ORGANIC TREE FERTILIZATION SERVICES
100% Organic Fertilizer for Trees and Shrubs
Many urban trees and shrubs are growing in soils that lack microbial activity and are considered to be “dead soils.” Due to difficult grown conditions including high pH soils, salinity, and high clay content, urban trees are often unable to extract the nutrients they need from the soil. Without proper nutrition, the trees are unable to create enough energy to grow properly and sometimes they stop producing chlorophyll. Urban trees often show signs of nutrient deprivation – when leaves turn yellow prematurely – are susceptible to fungus and insect pressure, and have stunted growth. This is why Organo-Lawn provides organic tree fertilization services for the trees in your Colorado home.
Deep Root Tree / Shrub Fertilization: $65 Minimum Charge GET FREE ESTIMATE
Difficult Growing Conditions for Urban Trees
Deep root tree and shrub fertilization is one service that most homeowners neglect in their lawn maintenance programs. In a forest trees grow in their natural habitat and every autumn their leaves naturally replenish the soil. In the city, trees are often planted in foreign locations where soil, sun, moisture, and climactic conditions are not favorable. Many trees are also overwatered or improperly watered, which causes soil compaction and starves the tree roots of air. It is very important to water the lawn according to the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique. This technique is based on science and logic and is the ideal way to water both grass and trees.
Urban Soils and Trees
Trees also struggle in cities because of dead soils, compounded growing space for roots, air pollution, and compacted soil. Due to these stressful conditions, the average lifespan of an urban tree that is not properly cared for is only 10-15 years. In Colorado, many trees such as ashes, oaks, birches, and maples are foreign to the region but are popular urban selections because they provide beautiful fall colors. These fall color trees, however, become stressed very quickly if not properly fertilized at least once per year.
Iron Chlorosis in Maples and Oak Trees
Fall color trees like maples and oaks often develop a condition called chlorosis. In the summer months, the leaves that used to be a lustrous dark green are often a pale yellow-green, and in the autumn, leaves that should be vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows often are dull red-browns, orange-browns, and yellow-browns. This weakening of the tree’s leaf color is a result of “dead soils”, resulting in an inability for the tree to pick up and uptake nutrients like iron and magnesium. This potentially deadly, but treatable tree problem is called iron chlorosis.
Organo-Lawn has formulated the ideal tree fertilizer for trees. It is designed to not only feed the tree but it will also stimulate beneficial microbial activity in the soil. Before you schedule a tree fertilization with a different company, make sure to talk to one of our tree care experts at Organo-Lawn. Call our Boulder area office at (303) 499-2000 or Fort Collins office at (970) 225-9425.
Expert Tree Services
Organo-Lawn Is The Expert In Organic Tree Fertilizers!
Organo-Lawn has designed a proprietary and incredible 100% organic tree fertilizer, which we inject into the tree’s root zone. The blend is a special mix of the beneficial fungus mycorrhiza, chelated iron, yucca extract, humate, micro-nutrients, and our slow-release organic fertilizer we call MDS Compost Tea.
In the spring the trees will use the mix of organic fertilizers and mycorrhiza to support healthy growth and in the fall the trees use the nutrients in the organic tree fertilizer to develop and strengthen their root system.
Organic fertilizers do not damage roots and our 100% organic slow-release tree formulation allows us the ability to fertilize young and newly transplanted trees without causing harm to their root system. It is strongly recommended to fertilize trees that are less than 4 years from transplant.
Urban Soils and Trees
Trees also struggle in cities because of dead soils, compounded growing space for roots, air pollution, and compacted soil. Due to these stressful conditions, the average lifespan of an urban tree that is not properly cared for is only 10-15 years. In Colorado, many trees such as ashes, oaks, birches, and maples are foreign to the region but are popular urban selections because they provide beautiful fall colors. These fall color trees, however, become stressed very quickly if not properly fertilized at least once per year.
Tree Fertilization
What Types of Trees Need to be Fertilized in Colorado?
- Trees that we consider to be a “must-do” for tree fertilization include:
- Fall color trees like ashes, birches, oaks, and maple trees.
- Any tree under stressful conditions such as heat or drought stress, extreme cold, nutrient deprivation, and/or biotic stress such as insect pressure.
- Young trees that have not established their root system in the soil.
- Trees living in clay or dead soils. This is most trees in the urban landscapes of Colorado.
Colorado is a very difficult environment for growing trees. All trees will benefit from organic deep root tree fertilization. If you are not sure what trees on your property need to be fertilized or would benefit from tree fertilization, please contact our office and speak with one of our tree experts.
