Root wounds and fertilizer

[mike_belben]

Part 1. I am contemplating, almost certainly going to at this point, dig into a slope and put a retaining wall up in order to make more flat ground in a nice shady area for a work shed.  I also need the dirt it would provide in other spots. But there are some mature oaks i have retained for shade and character, somewhat important to me.  Im certain that i will significantly disrupt the roots of one 8" maple and maybe a little damage to a more important oak, about maybe a 12 or 14" dbh keeper.

How much trauma can a root system endure?  Can i trim back and bury a 4" thick root and expect it to send new shoots and recover?  Or is this likely to kill the entire tree?  I can sterilize the ax but probably not a dozer blade.  

Question 2 piggybacks on the first as it regards the same few trees and some much smaller sapplings that are perfectly located for ideal shade where i want it,  but are too small to provide much of it right now.  I want them to grow as fast as humanly possible because if they dont provide more shade then theyre a bit in the way of operations.  The shade of a mature tree would be well worth the location tradeoff of working around the trunk.  

 The rain runoff passes pretty close to these sapplings, oaks, red maple, dogwood and beech.  I could easily divert much water to them or even treat them like my garden and literally water them with a bucket in my normal homesteader routine.

Ive got a 50lb bag of 10-10-10 someone gave me and no use for it.  Will fertilizing and watering this small patch of trees during dry spells bring any detriment to them?  


Anything im not considering?  We do have a lot of fungal issues so i realize i could lose the trees pretty easily and accept that as a risk.  I wont die over it.

[luap]

Here in Michigan areas are dealing with oak wilt and the DNR advises to only work around the oak in the dormant period. Any damage or wounds in the summertime  allows the entry of the spores into the tree and there is no stopping it from killing the tree. The DNR has a knife blade on a bulldozer they encircle the trees they are trying to save as the spores can transfer to neighboring tree roots. 

 When I was actively archery hunting for deer, I would fertilize oak trees  using 10-10-10 spring or fall. The fall fertilization would be for the following year to have an effect. With large expanses of oak trees the deer would come to those trees first for the acorns. I think they were 20# bags and could do 3-4 trees with one bag. These were dbh of 20"+. Never seemed to harm any of then anyway.

[John Mc]

If you want faster growing, Oak, Maple, and Beech are not the place to start. They are slow growing species (but tend to be long-lived).

[Southside]

Down this way soft Maple grows like June grass, have seen a fair bit with 1/2" + rings.  Mossy Oak has some saplings out now that grow about as fast - sure don't want to see the lumber coming off of those.  

[mike_belben]

If you want faster growing, Oak, Maple, and Beech are not the place to start. They are slow growing species (but tend to be long-lived).

True but at 20ft tall already, these have a headstart that beats anything else that'll grow there.  Our red maple grows almost as fast as pine, especially when it finds your septic or gutter spouts.


I hit a serious hunk of ledge in that spot yesterday, so that concept is on hold for further review.  Id have to probe around with the forks and decide if its something i want to drill and break or just leave it be. 

 Backburnered.