Soil Testing & Improvement

The soil testing and improvement services provided by Treework Environmental practice utilise the latest technology to improve the ecosystem of your soil.

Service overview

Treework Environmental Practice, has formed a partnership with SoilBioLab to conduct tests and learn about soil health for the benefit of the nations trees.

Our partnership with SoilBioLab provides the opportunity to bring a holistic soil approach to the tree world, one we call ‘Soil-is-Key’. Through this approach we aim to innovate and deliver accessible ways of studying the soil rooting environment, using Organic amendments as a fundamental area of application and study with the aim of improving the below ground ecosystem. Through this partnership we aim to deliver conventional management practices for remediating problems with tree health.

In arboriculture, we spend so much time looking up and so little time looking down, even when searching out pathogens. We know a little about fungus-root mutual relationships, but are mainly lost when it comes to the interrelated world of soil organisms (fungal, bacterial, protozoan, worms etc.) and the food network they all contribute to below ground and which is fundamental to soil health, biological diversity and therefore tree health and resilience.

Soil testing systems

• Mapping of trees using MyTrees
• Recording baseline tree data and regular monitoring of changes
  1. Standard Tree Data
  2. Photographic record (tree crown, tree defects)
  3. Crown condition assessment (using FC Field Book 12 Guidance)
     • Crown die back (leaf loss extent and distribution)
     • Crown density (opacity loss)
     • Epicormic distribution
  4. Chlorophyll fluorescence
• Mapping the soil environment using MyTrees
  1. Soil sampling
  2. Soil penetrability
• Soil analysis
  1. Mineral assay (mass spectrometer mineral analysis)
  2. Soil biology (fungi, bacteria, protozoa and nematode ratios)
  3. Electrolytic conductivity
• Leaf tissue analysis
  1. Mineral assay (mass spectrometer total digestion)
• Treatments
  1. Compost Teas (applied as soil and/or foliar drench)
  2. Woodchip mulch (generally partially composted, laid to 100mm depth)
  3. Mineral rock dust (applied about the root zone)
  4. Retrenchment pruning (light, small diameter uniform hand tool reduction to crown periphery)

Request a free call back from Treework Environmental Practice