A cityscape is a barren one without the presence of trees. But trees face multiple barriers to good health and survival in an urban environment. Some of the biggest obstacles to tree health include compacted soil, poor drainage, and similar issues. With limited soil space, trees can’t send out their roots as far as they require. They also have reduced access to water and air, which leads to other issues like infestation by pests, tree diseases, and more. Fortunately, there’s a solution—permeable pits. Permeable pits improve the quality of the limited soil. Here’s how permeable pits improve soil conditions, thereby enhancing tree health.

What Are Permeable Pits?

Permeable pits are tree planting systems that are, well, permeable. Solid materials like concrete don’t let much air and water in. Permeable pits, however, ensure the ground around the tree allows the free entry of both. Permeable pits contain various materials, such as plastic grid systems, gravel beds, permeable pavers, and other elements that give urban trees a better chance to survive. But there’s more to it than that. Here’s why permeable pits are so great.

Let It Breathe

It’s hard to think of trees or the ground needing to breathe. After all, don’t trees turn carbon dioxide into oxygen? That’s true, but trees need oxygen as well. Without air, trees suffocate. Clean air access ensures healthy roots and allows the microbes that aid in tree growth to survive and thrive, making the limited soil more fertile.

Drink It Up

Trees, like any form of life, need water to live and grow. Permeable pits let the water in and allow it to flow. They also ensure the water reaches the roots and sticks around, so to speak, so the trees drink it up. Concrete and asphalt cause water to roll away, so permeable pits ensure the trees get whatever water comes their way. The soil stays moist longer, even when the climate grows hotter and drier.

Keep It Loose

Under feet and wheels, soil becomes compacted and dense. Such soil is poor for tree growth. Water and air can’t travel through it as easily, and roots have a harder time reaching through the earth. Permeable pits keep things loosey-goosey, so to speak, holding off the compaction created by traffic and distributing the weight more evenly. Water, air, and roots run into fewer obstacles, making for a happier tree.

That’s how permeable pits improve soil conditions thereby enhancing tree health. For more information on giving your urban trees a less restrictive ground environment to grow in, contact us for a consultation. We offer alternative cast iron tree grates as well as other ways and means to allow city trees the means to grow bigger and stronger.