WHO WE ARE
We are a family-owned, family-run company with over 15+ years in the tree-care industry. We are passionate about the environment and the positive impact trees have on the planet on which we live.
Over the years we have observed that trees are sometimes a bit of a mystery to homeowners and landscapers. We believe that they genuinely deserve tender, loving care. Given the right TLC, they are lush and green and flourish beautifully in our landscape, creating real value and ambience.
Why Palm Trees?
O’NEIL’S PLANT HEALTHCARE:
PREMIUM PALM FERTILIZER
Science-backed fertilizer formulas developed by a Board Certified Master Arborist and self-certified tree lover
It all started when our founder Apollo O’Neil, owner of a tree service company in Florida for 16 years, noticed too many clients were needing to have their trees removed prematurely due to improper nutrition.
Conventional, off-the-shelf fertilizers, which contain cheap fillers, weren’t cutting it. So he developed his own formula using the latest research from leading Florida agricultural scientists.
He found that by correcting nutrient deficiencies, he could not only save distressed trees but help them thrive.
Lifting the Veil
THE STORY:
A TALE OF TRUTH
We’re going to help you achieve stunning, pride worthy trees, right from the comfort of your own home. Why? Because we love trees and we know that tree health equals longevity. (Quite apart from the obvious factor that more oxygen for our planet seems like a good idea to us.) When we hear someone say, “Oh, that tree has been looking a little scraggly for ages. I think I’m just going to tear it out and plant something else,” we want to yell, “STOP!”
Before you tear out that ailing tree, answer this question: How happy and healthy would you be if you never got the right food for your body or the right amount of fluids? We’re willing to bet you’d be in pretty poor shape and barely functioning. But nobody is suggesting ripping you out of your life and casting you aside! Someone, a friend, a family member, your doctor or significant other, would help you get back on your feet. And that’s what we’re here for: to help you get those ailing trees back on their feet.
Let’s dig in (excuse the pun)!
Trees have very specific needs, particularly in Florida. Our soil tends to be sandy, and we get a lot of heavy rain in the summer. That heavy rain easily washes the nutrients out of sandy soil. To add insult to injury to your poor trees, that rain also tends to be somewhat acidic. You need a fertilizer that can cope with the heavy rain, won’t wash away, will maintain the correct pH and won’t end up contaminating the underground aquifers that feed into our wells, lakes and streams.
“Well, that’s great for the summer,” you might say, “but what about the fall, winter and spring?” No sweat, we’ve got you covered.
When we say not all fertilizers are created equal, we really mean it. Most mainstream, conventional “one-size-fits-all” fertilizers are not specifically designed for the Florida soil and climate conditions. They’re designed for customers from Alaska to Arizona and everywhere in between. So, go ahead and ask yourself: “Do Alaska and Arizona have different soil types or climates?” Heck, yeah, they do! So, you go ahead and explain to us, here in Florida with our sandy soil and summer climate, how we expect a one-size-fits-all fertilizer to work on our trees!
Hoo-boy, this issue always gets us a little gassed up. The bottom line is that only O’Neil’s Premium Tree Fertilizer is formulated right here in Florida for trees that grow right here in Florida. “Specially formulated,” they call it in the industry.
On top if it, most of those fertilizers that you can pick up at the big chain stores contain a high percentage of filler — sometimes as much as 25%. That means up to a fourth of any fertilizer you buy is simply added filler junk. We don’t think you should be charged for rocks and sand. This is Florida! We’ve already got more rocks and sand than you could shake a manatee at. Selling (or buying) rocks and sand doesn’t make a darn’s worth of sense to us.
Guess how much filler is in the O’Neils Premium Tree Fertilizer? Aw, shucks, did you go ahead and guess already? Well, if y’all guessed zero, you’d be right. Zip, zero, nada, nothing. Why? Because when we say, “Premium,” we mean it. Your trees deserve better, and so do you.
Oh! Remember that part about fertilizers that leach into our groundwater, impacting our streams and lakes? Well, guess what? That stuff runs out to the ocean too, where it can cause algae blooms like red tide that kills our marine life and closes our beaches. But our O’Neils Premium Tree Fertilizer is coated to prevent it from leaching into our Florida aquifers. Why? Because in case you hadn’t figured it out yet, we actually give a darn. We genuinely care about where we live and what we’re leaving to our children and grandchildren one day.
“Isn’t it a little crazy to come up with a tree fertilizer just for Florida?” you ask. Don’t apologize; we get that all the time. And the truth is that, yeah, maybe we’re a little goofy, but when you consider that Florida boasts about 460 different species of native trees alone, well, that’s where we kinda fall in love. Someone once asked us how many trees we reckoned there were in all of Florida. We just waved a hand at the beach and said, “About the same as the grains of sand out there.”
However, given the fact that the Sunshine State has sandy soil and a variable (polite way of saying wild as a hungry ’gator) climate, our requirements are different thanacross the rest of the country.
That’s why we have a Summer Fertilizer and a Fall/Winter/Spring Fertilizer. Do you need them both? Why, yes, yes, you do. I’m reminded of my doctor who can be snippy as all get out. One time, she told me how many ounces of water I should be drinking for a fella my size. I was surprised. “Every day?” I asked her, startled. “No,” she replied, with a beady stare. “Only on the days you want your kidneys to function properly.” (See what I mean about snippy?)
Well, it’s kind of like that with your trees. They need feeding during all four seasons, but the summer feeding is special to cope with all that extra rain we get. So, yes, you need both, but it really isn’t that big of a deal.