Terravention In Context

The Terravent releases a pulse of gas from a probe driven into compacted ground and breaks up that compaction. Then a mixture of water containing Mycorrhizal fungi and bio-stimulants can be injected through the same probe before a second charge of gas is released to diffuse the mixture throughout the network of soil fissures created in the first blast.

That is rather obviously going to assist drainage, aeration and soil structure allowing a compacted and essentially dead soil to begin to recover. However, the soil structure may again collapse either through a continuation of the causes underlying the problem, or if on a clay soil, as soon as the next heavy rain occurs.

Consequentially Terravention can only be considered an intervention and an initial preparatory part of a more complete self sustaining, biological and cultural solution.

So, after Terraventing we now recommend introducing a biological component as well as the medium and food source to enable them to thrive. We introduce worms & well composted woodchip mulch.

There are two varieties of worms that I recommend using.

• Lumbriscus terrestris is a deep living variety which is also our largest earthworm. These live in deep holes with vertical shafts. As a result they aid deep aeration and drainage. These are released singly in Terravent probe holes or in pits filled with well composted woodchip mulch.
• Eisenia hortensis are commonly used as composting worms. They live closer to the surface and are more prolific and vigorous than the larger lumbriscus. These we distribute widely before raking the well composted woodchip mulch over them.

So the tree in question is a Copper Beech. In the photograph above the tree appears to be in reasonable condition but the leaf density is slightly lighter than I would expect.

As a result of a service trench that runs to the left of the footpath that can be seen to the immediate left of the tree (and the footpath) and an area of compaction to the right hand side of the tree due to the passage of vehicles used to deliver the materials and build the new glass and steel structure that can be seen in the left foreground, this tree was likely to have lost the use of a significant portion of its roots.