Plant Health & Maintenance

(click the issue name for detailed information)

Anti-Transpirants

Winter Injury to conifers occurs when the stomates (pores) of the needles open and water is released from the foliage on sunny days in the winter. This happens when sunlight increases the temperature on the foliage to temperatures above 32° F, while the ambient air temperature remains below freezing. Water in the foliage is lost to the atmosphere and cannot be replaced since the tree is dormant and is not absorbing water. Repeated episodes over the winter can kill needles, branches and entire plants. Anti-transpirants physically block stomates and do not allow water to escape from the treated foliage.

Chlorosis

Chlorosis is a common problem of shade trees growing in the urban areas of Minnesota. Oaks tend to be highly susceptible, but many other tree species including maples and birch also suffer from this disorder. This is a chronic condition which slowly decreases a tree’s overall vigor and ability to survive.

Dealing With Dead And Dying Ash Trees

Hundreds of thousands of ash trees will be removed as a result of the Emerald Ash Borer, an invasive beetle that kills all native ash trees. Although some valuable trees can and will be saved it leaves us with a dilemma regarding what to do with all the removed trees. Rainbow Treecare has focused on maximizing the benefits of trees by keeping them healthy and maintained; now we are exploring how to maximize the use of removed trees through Urban Wood Utilization.

Decreasing The Potential Spread Of Disease And Insect Infestation

When trees die due to disease or insect infestation it is imperative that the infected materials be removed from the site or destroyed. Infested trunk and branch tissues can harbor the disease pathogens, bark beetles, and other boring insects that can infest other trees in the neighborhood and continue the pattern of decline throughout the region.

Girdling Roots

Urban landscapes are filled with trees that are planted too deeply. When root systems of trees are planted as little as six inches to several feet below the soil surface, they are buried too deep. These roots are unable to support the nutrient and water needs of the tree.

Harmful Pruning Practices

Pruning is permanent and once done cannot be undone. Pruning impacts a tree for its entire life. There are many reasons a tree may need to be pruned but all pruning should be evaluated with the health and safety of the tree in mind. Improper pruning will weaken a tree, can shorten its life, and reduce its aesthetic value. Proper pruning reduces the hazard a tree may present while improper pruning can actually increase a trees potential to become hazardous.

Large Property Mapping and Inventory

Maps provide the means in determining the success of our efforts in managing the health of your trees. For small properties a hand-drawn map is sufficient. For larger properties, neighborhoods, golf courses or communities, maps built using global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS) will insure that every tree in the landscape is accurately documented. We call this form of mapping a landscape inventory.

Manganese and Iron Chlorosis

One character of tree soils that can directly impact tree health is soil pH. The pH of the soil influences the ability of soils to release and or hold onto chemical nutrients that are needed for trees to live and be healthy. The measurement of pH is just the ability of soils to exchange hydrogen ions for other chemical elements.

Prescription Organic Matter

At Rainbow Treecare we understand that the nutritional needs of trees are species specific and change from infancy through maturity. Based on twenty years of University research, Rainbow Treecare has developed soil modifiers that improve the ability of roots to absorb water and nutrients at all stages of life.

Proper Tree Planting

Research has shown that over 95% of tree failures are related to critical errors made at the time of planting. All too often, arborists will find problems that can be traced back to the first year the tree was planted in the landscape. Planting a tree that will live for generations and provide many benefits is easy to achieve if done correctly at the beginning.

Pruning Procedures

Rainbow Treecare Arborists are trained to remove limbs on trees with the least impact to tree health. We have based much of our pruning practices on the pruning research from two scientists, Dr. Dan Neely of the Illinois Natural History Survey and Dr. Alex Shigo from the U.S. Forest Service, who both discussed wound healing as the key to successful pruning.

Pruning Standards

Tree pruning is done to remove deadwood or to address structural problems by selectively removing live branches. Pruning is a tree maintenance practice and is necessary to maintain the health and safety of urban trees. An educated decision is needed before removing live branches as it will take away resources from overall tree health.

Root Enhancement System

The majority of a tree’s biomass is underground in its root system. Since trees cannot move they must survive by adapting to the soil conditions in which they are placed. Urban situations stress a tree’s ability to maintain and regenerate root health, which is reflected in its above ground appearance. Rainbow Treecare has developed a Root Enhancement System© (RES) that promotes fibrous root growth for greater capacity to acquire water and nutrients from urban soils, resulting in increased tree health and vigor.

Shrub Pruning

Proper pruning is important for the shrubs in your landscape. Shrubs display their best characteristics when pruned regularly and correctly. The objectives in pruning shrubs are to maintain desired size, maintain desired appearance (natural or formal), maximize flowering potential, and promote ability to naturally regenerate.

Tree Cabling

Tree cabling involves the installation of hardware that is intended to reduce the risk of catastrophic failure. Support cables are used to reduce tree damage by limiting the lateral movement of branches and increasing the weight that a supported branch joint can sustain.

Tree Growth and Tree Health

Growth is not always healthy. Just ask a doctor if you should eat less and exercise more. The same scenario goes for trees. As trees mature they need to grow less and utilize their photosynthetic energy for other processes like reproduction, defense and storage. In urban environments we often need to slow a trees growth to help it recover from stresses such as root damage, soil compaction, and severe pruning.

Tree Nutrition

Rainbow Treecare utilizes prescriptive nutrient programs based on soil tests to enhance tree and shrub growth, vigor and environmental stress resistance. By understanding that a “one size fits all” fertilization program is not in the best interests of plant health, we reduce the potential problems associated with the over and under application of fertilizer. Rainbow Treecare utilizes soil and plant information to manage the health of individual trees based upon actual nutritional needs.

Trees and Drought

Trees require four resources to live: 1) sunlight 2) carbon dioxide 3) nutrients 4) water. Water drives all the processes within a tree from photosynthesis to root growth and nutrient uptake. As trees grow they invest energy in creating a root system that will support them in times when water is a scarce commodity. In urban landscapes we often create situations where the trees’ natural drought resistance is damaged or is circumvented. In these situations trees can be irreparably damaged by a lack of water.

Watering Drought Stressed Trees

All trees, even mature ones need water. Significant changes in climate patterns are impacting entire ecosystems. Our urban landscapes are not immune to these changes. In fact, trees in urban areas are more prone to drought damage and death than natural stands of trees. The best solution to help trees through a drought period is to water your trees!

Winter Pruning

A well maintained, structurally sound tree is a valuable asset to your landscape and will maintain and even increase property values. The majority of tree damage can be prevented by proper pruning. Winter pruning is important because it is the best time to evaluate and care for the structural needs of trees.