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Homeowners sometimes ask if it’s possible to have a 100% organic tree care program. The fact is there are organic solutions to keep trees healthy. Although it’s not possible to control all tree pests with organic products there are many organic options tree care services can use to help trees.
Organic Tree Fertilizer
The main components in tree fertilizer, whether organic or synthetic, are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Organic tree fertilizers of many different blends and brands are readily available and many tree care services use such products. But, tree care services that offer organic tree fertilizer often go beyond just offering nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium tree fertilizer.
Beyond Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium
Tree care services that offer organic tree fertilizer options often offer other tree health solutions as separate treatments, or in addition to nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium fertilizers. Other additives, generally considered soil amendments, include mycorrhizae fungi, rhizobacteria, compost tea, yucca, or kelp or seaweed fertilizers. All of these additives, applied with organic fertilizer or as a separate treatment can enhance and increase the biological activity of the soil. This alone can help a tree cope with the stresses associated with urban environments.
Organic Tree Spraying
Several environmentally friendly, organic, products are available to control or repel tree pests. It’s important to note that organic tree spraying options will sometimes have a lower level of control than using synthetic products or will require tree spraying to be done more often. Organic tree spraying products used by some tree care services include Bacillus Thuringiensis (BT), Citronella, Garlic Extracts, Horticultural Soaps, Phosphorous, Rosemary Oil, and Sulfur. Highly refined Horticultural Oils could also be included as an organic tree spraying option for controlling some insect pests. While organic tree spraying is not advisable for controlling every tree pest, there are certain conditions when it could be implemented as an alternative to traditional methods of controlling tree pests.
Organic tree care is a combination of keeping the tree healthy, so it will not be attacked or can recover from insect or disease pest attacks, and controlling tree pests with organic tree spraying. Even though organic tree care may not be able to be used to control all tree pests it can be used in combination with traditional tree care treatments to keep your trees healthy and pest free.
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