Complete Tree Health Care

Solve Before The Saw

Tree health care is our passion. Everything we do is focused on keeping trees healthy and beautiful. From pruning to insect and disease control, we take a holistic view of your tree and its surrounding environment.

The urban environment is a hard place to live for trees. Soils are often compacted and lacking nutrients. Roots are severed during construction or landscaping, and hydrology gets changed when grades are altered. There is nothing natural about trees growing in the urban landscape, which is stressful for these long-lived organisms. When trees are stressed, they are more susceptible to insects and disease. Often insects maybe be an indication of a deeper problem. However, some pests are virulent and will attack healthy trees. Depending on the situation, it may be best to treat the insect only, but sometimes the whole tree needs to be assessed, and a multi-prong approach is warranted. Wellnitz Tree Care utilizes integrated pest management solutions to address more than just the symptoms and get to the root of the problem (see what I did there?) Blanket treatments and cover sprays are not a good solution and can decrease the landscape’s health over time by killing beneficial insects. Our approach is to make specific plans for your trees to address all of the issues, not just the symptoms.

Trees are unique organisms within the landscape. They require specific care to keep them healthy and looking at their best. Much like pristine lawns need care so do trees. The difference between trees and lawns is trees take decades and sometimes centuries to grow. Because of the time investment into having mature trees, their maintenance is essential. 

Tree Growth Regulator

Cambistat ® is a plant growth regulator that slows the vegetative growth of trees, gently and predictably, for up to three years.
This is helpful because mature trees are typically underestimated at the time of planting and many trees eventually become too large for the area in which they are planted.

By reducing growth you can reduce the risk of property damage and reduce the cost of future maintenance of the tree. With Cambistat ® Wellnitz Tree Care can reduce new canopy growth 40-70% over a three year period. This will help maintain the appearance of your landscape, reduce required pruning, prevent overcrowding and competition, maintain vista views, and minimize the unwanted pruning from power companies.

There are also favorable side effects of reducing growth which include:

  • Drought and disease resistance
  • Increased root growth
  • Greener leaves

A tree that has had a Cambistat ® treatment is still producing the same amount of energy as a tree without treatment, but since that energy is not going into shoot growth, the plant uses that energy defense against insects and disease

Cambistat ® is applied as a soil injection so there is no risk of over spray. We recommend waiting 30 minutes before letting children and pets back into the yard, however there is no such requirement given by the makers. 

Fertilization is probably not for you, but when it is, you need it.

The most important part of tree fertilization is a soil or plant tissue test before fertilizer is applied. Trees use water, carbon dioxide, elements from fertilizer, and the sun’s energy to produce their own food. If essential elements are lacking or missing, fertilizer is necessary because proper nutrient balances are important for tree growth.

Trees need macronutrients:

  • Nitrogen (N)
  • Phosphorus (P)
  • Potassium (K)
  • Calcium (Ca)
  • Magnesium (Mg)
  • Sulfur (S)
  • As well as micronutrients

Too much of one nutrient is just as bad as not enough.

Why Fertilize?

Many urban landscapes soils are disturbed, compacted, and lacking nutrients. Trees showing signs of slow growth might be suffering from one or all of these problems. The only way to properly identify the problem is to have the soil tested.

In most yards, leaves are raked to encourage growth of turf. Removal of leaves prevents cycling of nutrients that occurs in more natural settings. Fertilization may be necessary to compensate for nutrients stripped from the root zone by leaf removal. 

When to Fertilize

Spring and fall are the best times to add nutrients to the soil so they will be available for the main flush of growth which occurs in spring. Trees will continue to absorb nutrients after the first freeze in fall, before the soil freezes. Summer fertilization should be avoided. The salts in fertilizer can stress trees in times of low moisture. Mid to late summer fertilization could also stimulate new growth which is susceptible to freeze damage when the weather cools off.

Trees should not be fertilized with nitrogen when they are first planted or after root damage has occurred. Excess nitrogen at these times can cause new growth which roots cannot support. 

How to Fertilize

The easiest way to fertilize your tree is to have Wellnitz Tree Care do it for you! We will ensure that the proper amount and correct type of fertilizer is applied over the entire root zone. Wellnitz uses slow-release liquid fertilizer by injecting it into the root zone or with a granular fertilizer sprinkled over the root zone. 

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