Soil Structure

Soil Structure

Backyard Wisdom - September 2020
by: Gilbert A Smith, ISA Board Certified Arborist


Forty-five years ago in Agronomy class I wondered what was so important about soil structure? Those of us in the plant world know that soil is made up of various ratios of sand, silt, clay and organic matter. We can test it for plant essential minerals like, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc. But what exactly is soil structure and why is it so important?

Read More

Over Trimming Trees

Over Trimming Trees

Mother Nature’s Moment - September 2020
by: Lesley Bruce Smith, ISA Certified Arborist


Dr Alex Shigo, the father of modern arboriculture, once said: “Trimming your trees is one of the best things you can do for them, if you do it properly, and one of the worst things you can do, if you do it improperly.”

For a multitude of reasons we are seeing a huge number of trees that have been over trimmed or trimmed improperly. So what does that mean or what does it look like?

Read More