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Imprelis is a chemical manufactured by DuPont. It was used by lawn maintenance companies for broadleaf weed control in lawns or turf.Unfortunately Imprelis has proven to be very toxic to trees, particularly evergreen trees.
Thousands of trees have been affected by the chemical. Many of the trees have either died or are damaged enough that they will also need to be replaced.
Arbor Hill Tree Farm has had many inquiries about replacement of trees damaged by Imprelis. We have a large inventory of many sizes and varieties of evergreens growing in our fields. Typically we burlapp evergreen trees from 4-12 feet tall. This size of tree can be planted using out ASV. This machine is approximately 5 feet wide, so we can get into an area that has limited access.The ASV is equipped with a smooth rubber track , so it is very turf friendly during the tree installation process.
Evergreen trees 13 feet & larger usually require a much larger root ball, so for that size tree we use a truck mounted tree spade. Due to the large size of this equipment, we are limited to where we can plant this size tree.
Both the methods of planting trees we use can viewed by going to our Installations Methods web page.
Please contact Jerry at Arbor Hill Tree Farm for specific information on your particular site.

The holidays are behind us and a new year has begun. Just like alot of the U.S., Minnesota is having an extremely mild winter. I think the warm temperatures we are experiencing will help the trees in general weather the winter better given the lack of moisture we had in the fall of 2011.

When we have an extremely dry fall followed by a winter without much snow cover the frost tends to go much deeper and that is harsher on trees. Hopefully by spring we will get out of this dry spell and back to some normal precipitation conditions.

Given the mild conditions, now is a great time to get out and do the pruning on your trees that you did not get done in the fall. The general rule for timing of pruning is if the month has an “R” in the spelling it is safe to prune. With the leaves off the shade trees, it is also easier to see the actual branching of the tree to make your decisions what to prune off.

Of course it is never too early to start thinking about and planning your spring tree planting projects. We have alot of information on our website about the trees we grow for sale at Arbor Hill Tree Farm as well as the services we offer to help you with your project.

We will also be an exhibitor at the Minneapolis Home and Garden Show at the Minneapolis Convention Center that takes place Feb. 29 – March 4th. We will be at booth 1244, so plan on stopping by to see us.

In the fall season, evergreen trees will shed inner needles. This is a very normal thing that happens. The longer needled evergreen trees such as the White Pine, Austrian Pine, and Norway Pine drop or shed about one-third of their needles each fall.

Because these trees tend to be a more open or less dense tree, it is more obvious on those evergreens. The Spruce also shed needles to a lesser degree, but is less noticeable.

The best way to keep your evergreen trees healthy & looking good is to make sure they are watered enough the entire Spring & Summer. Fertilizing with a soil acidifier up until mid July.

One of the most frequently asked questions when we are doing tree planting is do you leave the basket and burlap on? Yes, we leave both on. The basket and burlap is what holds the root structure for the tree together. In a very short time, roots start to grow through the burlap. Eventually, both will rot away, not affecting the tree’s root growth.

I have taken a picture of a burlapped tree that was burlapped only two weeks, and the new roots are already penetrating the burlap.

FAMILY DOG
When you come out to Arbor Hill Tree Farm, you will probably meet our family dog. Lucy is about 6 months old and is a very social Golden Retriever.

As puppies go, we have some work to do to train her. She does not know how strong she is and she can almost knock me down at times with all her energy. We lost our other golden retriever Jesse, to a tragic accident this early spring. We were all crushed by her passing. If you are a dog person, you realize how dogs become a member of the family.

The photos are of Lucy resting in the grass. Also shown is another use of our bubbling rocks, they also work great for doggy drinking fountains.