streets and sidewalks where space is a major consideration.
Underground barriers, installed perpendicular to the surface, have worked well to help guide roots under sidewalks so they don't cause them to buckle. Another simple tactic is to reroute sidewalks around trees. Yet another is to place a layer of gravel under a sidewalk. Studies have shown that roots will not intrude into the gravel, which buys more time for the sidewalks.
More elaborate measures might include elevating the sidewalk so the bottom of the slab does not rest on the surface of the soil. Italian landscapers also have experimented successfully with tunnels, allowing roots to cross under sidewalks to greener pastures, similar to the panther crossings installed under Alligator Alley.
All this makes perfect sense, and some of it costs little money, but all too often people still try to squeeze trees into a narrow space between a sidewalk and a road. Gilman says, "People forget. Trees will grow. They will get wider, above ground and below."
Here's a tip for you folks at home who dabble in landscaping. Before you plant your next tree, refer to Gilman's Web site, http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/planting.
It offers some observations you might not have considered:
The top roots of a tree should lie at the soil's surface, both in a nursery pot and when planted.
Leave the root ball uncovered by mulch. It soaks up water.
Add nothing to the soil at planting.
As for pruning, Gilman says, if you have to climb a ladder, don't. Call an arborist, with any luck one who attended the seminar last week.
No more results found. No one knows for sure. That seems hard to believe, considering how many shrubs have been planted in yards, in front of commercial buildings and along roadways. But, from a scientific viewpoint, the literature on watering is deficient.
So, several water districts and the University of Florida are conducting a $1 million study to find an answer.
|
|
This research is not an example of taxpayer money wasted if its findings eventually reduce costs and perhaps conserve a natural resource, water.
The truth is, homeowners, business owners and governments often end up winging it when they invest in landscaping, even though the expense may be quite sizable. For instance, a mistake in plant selection or care on a road median project can cost taxpayers millions of dollars.
And, we can't always depend on the so-called experts. Ed Gilman, professor of environmental horticulture at the University of Florida, says, "Most tree service people do not understand the process of how trees grow."
That's like throwing a recruit into Marine combat without basic training. In the world of the arborist, ignorance can lead to improper watering, fertilizing, pruning, plant and site selection, and ultimately, unhealthy or dead plants.
Gilman, a researcher and author who is widely viewed as the state's foremost tree expert, conducted a daylong seminar Wednesday in Punta Gorda. His talk attracted about 30 homeowners and government landscape professionals from Sarasota, Lee and Charlotte counties.
Many swapped mismanagement horror stories. David Jahn, Charlotte's landscape manager, mentioned a truck he's seen around town advertising "topping" as a tree service. Not only is topping a big no-no as a tree-pruning method, but it's a specific county violation, warranting a visit from code enforcement.
Gilman had plenty of advice on how to approach tree plantings in urban settings, particularly along streets and sidewalks where space is a major consideration.
Underground barriers, installed perpendicular to the surface, have worked well to help guide roots under sidewalks so they don't cause them to buckle. Another simple tactic is to reroute sidewalks around trees. Yet another is to place a layer of gravel under a sidewalk. Studies have shown that roots will not intrude into the gravel, which buys more time for the sidewalks.
More elaborate measures might include elevating the sidewalk so the bottom of the slab does not rest on the surface of the soil. Italian landscapers also have experimented successfully with tunnels, allowing roots to cross under sidewalks to greener pastures, similar to the panther crossings installed under Alligator Alley.
All this makes perfect sense, and some of it costs little money, but all too often people still try to squeeze trees into a narrow space between a sidewalk and a road. Gilman says, "People forget. Trees will grow. They will get wider, above ground and below."
Here's a tip for you folks at home who dabble in landscaping. Before you plant your next tree, refer to Gilman's Web site, http://hort.ufl.edu/woody/planting.
It offers some observations you might not have considered: