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What
is tree sand?
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Tree sand is a structural growing medium used for planting trees in urban paved areas.
Heicom tree sand is a special mix of washed, semi-rounded silica sand
and organics blended to a formula developed following research by
Dutch Universities in the 1980's.
For more information have a look at our tree sand technical information page.
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Why use tree sand?
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The tree sand will support both the surrounding
surfaced area, as well as the needs of the tree:
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It has been designed specifically to prevent subsidence
of the surrounding area, resisting compaction by pedestrians and vehicles.
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And the texture of the tree sand leaves space for air, water
and root growth, maximising the likelihood that the tree will thrive.
Compare the costs of a replacement tree and making good the surrounding
surfacing with the incremental costs of using tree sand in the first instance.
The savings speak for themselves, without taking into consideration the inconvenience
caused when replacing trees in congested public areas.
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When to use tree sand
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Use tree sand in any situation when a tree is planted in a surfaced area
in close proximity to pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic.
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How
it works & How to use it
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The aim is to allow oxygen and moisture through to the rootzone and throughout
the rootzone to permit healthy development of the tree.
All situations will vary,
but in a typical urban scheme it would be appropriate to dig a 1m deep trench
sufficiently wide to accommodate 5m3 of tree sand per tree to allow
the root systems to develop laterally where they would otherwise come up against
the pavement formation.
Once the pit is dug the tree sand should be laid in 250-300mm
layers before being compacted with a whacker plate. The tree sand can then
be topped with 150mm of binding sand before the installation of the paved
surface.
It is important to note that the nature of the surface will control
the amount of oxygen and moisture getting to the rootzone.
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