The purpose of this research is to explore the physiological and practical impacts of soil amendments on trees’ health and response to stresses.

Makers of many commercial products and home remedies make various claims about the impact of the treatments on trees’ health, growth, and responses to various abiotic and biotic stresses. The purpose of this ongoing research is to put these products to the test to truly understand and predict their utility in the field. For example, one commercially available product, paclobutrazol, has been shown to be a useful plant growth retardant, and this product may have non-growth-retardant effects on woody plants. What are these? How might they be exploited? In what scenarios can we use this product to take advantage of these? This project will examine these questions and others regarding soil-applied products.