We're far enough into the new season of spring growth, following the February freeze, to glimpse some of the potential damage caused by the freeze stress. The tree in the picture is producing hardly any buds and is highly infested by ball moss, along with an unhealthy growth pattern characterized by a dominant spot and branch overpopulation. This type of stressed canopy is showing up everywhere this year.

Most of the oak trees in the area are showing additional signs of freeze stress, on top of a list of other stressors. The tree in the picture below was not in this condition this time last year. It seems that trees infested with the ball moss are showing the most stress and the drought is only compounding this problem. The bottom line is that many trees are stressed to the limit, and they are not getting enough water and nutrients. For more information visit the Oak Decline Mitigation page.

One way we combat the stress of drought is by doing root inoculation which is 100% natural, never burns, is people and pet-friendly, and provides a mycorrhizal fungus that colonizes the root system, providing increased water and nutrient absorption capabilities.  In turn, the tree provides the fungus with carbohydrates formed from photosynthesis. In laymen’s terms, the water and fertilizer mix supplies both water and nutrients into the tree's root system and the fungi enhance the process. We offer our Root Zone Inoculation Service for $900 for a 100-gallon inoculation. This will cover a root zone area made up of 20-40 trees depending on size, variety and mix of trees in a soil zone up to 5000 square feet in size. For more information visit the Root Zone Inoculation page.

Some of the hardier oaks are doing fine, but the majority of oak trees are highly stressed and need some relief. Our root inoculation is like an emergency IV injected into the root system to give the trees a boost. Most of you who know me, know that I have never advised fertilization to trees before. I'm convinced that if stressors are mitigated, the trees will respond accordingly, and we have had great success in reversing trees with unhealthy patterns. However, that was before the deep freeze, the hailstorm, and the drought, all of which happened this year to already stressed trees. I've started a root inoculation program for the trees on my own property and I am confident that the product will provide a needed boost to the trees under these existing circumstances.

Tribemania Tree Services include:

• Canopy Reshaping

• Ball Moss Spray Removal

• Oak Decline Mitigation

• Oak Wilt Monitoring

• Root Zone Inoculation