Tree and Shrub Fertilization

Soil Analysis: The First Step Toward Healthier Trees and Shrubs

The health of your trees and shrubs is directly related to the condition of the soil they grow in. Our fertilization program begins with a professional laboratory analysis of soil samples from your property. The soil analysis will reveal nutrient content, the percentage of organic matter present, pH levels, and more. This data enables us to assess the soil’s ability to absorb and retain essential nutrients, such as cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation.

Our arborist will also walk your property with you to identify any surrounding site conditions that could impact the plants’ health and discuss your priorities for their care.

Premium Nutrition Blends, Targeted to the Needs of Your Property

Using insights from the soil analysis and site inspection, our arborists will design a fertilization and soil treatment plan to help your woody perennials regain and sustain their health.

We use exclusive fertilizer and soil improvement products developed with our commercial and university agroscience partners. These premium blends, used alone or in combination, allow our arborists to give soil the essential materials the tree or shrub needs: nutrients, organic matter, and microbes. Our biostimulant product invigorates the trees’ and shrubs’ root growth, helps them tolerate stress, and provides food for the soil microbes. By building a healthy soil and root system, your plants can access what they need to sustainably feed and hydrate themselves throughout the year. Our ISA Certified Arborists will ensure proper treatment is delivered during the best time of the season for optimal effectiveness.

ArborHealth®: the Fertilizer

ArborHealth® is SavATree’s exclusive slow-release fertilizer, delivering essential micro and macro nutrients plus sea kelp to correct nutritional deficiencies and enhance plant growth and vigor.

Most store-bought fertilizers contain only the basics: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK). ArborHealth® goes further, combining these essentials with micronutrients, rooting hormones, kelp, and carbohydrates to nourish soil microbes and stimulate robust growth. 

Those off-the-shelf fertilizers also tend to be high in nitrogen, which can promote diseases and insect problems in your trees and shrubs. ArborHealth® is formulated to keep the nitrogen levels lower, while boosting the levels of micronutrients and microbial foods that help build a good, healthy soil.

ArborKelp®: The Biostimulant

ArborKelp® is SavATree’s exclusive seaweed-based biostimulant that encourages nutrient uptake from the soil, promotes fine root growth, and heightens stress tolerance in trees and shrubs, especially during periods of dry weather and drought. This organic compound improves soil structure and augments soil microbial activity which is essential for nutrient absorption by the tree’s roots.

Since ArborKelp® helps roots more easily absorb nutrients, our arborists often use it in combined application with our ArborHealth® fertilizer when trees and shrubs are struggling with long-term stress.

ArborKelp® also offers unique advantages in a variety of other specialized plant-care situations, including:

• Newly-transplanted trees and shrubs. New trees and shrubs often arrive from the nursery already heavily fertilized, so our arborists avoid adding more right away. Once the roots are established, we can return the following year to start a proper fertilization program. Instead, we focus on helping them establish strong root systems with treatments that prioritize root development over top growth. ArborKelp® is the perfect solution. It increases survival rates for new plantings and boosts their ability to tolerate and recover from the stresses of transplanting. 
• Disease and insect-infested trees and shrubs. Insects and tree pathogens, like fungi and bacteria, feed on nitrogen. A high-nitrogen fertilizer could make the problem worse. Instead, we use ArborKelp® to deliver essential nutrients without fueling the infestation, supporting the plant's recovery while treatment is underway. If you suspect your trees and shrubs are diseased or infested with insects, contact your arborist. They can diagnose the issue and recommend the right nutrition and treatment plan. Learn more about our Insect Management program, our Tree Disease Treatment, and our Shrub Disease Treatment.

ArborHealth® PLUS and ArborKelp® PLUS: Fully Customized Treatment Programs

Our arborists tailor ArborHealth® and ArborKelp® blends to meet the  needs of your trees and shrubs. Based on soil analysis, they may recommend adding materials like organic matter (humic acids), specific micronutrients (iron and manganese are two frequently used), sulfur or lime to adjust pH, mycorrhizae, and beneficial bacteria. We offer comprehensive plant health care programs that include well-timed fertilization plans to help maintain the vitality and beauty of our clients’ landscapes.

Organic Soil Enhancer: the Organic Matter

SavATree’s organic soil enhancer is a natural, carbon-rich product that restores essential organic matter to the soil. It works alongside fertilizer, delivering humic acids that improve soil texture, enhance drainage, and support beneficial microorganisms, like liquid compost, for your landscape.

This treatment is especially valuable for established trees, shrubs, and ornamentals that have lost organic matter due to leaf cleanup or post-construction soil disruption.

Biologic Soil Enhancers: The Microbes

SavATree’s Biologic Soil Enhancer is a blend of rich organic matter, beneficial soil bacteria, and fungi. It is designed to inoculate the soil with these beneficial organisms that work to help plants absorb the nutrients they need from the soil. This application is particularly beneficial to landscapes that have less-than-ideal soil conditions, or suffer from poor drainage.

Mycorrhizae: More Microbes

Depending on your arborists’ evaluation of your trees and shrubs, mycorrhizae can be added to our fertilizer mix, or applied on their own. Mycorrhizae are essential fungi that form symbiotic relationships with plant roots to increase nutrient and water availability, increase disease resistance to soil-borne pathogens, and protect vulnerable root tips during drought.

Soil Remediation Treatment

Our specialized blend of carbon-rich organic materials, polyelectrolytes, and plant-based surfactants is designed to restore soil health. This treatment removes salts and toxins, reduces compaction, enhances water and air flow, improves nutrient availability, buffers soil pH, and rebuilds soil structure.

Deep Root Fertilization: Delivering Fertilizers and Soil Enhancers Where They’re Needed

Deep root fertilization is a valuable technique our arborists use to deliver nutrients and soil treatments directly to the root system of your tree or shrub.

During deep root fertilization, our arborists use specialized hydraulic equipment to inject liquid fertilizer and soil enhancers directly into the root zone, about six to eight inches below the surface. For trees, injections are spaced every two to three feet in a grid pattern beneath the canopy and slightly beyond, ensuring even, targeted coverage.

Pressurized injection of fertilizer and soil amendments quickly delivers nutrients deep into depleted soil. This method also breaks up compaction, improving water and oxygen flow to the root hairs where absorption happens. By contrast, surface fertilization, though useful in some cases, relies on rainfall to move nutrients underground and is less effective on turf or sloped terrain.

Deep root fertilization requires professional-grade equipment and the expertise to apply it precisely: something only a trained arborist can deliver. Our team employs a systematic approach to ensure thorough and even coverage throughout the root zone. Explore the full range of benefits and view a visual breakdown of how the process works.

Whether you're focused on boosting the health of your trees and shrubs or enhancing your landscape’s overall look, SavATree provides expert shrub and tree services tailored to your area’s conditions.