Monthly Archives: March 2020

Why deep root fertilize your trees and shrubs?

There are several reasons why deep root fertilizing your ornamental trees and shrubs is a good thing. It’s less expensive to treat or fertilize an ailing plant than to remove and replace it, and lose the monetary and aesthetic value that large, established trees or shrubs give to your home.

Regular fertilizing means healthy trees and shrubs that are more able to tolerate environmental stresses and resist pests.

Plants use large quantities of nitrogen to produce lush and green ­foliage. Leaf litter is a natural source of nitrogen, but is removed in well-manicured gardens, thus removing a main source of nitrogen. Fertilizing replenishes this lost nitrogen.

Most trees and shrubs are located in heavy and compacted urban soils that have been stripped of topsoil and are low in organic matter and ­fertility. This stresses plants and regular fertilization through hydraulic pressure replenishes depleted soils and helps to fracture compacted soil, thus facilitating the movement of nutrients through the soil to the tree’s roots.

What are the symptoms that your trees or shrubs have a problem and could benefit from fertilization?

  • Light green, yellowish or discolored leaves
  • Thin foliage or branch die-back
  • Fewer or smaller leaves than normal
  • Dying back of branches and the tips
  • Bore holes and sawdust shavings
  • Cracking bark
  • Dead spots on leaves
  • Wilting foliage
  • Premature leaf drop
  • Short annual twig growth

When is the best time to fertilize?

Plants will benefit from fertilization almost anytime of the year as long as soil temperatures are above 40° to 45°F. Typically, spring and fall are the best times to fertilize. Spring fertilization targets feeding leaves, fruits and flowers, while fall fertilization targets feeding roots systems.

What can Good News Tree Service, Inc. offer your trees and shrubs?

  • GNTS offers a full line of plant health care services including
  • Deep root fertilization of shrubs and trees via soil-injection
  • Diagnostics of plant health care problems
  • Pesticide applications (including insecticides and fungicides)
  • Free analysis of the trees and shrubs on your property

The Fertilizing System We Use

We inject liquid fertilizer into the plant’s root zone through hydraulic pressure making it immediately available for uptake unlike typical means of fertilization such as spreading granuilar fertilizer by hand.

Our standard fertilizer includes complete fertilizer (N, P, K) including 40% slow release nitrogen, (and in the spring, Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Ca). Into this we also add 100% organic soil amendments including amino-acids root stimulator to promote nutrient absorption, and stimulate plant metabolism, at the same time encouraging the growth of soil microorganisms to replenish soils depleted of organic matter, thus improving poor subsoil conditions and reducing compaction.

Extremely stressed plants also receive an all-natural liquid biological fungicide, which helps to suppress a broad range of important soil-borne and foliar diseases. These live fungi will multiply in the soil and will fight harmful disease pathogens long after the initial application. This, along with added mychorrhizae fungi, will strengthen the tree’s natural defense mechanisms and stimulate root growth. 

Invest in your trees and shrubs today…and see the difference tomorrow!

Call us today or email us today for a free analysis of your trees & shrubs with a price quote to fertilize or to treat them against pests:

Phone (503) 682-9466
Email: arborist@goodnewstree.com

A New Look for Good News Tree Service, Inc of Wilsonville, Oregon But the Same Name…

GNTS, Inc. is sporting a new look these days. We are completing a long and expensive restoration of our 1952 GMC chip truck, which we purchased in 1996 and which is iconic and “legendary” in our home town. No other tree service in our region, probably in the entire country, has a tree service dump truck like this one—and there’s more to come with new signs and new wood on our dump body to give the truck a more classic and vintage look. This is all in keeping with one of our mottos which is “Old fashioned service, modern techniques since 1985.” For sure, our old dump truck drives home the point of “old fashioned.” Our truck is unique and so is our company in many ways, but this is a discussion for another time.

So why the name “Good News Tree Service, Inc.?” This is not your typical name for a tree service. I could have named my company after myself like so many others do, or added any one of a number trite verbiage to my name such as “A Cut Above,” “Out on a Limb,” “Best,” “Top Notch,” “Cheap,” “Inexpensive,” Professional,” “Quality” or whatever. While these may all be okay names, we chose something totally different and unique because we’re a little different than all the others. So why?

