What Is Plant Health Care?
Plant health care (PHC) is a proactive approach to maintaining the health of the trees, shrubs, and other plants located throughout your St. Louis landscape. PHC is a combination of cultural practices, pest and disease management, and nutrient management to promote the overall health and vigor of the plants. We can protect trees and plants with insecticides for infectious pests, fungicides for deadly diseases, growth regulators for trees getting too big for their (or your) own good, and nutrients for urban trees lacking their natural resources.
The Benefits Of Plant Health Care
Plant health care helps to prevent problems before they occur, and allows us to address them quickly if they do arise. Our PHC program will provide the following benefits to your landscape:
- Trees and shrubs will live much longer
- Trees and shrubs will require less pruning
- Trees and shrubs are less likely to cause property damage
- Trees and shrubs can better resist pests and diseases
These benefits to your plants will allow you to preserve the value of your landscape, and in doing so you will be SAVING lots of money in the long run. Allow me to explain how.
Plant Health Care Cost Analysis
There may be deadly pests attacking your trees at this very moment, and they could cause thousands of dollars in expenses throughout the years to come. The two most common problems we deal with are the oak gall wasp which attacks pin oak trees and the ash borer which attacks ash trees. Both pests are major risks to their respective trees, and after they do their work, you are left with expensive tree removal. Depending on the size of the tree you might be looking at anywhere between a few hundred for a small tree, to an average of around $2,000, and up to over $10,000 if the tree is in a really bad spot. If your yard is regularly inspected by a certified arborist, you will be presented with opportunities to treat your trees and prevent these costly expenses. The cost of treatments varies just like the size of tree removals, but on average, the cost of treatment is between 8 and 12 times less expensive compared to estimated tree removal. By saving your trees you save money; you also preserve the shade, beauty, and any other value the trees bring to your St. Louis property.
Below is a chart with information on the average costs of different services associated with having a large tree (a large tree being 30-50” in diameter at breast height (DBH) for sake of the chart below).
| Service | Large tree (treated) | Large tree (untreated) |
| Deadwooding cost | $0-$2,000 (treatments will prevent need to deadwood more than once) | $750-$4,000 (future deadwooding expenses should be expected) |
| Removal cost | $0 | $2,500+ (often $3,000-$6,000)* |
| Replanting cost | $0 | $1,000-$2,000 |
| Treatment cost | $150-$600** | $0 |
| Average total cost | $300-$1500 | $3,000-$12,000 |
*Some trees may require a crane and be very expensive, and in rare cases, we will not be able to remove a tree. In these cases, we recommend you prioritize trying to preserve these trees through the use of plant health care.
**Some trees may need multiple different types of treatment to achieve desired health, and some treatments may need to be repeated every 1, 2, or 3 years.
Immeasurable Costs Of Untreated Trees
While contacting and scheduling a plant health care service can seem like a hassle, we make it as easy as possible at Jackson Tree Service. By simply texting, calling, or filling out a website form here, you can have a Certified Arborist/Plant Health Care Specialist out to your home at no cost – you don’t even have to be there. Our arborist will assess the trees on your property and you will receive, via email, a detailed assessment of your trees, what is suggested, what is emergent, and what can wait. Our St. Louis office will make the entire process as simple as possible and discuss with you as much or as little as you like.
Having healthy trees is good for the value of your property, and will provide the following benefits:
- Healthy trees increase the value of your property by an average of 10% and up to 20%
- The shade provided can reduce air conditioning needs by 30%
- Reduced energy expenses used for heating by up to 50%
As you drive through your neighborhood, most of the house’s landscapes do not stand out to you. You are more likely to notice someone’s house if their yard looks terrible, or if it looks really nice. We can take an average landscape, ensure it doesn’t turn into that ugly property in the neighborhood, and strive to make your property stand out for having the best looking trees on the block.
Work With The Plant Health Care Experts
If you have been scouring Google for solutions to your tree and shrub problems, you might have been recommended DIY treatment options. Without having a certified arborist to diagnose the problems, you are left with self-diagnosing what can become serious problems for your trees and treating them with basically over-the-counter remedies. For best results, you need trained professionals taking care of your landscape, with the most well-tested products, and applied at the optimal timing. When using Jackson Tree Service for plant health care needs, we will provide an accurate diagnosis of problems, great customer service, precise timing for treatments, and great results.