Can you "cure" a sick tree by improving the soil? It seemed like a far-fetched idea 20 years ago -- before today's increased interest in organic gardening, when Jos Zamzow started giving customers at his Idaho nursery a brown liquid organic fertilizer in used two-liter soda bottles.
NAMPA, Idaho (Business Wire EON) February 5, 2008 --
Can you “cure” a
sick tree by improving the soil? It seemed like a far-fetched idea 20
years ago -- before today's increased interest in organic gardening,
when Jos Zamzow started giving customers at his Idaho nursery a brown
liquid organic fertilizer in used two-liter soda bottles.
The product was so successful, especially for raising fruit trees and
even in the vegetable garden, that customers soon had to bring their own
bottles. By mid-summer the 55-gallon drum that contained the
experimental batch was empty. Zamzow named the product Save-a-Tree,
and started selling it.
Last year local customers bought more than 75,000 gallons of
Save-A-Tree, the first in the line of Dr. JimZ Secret Formula organic
gardening products, that are distributed nationally through TerraLife.
Sales are expected to exceed 200,000 gallons by the end of 2007, thanks
to Internet sales and the fact that major independent nurseries in the
West have started carrying it. In addition to saving all kinds of trees,
including fruit trees, the organic fertilizer helps vegetables, flowers
and shrubs.
The story of Save-A-Tree begins in the 1940s when the Zamzow family
business focused on animal feed. Livestock health was declining even
though the feed formula was exactly the same.
Working with local university scientists with a focus on organic
gardening, they learned that the minerals were being depleted in the
soil, and they needed to add vitamins and minerals to the feed to keep
animals healthy.
A half a century later, the Zamzows were seeing similarities with tree
health. The trees -- particularly fruit trees -- were growing, but
suffering from insect infestations or disease. They thought the problem
might have a similar cause.
Jim Zamzow, known as “Dr. JimZ”
because of his constant focus on research, began working with scientists
at Boise State University to develop an organic fertilizer to improve
the soil and, by extension, boost the health of plants.
“We told customers that we could sell them a
pesticide, which is a short-term cure for this year’s
problems,” said Jos Zamzow, son of Dr. JimZ
and now vice president of TerraLife. “We also
explained that they needed to improve the health of the tree, because
tree disease and insects are not as likely to attack healthy trees or
plants. With the introduction of Save-a-Tree, we had a product that
offers a long-term solution. As interest in organic gardening and
planting fruit trees increased, we began to look at national
distribution.”
Save-a-Tree’s most famous success story was in
1999 when the Harrison Tree, planted near the Idaho Capitol building in
Boise in 1891 by President Benjamin Harrison, was dying and scheduled to
be cut down. Dr. Jim donated Save-A-Tree. Even he said the tree had only
a 50-50 chance of survival. However, the tree returned to health and
grew more in one year than it had in the past three years combined.
Unfortunately, it was cut down last year to make room for the Capitol
building’s expansion.
Save-a-Tree’s base is sugar cane molasses,
selected because it smells good, does not attract ants and discourages
nematodes, a type of parasitic worm. Ingredients include nitrogen,
phosphate and sulfur. Additional components of the organic fertilizer
are a secret, but include “just about
everything that Dad’s research has shown to
be beneficial to plants,” Jos Zamzow said.
All ingredients are natural, and there are no animal byproducts.
Save-a-Tree is manufactured in Nampa, Idaho, and all ingredients are
made in the United States for better quality control. Products are
tested on selected vegetables and fruit trees at an organic gardening
test farm in Emmett, Idaho.
Unlike many fertilizers, Save-a-Tree is safe to use around children,
pets and fish, and does not affect ground water. “It
stays where you put it,” he explained.
Tests by microbiologists at Boise State University showed that 24 hours
after an application of Save-a-Tree, there was an increase of 70 percent
in beneficial bacteria in the soil. After a week, there was a 400
percent increase.
