Rant: I thought tree growth regulators were just a waste of money

A client in Tampa insisted we use one on a huge live oak that was pushing up their driveway... I was sure it was just expensive snake oil. We applied it in early spring, and by the next season, the root flare growth had slowed down so much we only needed a light trim instead of a full grind. Has anyone else had a job that completely changed their mind about a product like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.mila1d agoMost Upvoted

Felt the exact same way about mycorrhizal fungi treatments for years. Wrote them off as garden center hype for people with too much money. Then we had a development project where the builder stripped all the topsoil, leaving just awful compacted clay. The trees we planted with the fungi treatment outgrew the others by a noticeable amount the very first year. It was hard to argue with the results right in front of me.

the_nathan1d ago

Our old neighborhood had terrible soil, basically solid red clay. I refused to buy the mycorrhizal powder for years. Finally tried it on a row of struggling azaleas, and the difference in root growth after one season was shocking. I became a believer that day.

casey6822d ago

Honestly, I was the same way with those root barrier fabrics. Tbh I thought they were just an extra cost that did nothing. We put one in for a client with a maple way too close to their patio. Two years later and there's zero heaving, the pavers are still flat. It totally changed my view on using them for problem trees.