For anyone that’s watched their kids grow up there’s always a period we wish we could’ve frozen in time. When everything was just right. Imagine how great they would’ve been in 5th grade if they stayed longer. They would’ve perfected themselves for that period of time. With trees you can do that, not only does it keep them from getting any larger, but it helps them become more whole, and healthy overall.
What do I mean? Most of the time when I see a new house, it has a few trees that have had their root zone reduced, resources removed (soil), and are suddenly too big for the area they’ve been left to support themselves. A big tree needs a big root zone… Trees require water and nutrients for three main needs. 1. Leaf Production 2. Cell Elongation (“woody growth”), and 3. Building Root Zone. If we freeze them in time with a hormone, it shuts down 1 process, the “woody growth” part. They will not get taller, wider, heavier or more dense. Instead of dividing their resources up into 3 areas, they only need 2. So there’s more to stuff go around… The leaf and roots of the tree now become the priority, and get better treatment.
The effects are nothing but positive. The leaf tissue gets thicker, darker in color, more drought and disease resistant. The roots expand and begin replacing what the builder removed. The tree is more prepared to endure a drought, and it’s problems. It can better resist disease because cell wall structure is thicker. They requires less pruning, because growth is halted. It needs less water, and the one treatment will last 3 full years.
HOA’s, Utility Companies, and any city with a budget for pruning, should really consider this tool. It has saved a lot of Trees and cost for them over the years.
One last benefit… You can leave your Holiday Lights up for 3 years (sometimes longer). There really isn’t a downside to stopping the trees growth in an urban landscape. I’ve been using this for over 25 years now with great results.