The rings. On most trees there is an inner plastic ring. These are edging pieces from Home Depot that you attach to each other. The outer rings are poured concrete. The inner rings are mainly for when the trees are young. The outer rings were to keep the gardener from hitting the trees with the weed wacker.
Both rings are for more efficient watering and fertilization. When one waters their trees without especially the inner circle very little of the water goes straight down into the earth but when you have that circle and the bottom of the plastic is inserted into the earth a little bit then the water and liquid fertilizer goes straight down into the ground near the rootball. You can water or fertilize 100 young trees perfectly in a very short time this way. In the next few days I’ll make a short video of my fertilization technique. Over the years I use this technique to “push” my young trees to grow. This technique never causes burning and 100% of the liquid complete fertilizer is utilized. You can fertilize every week or bi weekly or monthly just simply by changing the concentration. And I push the young trees hard till they’ve been in the ground for 3 full years. And any fruit on those trees before the complete end of year 3 is picked off when tiny and thrown on the ground so that all energy goes into the wood so the tree can get big and strong for year 4 production.
So I’ll make the video soon and put it here. I use a 9-3-6 complete fertilizer with all the micros.
Your setup and dedication are very impressive, Weiss. With our last home, we had the concrete borders installed and while they looked impressive from a distance, the concrete border installer didn't do a very good job as, even with the expansion joints, the concrete was cracking and separating within weeks. I worked for several years to get those trees growing and it was a slow process. Then a year ago we moved to the Lakeland, FL area just as those 6 trees were full of panicles.
Now as I am wondering if I will live long enough to really enjoy the fruits of my labors at our home here, I have planted 12 varieties of mangos along with several other tropical fruit trees and plants. Accordingly, I am extremely interested in seeing how you are pushing your amazing looking tropical paradise. To that end, I am anxiously awaiting seeing your upcoming video.
With respect to border areas to contain fertilizer feeding and keeping grass and weeds out, I came across a product online that is working extremely well for me. It is called Grassbarrier and is a strong yet flexible plastic border that is 10" wide and relatively easy to cut. I use a framers square to keep my cuts straight and make repeated passes with a razor knife until it is cut through. While this method is slower than using a saw, it leaves a nice and clean cut edge. I bury mine approximately 5" to 6" below the surface which still allows a good 4" to 5" to remain above the surface to contain mulch around the trees. With the extra depth, it also acts as a great deterrent to grass and weeds creeping into the area. It has been holding up well to both the robotic mowers bumping it and the weedeater string hitting it as I maintain the property.
Thanks again for sharing your postings and videos. I find them truly inspiring.