Post Oak Continues to Decline after Health Care Program Discontinued

I hope the following clip shows the importance of staying on top of one's plant health care regime.This post oak was fertilized once once and treated for root rot twice, then nothing since January 2008.

This is very common. People are looking for a magic bullet that will cure their trees. If they don't get immediate satisfaction--as if an old, struggling post oak were going to jump out of bed and feel better after a couple of days--then they discontinue the service. The tree continues to decline, they think Bartlett ripped them off, and nobody's happy.
Managing Plant Health is really no different from managing our own health. We have to stay on top of it. There's a lot more we could do for this tree besides just inject liquid Texas Boost(R) into the ground and try to arrest the root loss.
Fertilizing and root rot treatments are great, and they should be a part of a larger strategy to try to stabilize the tree and arrest the decline. But what really needs to happen is root invigoration. Restructure the soil in the entire dripline of the tree, encourage the soil biology to build up, and place the tree on a completely separate irrigation schedule from the lawn.
I like to draw the parallel of chronic stress headaches. We can take the immediate action--a painkiller--or we can take the long-term action--active steps to manage stress better. Well in this analogy, fertilizers, fungicides and insecticides are really just the painkiller. The lifestyle change is the root invigoration.
This does not mean that this is the answer for every tree and landscape plant, just for the vast majority of them. This one may be too far gone. Or it may stabilize. Either way, root invigoration should be considered as a key component in any tree or landscape plant management plan.

Please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. If you're looking for a TCIA Accredited Houston Tree Service or Certified Arborist, call the company I've worked for since 2002, Bartlett Tree Experts, at 713-692-6371. This is my personal blog--it is not affiliated with Bartlett Tree Experts.