Looking after our roots.
Tree root investigation and assessment often fall lower on the priority list of services when thinking about tree health and maintenance, after all, most of the time, they are not out in the open to see! However, it would be foolish for a doctor to look at a person and say they are fit and healthy just by looking at their upper body and completely ignoring their legs!
Often, other signs on the tree can indicate there is something wrong with the roots, such as smaller/decoloured leaves, earlier leaf fall, or just generally looking a bit sad. Root health is essential to ensuring the overall happiness of a tree.
The issue, Soil Compaction.
Soil compaction can happen when the soil particles are pressed together too tightly, which reduces its capacity to hold oxygen and filter water through it. This can essentially suffocate the tree! Compaction is common when the weight on the surface pushes the soil downwards. The heavier the weight, for example, a car or heavy machinery/equipment, the greater the soil compaction.
The benefits of air spading to you and your tree
What is air spading and what does it do?
Air spading is a service we offer to look after the roots by ensuring they can breathe in the soil. This is done by sending out a powerful jet of compressed air into the soil around the root system, breaking up the soil particles around it to reduce compaction in a way that does not harm the roots in question. This can also have the added benefit of creating better water drainage through the soil and reducing the chance of potential flooding or waterlogging.
Other uses
Air spading tree roots can also be used to assist in other activities, by exposing the roots it can grant access for root inspections and assessments. This is particularly useful in construction when work may potentially intrude on the tree route zone, by locating the roots, and damage or interference can be reduced or avoided completely.
If there is concern that roots may be interacting with structures or other utilities, Air spading will allow us to then undertake delicate root pruning to encourage and control the direction of growth and minimise damage. This can sometimes be necessary to meet the demands of your mortgage lender, or to move development planning along the application process.
We hope that this blog post has cleared up any questions you had about air spading and why its necessary. However, if there are any further questions which you have or would like air spading carried out then don’t hesitate to get in touch!! You can call us on 01980 623015 or email us at info@bawdentreecare.co.uk
