Review of the Dirt Doctor

Have you ever accidentally happened upon information that you needed at just the right time? A few weeks ago I had a blast at the Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA. One workshop I almost missed out on was "Tree Maintenance and Care" with Howard Garrett.  I almost didn't go (end of the day) but our only mature tree had been showing signs of distress and I was also planting several other trees and didn't really know what I was doing. This class really helped.

Please note, I don't get paid any thing from Mr. Garrett or his company nor did I get special permission to write about his methods. This is just my review of the class as well as how I've applied the information to my yard. Also, Mr. Garrett is also known as the "Dirt Doctor" and you can learn a lot from his website: www.dirtdoctor.com. 

Mr Garrett's main theory is that it is very difficult to plant a tree too shallow but it is very easy to plant a tree too deep. He says trees need to show a "flare", that is, you should see the root system starting to branch out away from the trunk. Trees should not look like telephone polls coming out of the ground he says. So, if you have a tree in need of help, here are his three steps.

1. Dig away from the tree till you can see the root flare. You may see some superfluous roots spiraling around the trunk and they should be removed. 
2. Aerate the soil and sprinkle soil amendments over it. He mentioned a few but the only one I remember is Corn Meal. I remembered that one because it was the cheapest. 
3. Make Garrett Juice and spray on the foliage. He generously gives out the recipe so you can make your own. It's an organic plant food. 

So, on my ornamental cherry, I dug out several inches of mulch and soil to expose several roots. I had to remove spiraling roots and then placed decorative rocks to fill in a bit of the hole created without touching them to the trunk or putting them over the roots. I could have made the Garrett Juice but it was so much cheaper to order the concentrate online so that's what I did. I sprayed it on many of the leaves and also created a ground soak to pour around the trunk. I've bought corn meal but haven't used it yet. I won't really know how well it works till next spring though.

How about you? Have you tried Mr. Garrett's advice? What advice do you have for tree care?