9/5/2012 - By Kyle Creamer

In the world of college football, few rivalries can match the intensity of the Iron Bowl—that annual late-November battle between the Auburn Tigers and the Alabama Crimson Tide.  However, even in this rivalry, rarely have the heated emotions topped those surrounding the 2010 Iron Bowl at Bryant-Denny Stadium on the campus of the University of Alabama.

For Auburn, beating Bama in this game would punch the Tigers’ ticket to their first National Championship game in 53 years.  For the Tide—the defending National Champs, by the way—the thought of losing to Auburn, especially if it paved Auburn’s way to the BSC Championship game, was reprehensible.

On game day, Alabama jumped out to a 24-0 lead over Auburn and looked to be on its way to ruining the Cinderella season of its hated rival. However, Auburn, in front of a hostile road crowd, stormed back and claimed a 28-27 victory.   That enormous come from behind victory called for serious celebration by Auburn fans everywhere, especially at Toomer’s Corner in Auburn.

Toomer’s Corner is the major intersection of College Street and Magnolia Avenue in downtown Auburn.  After every Tiger victory, hundreds and thousands of toilet tissue–toting fans flock to Toomer’s and proceed to roll the Toomer’s oaks, two treasured trees that for decades have been the heart of Auburn tradition.  And, not surprisingly, the celebration of the 2010 Iron Bowl celebration was the mother of all Toomer’s Corner rollings. 

The Auburn win and the colossal victory party were more than one rabid Alabama fan could take, so he took revenge a couple of weeks after the game by maliciously poisoning the two beloved Toomer’s oaks. And he poisoned them good, too, with massive doses of Spike 80DF, a herbicide that, even at the rate of 1oz. per 100 gallons of water, is lethal to any vegetation.  Speculation leads to believe that he poured a much higher concentration.

In January 2011, this man called a Birmingham-based nationally syndicated sports talk show and proudly confessed his criminal deed, and subsequent soil tests confirmed his boastful claim.  In February of 2011, Auburn University confirmed the news that the iconic trees had been poisoned, and the story drew national attention and public outrage.

The university immediately organized a Toomer’s oaks task force that included university horticulturists, landscapers, agronomists, engineers, chemists and others to fully assess the damage and determine the best course of action to try and rescue the iconic oaks, even though the chances of survival were nearly non-existent.

Harrell’s responded quickly and has worked hand-in-hand with the task force to try to save the trees.  Spike 80DF is a photosynthesis inhibitor, so the trees were literally unable to produce sugars and were on the brink of starving to death.  The task force began to do sugar injections around the base of the trees and into the xylem of the trees to allow the sugars the oaks need to survive to be translocated throughout the trees.  Essentially, the trees were on life support.  Harrell’s donated our Ornamental 9-3-6 Harrell’s MAX fertilizer as well as numerous cases of EarthMAX liquid to be applied every two weeks at a rate of 1gal per 100 gallons of water per tree.

“Throughout this process, I have taken full advantage of offers that, in my professional opinion, had potential benefit to the Toomer’s oaks,” said Gary Keever, Auburn horticulture professor and head of the task force. “Harrell’s donations of 9-3-6 liquid fertilizer and EarthMAX have allowed us to provide nutrients and beneficial microorganisms to the Toomer’s oaks using high-quality products from a reputable company with Alabama (the state) and Auburn ties.”

The two live oaks at Toomer’s Corner struggled yet survived through 2011 and on into late spring 2012, but then things took a turn for the worse.  The trees are close to 80 years old, and live oaks are not native to Auburn, Alabama.  The deck was seemingly stacked against these trees.   A mid-August 2012 update from the university acknowledged the long-term outlook for the trees is “not good.”  Though fans will have the opportunity to celebrate the oaks this football season, it will certainly be the last. 

“It’s impossible to know whether Harrell’s products prolonged the life of the trees, but the foliage of both oaks did green up within 10 days after the fertilizer and EarthMAX applications began, and that despite the Spike 80DF manufacturer’s statement that nothing would save the poisoned trees.,” Keever said. 

He noticed such drastic improvement with the use of these products on the Toomer’s trees that he got some in the hands of Auburn University’s Landscape Services to use elsewhere on campus.  “And, Auburn landscape crews have since begun applying EarthMAX to several transplanted trees and bedding plants,”  Keever added.  “And based on visible improvements, Auburn Landscape Services ordered EarthMAX and is using it in these applications all over campus.”   Keever went on to note that when (not if) the iconic trees are replaced, they will be applying EarthMAX and Harrell’s Ornamental 9-3-6 liquid fertilizer to the new trees to aide in post- transplant establishment. 

Certainly, a sad day looms in the future for Auburn University when these precious trees have to be removed.   However, the plans are being made now to replace trees, and once again Toomer’s Corner will be a symbol of life and victory for Auburn fans everywhere.  And, come next November on that Saturday night when the Iron Bowl rivalry is renewed, I doubt there’s a sweeter wish to the Auburn fan than waking up to see the new trees covered in toilet paper on the following Sunday morning.

A picture of Toomer’s Corner after an Auburn Football victory.

Left: One of the Toomer’s Oaks before they were poisoned.
Right: That same oak in August 2012 after pruning the dead wood out of the tree.