Simply this for this reason. It is our hope that people will ask us “what is the good news?” So what is the good news you may ask? I’m glad you asked! Well there are a lot of things that qualify as good news, even in these crazy times in which we’re living; however, above everything else, there is one thing that stands out above all the rest, and that is the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah), and the love, peace, joy and hope that embracing and walking out this truth brings. Even though I’ve been in biblical-based evangelistic and pastoral ministry for 30 years, I don’t promote a church, denomination or any religious institution. I promote one thing only: the Bible as the word of LORD God (Yehovah Elohim) and Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Messiah) as the One who loved us so much that he died to pay the price for our sins, and Who then promises to give us changed and spiritually regenerated life full of love, peace, joy and hope if we will come into a personal relationship with Him.

So do you want to go to the next step in your upward spiritual journey and find out why you were placed on this earth and what your potential spiritual destiny is? Well, be courageous and please take a look at what I’ve written below.


Why were you born? Is life just a giant treadmill—you’re born, live and die?

The Bible, God’s message to man, begins with the words, “In the beginning, God/Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible tells us that God (His biblical name is Yehovah Elohim) is the Supreme King of the universe (Pss 47:7; 95:3) who created everything including man (Neh 9:6; Gen 2:7). Man is the only creature Elohim created in His own likeness (Gen 1:26). Why? Elohim, is a loving Father (Matt 5:48; 6:9; Rom 1:7), and it was His plan for man to live forever as part of His spiritual family (Rom 8:14–16; 1 John 3:1–2). For this to happen, man had to love and obey Elohim, like a child needs to obey his parents. For awhile, the first man and woman obeyed and loved Elohim (Gen 1:27–28; 2:4–25).

Sadly, everything soon changed. An evil alien king and a rival to Elohim appeared on the earth and seduced the mind and heart of man (Gen 3:1–6). This evil king, who the Bible calls the serpent, the devil or Satan (Gen 3:1; Rev 12:9; 20:2), accused Elohim of lying to man and he lured man into sin (breaking Elohim’s laws, 1 John 3:4). When man sinned, he came under Satan’s power and became a slave to sin and rebellion against Elohim. When man chose to follow the devil, he chose a spiritual path that leads away from Elohim resulting in guilt, hopelessness, emptiness, pain, bondage and eventually eternal death. All men have been going down this path of sin and rebellion ever since (Rom 3:23).

As King of the universe, Yehovah Elohim is a God of law, order and justice (Deut 32:4,35; Pss 9:4,7,8; 89:1). As in a nation, there has to be law and order in the universe or else there would be chaos and anarchy. If evil were allowed to go unchecked, then all that Elohim has made and loves would be destroyed. As in human government, so it is with Elohim’s government: when laws are broken a penalty has to be paid. When man breaks Elohim’s laws the penalty is misery, guilt and death (Gen 2:17; Ezek 18:4; Rom 6:23). 

In the mean time, the devil, the enemy king, has blinded his prisoners (man) to the terrible consequences of sin, to the truth of Elohim’s laws or Torah and to Elohim’s love. The devil promises man so much, but delivers so little in return. If man will sin, he promises man wealth, fame, pleasure, power, prestige, and acceptance (Matt 4:8–9), but instead man ends up with guilt, despair, emptiness, sorrow, pain, and eventually death and an eternity of separation from Elohim. The devil is a deceiver and a liar and the father of all lies (John 8:44).

All men have sinned (broken Elohim’s Torah-laws) and fallen short of the glory YHVH intended for him when He made man in His image (Rom 3:23). Anyone who says he has not sinned is deceiving himself (1 John 1:8). The Ten Commandments (Exod 20:1–17) give us an outline of what sin is. For example, if you put anything in your life ahead of Elohim, then you are guilty of idolatry. If you have profaned Yehovah’s name, then you are a blasphemer. If you have not rested on the seventh-day Sabbath, not honored your parents, murdered, stolen, committed adultery, lied or coveted, you are a lawbreaker and a sinner worthy of death, according to the Word of Elohim (Rom 6:23).

Man has a big problem! How can he obtain the glorious destiny that Elohim has for him as a son who will live forever (Rom 3:23; Eph 1:3–4) when he is a sinner under an irrevocable death penalty (Rom 6:23; Ezek 18:4)? The enemy king, Satan the devil, figures that he has man trapped like a prisoner of war behind the walls of a heavily guarded fortress prison with no possibility of escape.  

But Elohim had a plan from the beginning to rescue man. He knew man would sin, but when the time was right, He “broke” a piece of Himself off, so to speak, and sent Himself  to this earth and put a part of Himself inside of a human body (Isa 53:1 and 2–12 for context; Rom 8:3). We know that Divine God-Man to be Yeshua the Messiah or Jesus Christ (John 1:1–14; Phil 2:6–8). He would save or rescue man from the death penalty (Matt 1:21). The Bible says, “For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him [Yeshua] should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). 

