Plant Health Care: Deep root feeding, insect and disease control and Compost Tea

Deep Root Feeding

The single most important preventive measure you can take to enhance the health, beauty, and vigor of your trees is to Deep Root Feed your tree’s root system. A successful Plant Health Care Program begins with the proper nutrients. Trees receiving regular applications of essential nutrients look better and live longer. Northwest Tree Specialists’ arborists can detect impending problems and recommend the optimum time for fertilizing before signs of nutrient deficiency are visible and plant vigor has been compromised.

Why treat your roots?

Trees and shrubs in your landscape actually exist in a foreign environment, even “native species”, lacking the nutrients found in the rich layer of humus occurring naturally on the forest floor. In your landscape--where there is limited natural fertilizer--tree roots must reach out to obtain the nutrients they need. Obstacles such as compacted soil, rock ledges, buildings, pools, and pavements often impede their ability to obtain nutrients. Don't count on your lawn fertilizer to help. Only an insignificant amount--if any--will filter down to the tree roots.

When to treat?

You should treat your roots now, before the warning signs of nutrient deficiency are visible and the plant’s health has been compromised. Northwest Tree Specialists' knowledgeable arborists can diagnose the situation and recommend the optimum time to fertilize. Trees receiving regular applications of essential nutrients look better and live longer.

One to three treatments per year are recommended depending upon the environment your trees live in. Spring treatments are designed to stimulate seasonal growth and replenish soil nutrient levels. Summer treatments are designed to provide essential nutrients and water in the dry summer months. Fall treatments are designed to prepare the tree for the stresses of winter, and improve rooting and carbohydrate reserves

Our Ingredients

Northwest Tree Specialists' Deep Root Feed solution provides a combination of essential macro and micronutrients with beneficial fungi specifically formulated for your trees’ needs. We use the most natural and organic products available on the market to minimize the impact on the environment. Additional details are available upon request.

Insect and Disease Control

Not all of Mother Nature's creations are benefical nor tolerated by our customers.  There are many insect and disease issues in the Pacific Northwest that can be controlled with natural and organic materials.  Some examples are:  Brown Blossom Blight of cherry; Apple and Pear Scab; Dutch Elm Disease; Antracnose of sycamore and ash; Phytophthora; Bronze Birch Borer; Aphids; Mites and Lace Bugs, just to name a few.

At Northwest Tree Specialists we believe in Integrated Pest Management (IPM); to use a combination of management tactics (mechanical, cultural, biological, chemical and reglatory) to reduce pest populations or maintain them at non-damaging levels, both preventatively and curratively.  This could mean one application to many depending on the severity and the need.  Some problems occur every year and need a program to keep your trees and shrubs healthy.  Some problems can be tolerated by trees and shrubs, especially if beneficial insects are present and working hard.  Our sales people are knowledgable and will help you in many areas of pest managemnt education.

When we do have to "spray", we try and use organic and natural treatments whenever possible.  If we have to use something a little stronger we use environmentally friendlier products ( EFP) using safer, low risk methods.  We NEVER spray an entire tree with EFP's.  We use proven tree and soil injections along with bark treatments to get these products in to the tree.  This elimates the danger to you, your family, your neighbors, our environment and to our applicators.

And, we will NEVER come and spray everything, just because.  We feel strongly about saving your trees while protecting the environment.  Part of IPM is to pinpoint an occurring or potential problem and deal with only that.  The days of broadcast spraying your yard are over.

 Compost Tea coming Spring 2011!!!

Next year will bring some exciting changes and additions to our plant health care program.  We will be able to brew and apply aerated compost tea to use against most insect and disease problems here in the Pacific Northwest.  It's another addition to our beliefs in being more organic, natural and Green.

What is it?  In short, it's a combination of vegetative compost, humic acid, fish fertilizer and some beneficail organisms, which when aerated, release all the natural biological "critters" in to solution.  These "critters" or microorganisms are then sprayed on the trees and shrubs or injected or drenched in to the soil.  This adds the biology back in to the soil and on to the leaf surfaces, helping a plant obtain nutrients better and also naturally fighting off determental insects and diseases.  You may ask why is this needed?  For one, pollution, conventional fertilizers and chemicals kill microorganisms needed for plant survival.  And another, a lot of these microorganisms were destroyed during the construction of your home, wether it was 1 year or 100 years ago.  Without proper inoculation and feeding, microorganisms recover slowly.

Compost tea has been used for centuries and has made a big come back recently with modern brewers and readily available natural additives.  Our Production Manager is an expert on the making and application of compost tea, having attended the Sustainable Studies Institute and creating a compost tea program for another tree company.  Contact him at tommy@nwtreespecialists.com with any questions.

What's great is that this stuff really works!  More to come!!

Contact us today for a free stimate and consultation from our fully trained professionals.