Conditions that Add Stress to a Tree
Tree Problems Caused By People
- Planting problems (planted too deep)
- Soil disturbances (digging or construction)
- Misuse of mulches, plastic, or landscaping materials
- Poor plant choices for planting location
- Air pollution
Soil Problems
- pH is too high. This is very common in Colorado (especially in Longmont, Erie, Lafayatte, and Loveland) and causes mineral deficiency
- Soil compaction (very common in Colorado)
- Poor soil drainage
Climate and Weather
- Untimely cold or freezes (very often in Colorado)
- Early or late snow (common in Colorado)
- Hail, wind, lightning (common in Colorado)
- Sunscald (winter tree wrapping prevents sunscald)
Mechanical or Physical Injury
- Tree trunk injury (trimmer or mower damage)
- Improper tree pruning
Water Problems
- Drought (common in Colorado)
- Excessive watering or poor soil drainage (water replaces the air in the soil and causes a lack of oxygen in the soil)
Chemicals
- Salts and magnesium chloride
- Improper herbicide or pesticide use (commonly from 2,4-D applications)
What is Mycorrhiza?
Mycorrhiza is a beneficial fungus that grows on plant roots and helps them survive conditions of stress such as low fertility, drought, temperature extremes, and root pathogens. The beneficial fungi, Mycorrhizae, also prevent the tree’s roots from absorbing forms of pollution such as heavy metals and toxins in soils. Mycorrhiza promotes an increase in xylem cell number, cell wall thickness, and lumen diameter. Studies prove that trees injected with mycorrhiza, increase photosynthesis and use water more efficiently compared to trees that lack mycorrhiza.
What Causes Iron Deficiency in Trees?
Iron Chlorosis means that the tree is no longer able to perform photosynthesis or create chlorophyll. The lack of iron in the tree is called chlorosis, which causes the tree to slowly starve to death. The reason this is happening is usually caused by a combination of a lack of organic matter and beneficial microbial activity in the soil, called dead soils, improper planting (usually too deep), overwatering of the landscape, or other abiotic conditions.
Chlorosis tends to be more severe in poorly drained or compacted soils and in soils that have pH levels above 7.5. Oaks, maples, birches, and aspens frequently show this condition even in low pH soils while other trees will develop chlorosis in higher pH soils. Iron is most soluble and readily absorbed by plants at a pH range of 5.0 to 6.5, which is extremely rare in Colorado soils. Chlorosis is also aggravated by cold soil temperature, compacted soils, overwatering, and dead soils.
Chlorosis is usually more common in urban landscapes because residential soils are usually compact, lack organic matter, and sprinkler systems are often programmed improperly causing overwatering or too frequent watering. The trees that are most susceptible to suffering from iron chlorosis are typically non-native plant species like oaks and red maples. These trees are native to the East Coast and are not native to Colorado. This makes them very sensitive to our high pH soils and iron chlorosis is a common problem in our urban landscapes.
The best method in the prevention and treatment of chlorosis is by following the 1-2-3-2-1 lawn watering technique and annual organic tree fertilization applications that contain chelated iron and humate. Humate is teeming with organic matter and a natural chelating agent (converts unavailable nutrients into available nutrients for uptake by the tree).
We also strongly recommend a sprinkler audit when a tree is showing signs of chlorosis. Overwatering is one of the major causes of dead soils, which exacerbates the effects of chlorosis.
Organic Tree and Shrub Fertilization Prices*
Tree Height – Cost Per Tree
Shrubs – $6.50
5 – 10 ft – $10.50
11 – 15 ft – $18.00
16 – 20 ft – $23.00
21 – 25 ft – $27.50
26 – 30 ft – $36.00
30 – 50 ft – $45.00
50+ ft – $55.00
*$65.00 Minimum Purchase
Discounts: $5.00 off orders over $100.00, $10.00 off over $150.00, and $30.00 off over $300.00
FAQ – Tree Fertilization
When is the best time of year to fertilize trees in Colorado?
Spring fertilizer is used by the tree to promote growth and stimulate flowering. Fall tree fertilizer is used by the tree for root health and food storage. Both spring and fall are ideal times to fertilize trees.
Organic tree fertilizers are completely different than chemical tree fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are naturally slow-release, which means they feed the tree very slowly and organic fertilizers also stimulate beneficial microbial activity in the soils. Typically Chemical fertilizers are comprised of fast-release nutrients which means the fertilizer is readily available for uptake and use by the tree. Chemical fertilizers kill beneficial microbes in the soil because they are salt-based nutrients.