While we may have a few snow days left, spring has already begun showing itself in Minnesota and spring means its time to start thinking about your plant health care. We all want our shrubs and trees to be healthy and look beautiful, but do you want to put in the work? We have you covered.
As a Twin Cities tree care company, we offer a yearly Plant Health Care Treatment Service to residents in Anoka, Hennepin, Northern Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties. We take care of what needs to be done so you can enjoy a beautiful yard hassle free.
WHAT IS PLANT HEALTH CARE?
Plant Health Care (PHC) programs were designed by arborists with the objective of maintaining or improving a landscape’s appearance, vitality, and — in the case of trees — safety, using the most cost-effective and environmentally sensitive practices and treatments available. At Birch Tree Care, PHC involves routine monitoring, preventive treatment and a strong working relationship between our arborists and you.
OUR PLANT HEALTH CARE TREATMENT SERVICES
Soil injections for insect treatments
Soil injections provide an environmentally friendly method for treating pests. The plant protectant we use binds to the soil particles to minimize leaching and is absorbed by the tree through its roots to treat against aphid and leafminer type insects harming your trees.
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Tree and shrub fertilization
Just like people, plants have basic nutritional needs, which we provide through our fertilization treatments.
Trees in the forest are fertilized by leaf litter that has accumulated and decomposes, releasing the nutrients that were extracted from the soil. In the urban environment, leaf litter is usually cleaned up and turf grass is often planted, competing with the trees for the same nutrients.
In order to grow and function properly, trees need must be supplied with oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and about a dozen mineral elements.
The fertilizer we use is Arbor Green PRO which is a true slow release fertilizer, which improves the performance of the plant and microorganisms the soil throughout 1 year from the application. Most store bought fertilizer supplies nutrients in the soil for 30-40 days.
By injecting Arbor Green PRO annually, we can provide needed nutrients for increased resistance towards insect and diseases while promoting overall appearance and health.
Fungal sprays such as Apple Scab, Anthracnose, etc.
Some fungal diseases don’t directly kill trees; instead diseases like Apple Scab (most commonly found inApple trees, Pear, Mountain Ash, Crabapples and Quince trees) and Anthracnose (most commonly found inAsh, Oak, Sycamore, Basswood and Maple trees) weaken trees and make them more susceptible to other diseases or insect infestations. We use fungal sprays to help keep your trees strong.
Root flare injections for disease such as Dutch Elm and Oak Wilt
Both Dutch Elm and Oak Wilt diseases have become a serious issue in Minnesota. Dutch Elm Disease is a fungal disease of elm trees that is spread by elm bark beetles and results in the eventual death of the tree. Oak Wilt Disease is a fungal disease spread by insects that can quickly kill an oak tree.
The root flare injection process consists of 3-steps:
Expose the buttress roots or root flare of the tree or trees being injected
Inject a high-volume of fungicide
Refill the exposed root flare area that was excavated in the first step
Root flare injections for Emerald Ash Borer (EAB)
The Emerald Ash Borer is a green jewel beetle that feeds on ash species. To prevent the EAB from destroying Ash trees, we use the same root flare injection process as above, but instead of fungicide, we use an insecticide to control the number of EAB larvae in ash trees.
Japanese beetle sprays
The Japanese beetle (JB) is a serious pest of turf and ornamental plants. Grubs feed on the roots of grass and adults feed on the foliage of more than 300 plant species. To control the population of Japanese beetles and still maintain a healthy population, we use a biorational insecticide spray.
Don’t waste a precious moment of nice Minnesota weather worrying about your plant health care. We have that covered.
Contact one of our sales arborists to create a custom plan for your property.