“To our knowledge, it is the only
manufactured non-leaching organic fertilizer in the world,”
Zamzow added. “Save-a-Tree is an ideal
product for organic gardening, especially in a vegetable garden or group
of fruit trees. It works because it increases bacteria, and bacteria
carry a mucilaginous substance around their body. This substance
increases drainage in heavy clays and improves water-holding capacity in
sandy soils. The nutrients remain balanced in relationship to each other
and create plant health. Because the nutrients stay in the soil, the
plant can draw on them exactly when it needs them.”
Traditional fertilizers, Zamzow noted, are aimed at quick growth. “You
can force-feed a plant by applying high doses of water-soluble
fertilizer, and get a 10-foot tall tomato plant or rose bush. But the
quality of the roses or the tomatoes may not be what you want. Plants
like roses may become more susceptible to aphids, because rapid growth
means thin cell walls, and it is easier for the aphids to attack.
Today's organic gardeners understand this.”
Save-a-Tree is particularly popular for fruit tree nourishment and home
vegetable gardening. “People who have a
vegetable garden are not looking for more tons per acre,”
he pointed out. “They usually produce more
than they can eat. They want better flavor and better quality, not
higher yield. They believe in their home vegetable garden because of
their concerns about quality and health.”
The Zamzow
family has been in the nursery and animal feed business for almost 75
years, and was among the pioneers in studying fruit tree production and
creating organic gardening products. Jim Zamzow is the grandson and Jos,
the great-grandson, of August and Carmalita Zamzow, who started the
company in 1933.
TerraLife products are available from independent nursery retailers
throughout the West, including Calloway's
and Cornelius in Texas. Wholesale orders may be placed through major
nursery supply distributors, including L&L
in Fremont, Calif.; Gard’n
Wise of Salt Lake City; Jensen
Distribution Services in Spokane, and United
Pipe & Supply of Boise.
Individual orders may be placed on the Internet at www.Save-a-Tree.com
or by calling 1.866.855.9552. Save-a-Tree costs $24.95 per gallon.
Note: High-resolution photos are available.
Save-a-Tree: Technical Data
Save-a-Tree™ is believed to be the only
manufactured, non-leaching fertilizer in the world. It provides a
balanced combination of nutrients and also increases beneficial bacteria
in the soil. Because the nutrients do not wash away, the plant can draw
on them exactly when it needs them. In addition, bacteria are surrounded
with a mucilaginous substance, which improves water-holding capacity in
sandy soils and promotes drainage in heavy clays. Save-a-Tree does not
stain sidewalks or fences or contaminate drinking water and is safe to
use around children and animals.
Ingredients:
• Human-grade sugar cane molasses, rock
phosphate and 16 trace minerals.
• 4-1-0 analysis. 4 percent nitrogen, 1
percent available phosphate P205, 3 percent sulfur.
• All natural ingredients; no animal
byproducts or heavy metals. Safe for use around children and animals,
including birds and fish.
Dilution and application:
Trees — 1 cup to 1 gallon per inch, diameter
measured at 4 inches.
Apply one gallon of mixture for every inch in diameter.
Apply once each spring and fall.
Shrubs and roses — 1 cup to 1 gallon.
½ gallon of mixture for bushes less than 2
feet tall, 1 gallon for bushes 2-4 feet tall, and 2 gallons for those
over 4 feet.
Apply 3 to 4 times during the growing season.
Vegetables/ornamental flowers
Pre-treatment of planting area: 1 gallon of Save-a-Tree diluted with 10
gallons of water per 500 square feet.
Monthly maintenance: 1 oz. per 1 gallon of water for use in regular
watering.
General soil rehabilitation: 1 gallon of Save-a-Tree diluted with 10
gallons of water per 500 square feet.
Uses: Provides balanced nutrition for all plants, including
trees, shrubs, roses, flowers, vegetables, fruits and houseplants.
Cost: 1 gallon, $24.95.
Web site: www.save-a-tree.com/products
Safety/tests
Fathead Minnow Test: Aquatic Testing Laboratories in Ventura, Calif.,
ran a series of tests using 400 and 750 mg. per liter concentrations of
Save-A-Tree and standardized lab water.
Ten fish were added to each test tank and then monitored for 96 hours
(four days).
The tests resulted in zero death loss at all concentration levels and
for the entire four days.
Save-A-Tree easily complies with all regulations regarding heavy metals.
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