How to prevent the need to replace dead trees, shrubs and plants?
31/10/2022 - 00:00
In many planting projects there is a percentage of plant death. Extreme weather conditions of late, have unfortunately increased the mortality rate. There are various causes but most importantly measures can be taken to prevent plant death.
Common causes
Common causes of dying trees and shrubs:
- diseases and pests,
- damage by animals and pests,
- extreme frost,
- storm damage,
- fluctuating groundwater levels,
- drought,
- vandalism,
- ...
But poor management can also be at the root of the problem. Here, factors such as timely watering, storing water both above and below ground and applying the right fertiliser play an important role.
Case study Oudenaarde in Belgium
To keep the percentage of dead tree replacement within 10%, in 2021 the City of Oudenaarde primarily invested in measures linked to watering. So, when the city replanted the 125 trees that had died in the last three years due to extremely dry weather, they invested in water saving planting rings for above-ground water storage and TerraCottem arbor soil conditioner for growth and water storage around the trees' roots.
Bearing in mind that the average annual cost per tree for the City of Oudenaarde is €332.00, and the above-mentioned investment is limited to €35.00 per tree (€26.00 for the water saving planting ring and €9.00 for the soil conditioner), one easily concludes that the investment will have a positive impact on the total replacement cost of dead trees.
Just a quick calculation: for 2021, the replacement or replanting cost amounted to 125 trees x €332.00 per tree = €41,500.00. With the above-mentioned investment, they aim to get the replacement cost below €10,000,00. A saving of more than €30,000.00!
Case study Bergeijk in The Netherlands
In recent years the municipality of Bergeijk in the Dutch Kempen region faced a high mortality rate of their perennials and hedges (including rhododendron).
One of the reasons is the extremely dry weather in recent years. But the main reason is the fact that their soil is extremely sandy and hardly retains any rain or irrigation water.
The company Van Helvoirt Groenprojecten, in charge of replacing these dead plants at the Bergeijk municipality in 2021, decided to use TerraCottem arbor to substantially increase the water-holding capacity of the sandy soil.
That is to limit plant death in the future and also lower the number of watering rounds at the start by 2-3 rounds.
Do you want to prevent the replacement of dead shrubs and plants?
Looking for a life insurance for trees, shrubs, hedges or perennials?
Don't take risks. Take the necessary precautions when planting.
Mix TerraCottem soil conditioner with the soil of the plant hole.
- TerraCottem promotes root growth and increases the water holding capacity of the soil.
- TerraCottem not only stimulates growth and resistance to drought stress, but also increases the survival rate of trees, shrubs and perennials.
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Be sure to read our article "Good size plant hole and soil conditioning for successful tree planting"