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Myth 4. - Deep Root Feeding

First, I have never seen a root that feeds or is feeding. Trees do absorb essential elements dissolved in water when conditions are conducive. This absorption takes place, most of the time, in the upper four inches of soil or above in a nurse log, with soil contact. Why would someone desire to put materials deep? Just get a shovel and see for yourself - where the roots that absorb actually are. Sorry for saying this, however, people who say they deep root feed trees, have absolutely no understanding of the trees anatomy or processes. Watch out for people who claim to understand trees and treatments who do not understand tree biology.

As far as feeding -

In reality, trees are autotrophs. Autotrophs manufacture their own food.

People who call fertilizer, tree food, must have flunked photosynthesis.

Tree food is often what people call fertilizer. Trees are autotrophs which mean that they manufacture their own food. Heterotrophs do not manufacture their own food. They have to have someone or something manufacture their food for them. Animals such as humans are heterotrophs. There are some exceptions. The ghost flower is a plant that has no chlorophyll. Yet is still burns glucose. It gets its food by way of the bicarbohydrate transfer of plants.

Food is energy plus elements essential for life. All living things are bags of chemicals. Introduced other chemicals-could benefit the bags -food -or disrupt the bags --poisons. More on the topic: Food is any substance that provides energy and elements essential for life. Food is fuel. Tree food is sugar. The chlorophyll traps the energy of the sun in a molecule of carbon dioxide and water-glucose. Tree food is carbohydrate; carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen combined to form many types of sugars and sugar-based substances. Nutritious food includes the proper amounts of essential elements and vitamins that are necessary for a healthy living condition. Fertilizers provide some elements essential for life. Planted trees usually require fertilizers. But, fertilizers do not provide an energy source for trees! The energy still comes from the sun and it is held in the sugar molecule. It is not so important to know the words, but it is important to know the natural processes. More harm has been done to trees in the name of feeding than with most other injurious actions.

Elements are single groups of atoms of the same kind such as calcium and nitrogen. Elements are not nutrients or are they food. They do not provide energy for a tree. Fertilizer is a bag of elements. Elements are not nutrients. Trees cannot absorb a nutrient. Nutrient is a substance that provides an energy source, elements, and other substances essential for life, in types and amounts that can provide a healthy life.

We can feed the soil with organic fertilizer. We cannot feed the tree. Organic fertilizer would have little benefit if applied deep beyond the rhizoplane. I may be wrong.

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