Upcoming pond project question..

[Chuck K.]

The TD-10 was dropped off yesterday to make the 100'x85'x10' pond. My question is how deep can dirt be spread over mature trees root system with out kiilling them? The trees are tallow (china berry) and pine trees. The soil is good ole Texas gumbo.. I am thinking 3-5 inches come back with additional passes later (6 months?) as needed to prevent low spots around the trees.

Thanks for any adivice. Chuck.

 

[TedLaRue]

I don't think 3"-5" would hurt if you keep it a foot or two away from the trunk. I'm not an arborist, but I've seen that done before. Deeper with additional passes might also be ok, but I think you still have stay away from the trunk. The tissue in the trunk of a tree is different from that of the root system, and that won't change over time. The roots can grow up into your new layers of soil, but you don't want to put the base of the trunk below grade.

Edit: See my partial retraction two doors down.

 

[bindian]

The TD-10 was dropped off yesterday to make the 100'x85'x10' pond. My question is how deep can dirt be spread over mature trees root system with out kiilling them? The trees are tallow (china berry) and pine trees. The soil is good ole Texas gumbo.. I am thinking 3-5 inches come back with additional passes later (6 months?) as needed to prevent low spots around the trees.

Thanks for any adivice. Chuck.

I would say you will kill your trees. 3-5 inches of Gumbo is like a plastic sheet over the roots. They will stave for water before growing up into the gumbo. I see it happen all the time in all the subdivisons springing up between me and Houston. You have to fill in so the same amount of water gets to the roots. Too much water will cause root rot. Pines like sandy alkai soils, not gumbo. I haven't been around China berry trees in years. I know they grow fast. I have no idea how their root system acts. Contact your county extension agent or Texas A&M for hard facts.
hugs, Brandi

 

[TedLaRue]

I previously posted that 3"-5" cover away from the trunk would be ok, but after reading Brandi's post, I retract what I said. Brandi's experience with your local Texas "gumbo" trumps my knowledge of topsoil in general. I still think that in any case you have to stay away from the trunk.

I also second Brandi's suggestion of contacting your county extension agent.

I looked for "gumbo" in the Soil Conservation Service handbook and couldn't find it. I'll assume it has a lot of clay in it.

 

[VABlue]

Yeah... Don't be packing clay subsoil over your topsoil. No water will get through it, nor will it support any oxygen or nitrogen concentration without brash amounts of fertilizer. I suggest piling up the spoils and selling it as fill.

 

[bindian]

I previously posted that 3"-5" cover away from the trunk would be ok, but after reading Brandi's post, I retract what I said. Brandi's experience with your local Texas "gumbo" trumps my knowledge of topsoil in general. I still think that in any case you have to stay away from the trunk.

I also second Brandi's suggestion of contacting your county extension agent.

I looked for "gumbo" in the Soil Conservation Service handbook and couldn't find it. I'll assume it has a lot of clay in it.

Ted,
Gumbo is a sticky clay that dries up very hard. But when damp or wet, it sticks to whatever it comes in contact with like a booger on your finger. It can come in different colors. Like black, white or grey. The grey is very slippery. You can get slip stuck in it. Think God for 4WD.
hugs, Brandi

 

[wushaw]

It must depend upon the species of the tree since I have several American Elms and a few Hackberrys under several feet of clay & black gumbo...these must be the exception to the rule of covering a tree root system. Some are going on five years.

 

[cisco]

For oaks, with the soil usual for S.C. (sandy), it's 2 inches per year for oaks. I've done such with stuff from a pond, and it worked OK (no dead oaks, 2 years out). I've also seen trees killed, and it's a slow process of months to years, when excessive cover is placed over a root system.

 

[TedLaRue]

Ted,
Gumbo is a sticky clay that dries up very hard. But when damp or wet, it sticks to whatever it comes in contact with like a booger on your finger. It can come in different colors. Like black, white or grey. The grey is very slippery. You can get slip stuck in it. Think God for 4WD.
hugs, Brandi

Brandi,
Thanks for that lucid definition (boogers?!). We have a sticky yellow clay here, but it wouldn't be appropriate for me to post what we usually call it.