Even with good site conditions and the best care, tree diseases cannot always be prevented. In some cases, fungi, bacteria and other pathogens can cause serious damage. This is particularly true for trees that are planted in densely populated regions with a lot of car traffic - these are under a lot of stress due to numerous causes. Vaccination can strengthen these trees.
How can you “vaccinate” a tree?
In order to “vaccinate” and thus strengthen a garden tree, a shovelful of compost (€43.00 on Amazon) should be placed in the planting hole when planting. This provides the tree with valuable nutrients and supports the growth of he althy roots and symbiosis with mycorrhizal fungi.
Good and bad microorganisms
Phytophthora and other harmful organisms enter the tree through the soil. They spread very quickly, especially when the tree is still quite young, has just been planted or is otherwise weakened. In some communities, a cocktail of strengthening microorganisms - for example mycorrhizal soil fungi - has been inoculated for several years now when new urban trees are planted. Mycorrhizal fungi in particular enter into a symbiosis with the tree, in which the partners supply each other with nutrients and thus strengthen each other. It is not without reason that such communities are often found in forest trees - beech or spruce thrive better in the company of porcini mushrooms, birch trees together with birch mushrooms, etc. Such an effect can also be simulated with garden trees.
Vaccinating a garden tree – this is how it works
Now you don't have to inoculate your trees with boletus spores - which is most likely doomed to failure in the garden anyway - in order to strengthen them. Conventional compost often has the same effect, as it contains a large proportion of valuable, living soil organisms. For this reason, when planting a tree, you should always put a generous shovelful of compost (€43.00 on Amazon) into the planting hole, ideally together with horn shavings or another long-term fertilizer. This measure also has the advantage of loosening the soil and making it more permeable so that the roots can grow more quickly. Furthermore, the supply of the young plant with valuable nutrients is ensured.
Tip
When your grandparents talk about “tree vaccination,” they rarely mean the preventative treatment of disease. Instead, “vaccination” is an outdated term for inoculation, a form of grafting that is often carried out, particularly on fruit trees.