How did Yeshua save sinful man? The Bible says that Yeshua lived a sinless life and then died to pay the price for man’s sin (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 1:18–19; 2:22). As Yehovah in flesh form (Matt 1:23; John 1:1–14), and as the Creator of man (John 1:3; Eph 3:9; Col 1:16), Yeshua’s life was worth more than all sinful men put together (Heb 9:28). By dying in man’s place (1 Pet 2:24; Isa 53:4–6), he satisfied Elohim’s divine justice (1 Pet 3:18). Is this hard to believe? Well believe it! This is how much Elohim loved you, a sinner (Rom 5:8). He sent his own Son to die on the cross to pay for your sins! 

So now what do you need to do? How do you get set free from the prison of the enemy king, and be released from the grip of guilt, emptiness, anguish, pain and eventual eternal death and separation from Elohim and his love?

What must you do to be saved? It is as simple as ABC.

  • Admit that you’re a sinner and turn away from all sin.
  • Believe in your heart that Yeshua died for your sins and resurrected from the dead defeating the power of death.
  • Confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that He is the Son of Elohim.
  • Then ask Him to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
  • Be baptized in water for the washing away of your sins and begin reading and believing your Bible every day.
  • Then become a part of a congregation of serious Bible-believing followers of Yeshua. After this, resolve to obey Yeshua, your new Master and King every day. Show Elohim that you love Him by reading His Word, the Bible, and following His commands.
  • Do this and your life will be changed forever!

For more information, we invite you to check out our website at www.hoshanarabbah.org

Hearst Castle’s Trees, Plants, Bathrooms & a Burping Sea Lion

This is not your typical tour of Hearst Castle, but is specifically for lovers of gardens, trees, and outdoor scenery including background info on how the gardens came to be. Of course, we’ll take you on a tour of all five stories of the famous Hearst Castle including Mr. Heart’s private suite and bedroom and bathrooms. The video ends with a visit to a nearby bunch of bickering and snorting sea lions including a one ton grandpa sea lion showing off his prowess at burping. Please enjoy!

March in the Garden—A To Do List

This guide is tailored for the western valleys of Oregon and Washington.

YOU can help to make the world a better, a more friendly, loving and beautiful place by being a good steward of the spot on this earth, your garden, that you have been given the privilege of borrowing for a time. It is our hope that the following to-do list will help you to do just that.

Nathan, the Treevangelist, urges you to treat your spot on this planet like your own personal Garden of Eden. May it become your personal paradise. This is your divinely mandated responsibility.  Your trees, shrubs, flowers and the wildlife in your yard will pay you back as they express their smiling appreciation to you and yours by radiating their love, joy and beauty bursting forth with vibrant and verdant life. Below is a to-do list to help fulfill this mission.

E-A-R-L-Y is the operative word this March. With the mild winter, almost no snow in the Willamette Valley, and warmer than usual temperatures, the life forces within the plants cannot be contained any longer and are bursting forth. Amazingly, as early as late February, I was seeing some roses and flowering plums, among other things, beginning to sprout some leaves. 

The months of January and February, though still in the throes of winter, with their numerous days in the 50s with some pushing towards 60 degrees mark, shouted “spring” in defiance of the calendric dates. This spells one thing: time to drag out the lawn mower and weeder, for the garden awaits your dutiful attention. 

Come on and admit it. With all  the rain, you’ve caught a touch of cabin fever, and it’s time to give in to that nervous twitch, come out of your cave and, like a monarch about to burst forth from its cocoon, start spreading those wings, take to flight and joyously begin fluttering around from plant to plant in your garden paradise!

While you’re at it, take a few moments and scroll back through this same Good News Tree Service, Inc. blog and check out the archives for any tree and plant care articles that you may have missed. Also check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvcu2lL9NpgoXQtUFYyQShw, our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/GoodNewsTreeService/ and our main website at www.goodnewstree.com. Please enjoy!

Readers’ suggestions on how to improve this list are gladly solicited. If you, the reader, have any suggestions for additions to this month’s list, please put them in the comments section of this article, and I will add them to the list. Thank you in advance! — Nathan

YOU can help to make the world a better, a more friendly, loving and beautiful place by tending your spot on this earth that has been given to you—your garden. Here is a to do list to help you to do just that…


Tree and Shrub Care

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