Spring Tree And Shrub Care: Will Root Fertilizing Keep Them Healthier?

Most soils in the Midwest supply enough macronutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus and micronutrients such as iron to help landscaping trees and shrubs stay healthy. But sometimes you need extra fertilization in the spring as well as insecticide to keep your trees and shrubs beautiful and bug-free.

Each landscape has unique nutritional needs after the spring thaw through the May growth season. Trees and shrubs often need the extra nutrients at the right time to prosper. Root fertilization provides your trees and shrubs with the right balance of fertilization and insecticide to keep your lawn's ecosystem at its healthiest--and a healthy landscape is a thriving landscape.

They weather gets crazy in the Midwest sometimes--how will fertilization help?

Trees and shrubs in the Midwestern region of the United States bear the brunt of iffy seasonal weather. Spring can see lots of snow and ice. It can also see warmer temps, virulent spring thunderstorms and lots of rain and soil runoff. Sometimes you will find yourself coping with both weather extremes in a short span of time. The abrupt changes in weather isn't easy on your trees and shrubs. Fragile buds ready to bloom may suddenly be hit with a coating of destructive frost or ice. These changes can affect how your trees and shrubs get their rooted nutrients to those new buds.

Spring root fertilization can provide you with:

• Thicker/fuller trees, plants and shrubs due to nutrients that the root system draws from during the spring thaw
• Greener growth because those nutrients get to budding trees and shrubs
• Insecticide to keep Japanese beetles away from roses and emerald ash borers off trees

If trees and shrubs aren't fertilized on a regular basis, will they die?

Not necessarily, but they may fall prey to disease that can threaten them. This may constitute tree or shrub removal. You have invested time and money into them already. Spending time during the spring thaw to care for the rooting systems will go a long way in strengthening your trees and shrubs. Contact your local extension office for specific questions about fertilization, soil testing, and insect control.

So when should trees and shrubs be fertilized?

According to the University of Minnesota, there are three phases of growth that you need to consider when fertilizing.

• Newly planted or getting ready to plant trees and shrubs
• Young adult trees and shrubs that are going through growth spurts
• Mature adult trees and shrubs

Trees and shrubs do more than just make landscaping pretty. They serve to promote a healthy ecosystem from the roots up so that your entire lawn stays healthy. For more information, talk to a professional like Souliere & Son Tree SpeclSts.

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