Moon Valley Nursery - Arizona Blog

WHY BOX TREES ARE BETTER THAN FIELD DUG TREES

Written by Felipe Benavides | 7/20/2017

You’ve probably seen our advertisements proudly declaring that Moon Valley Nurseries is “The Largest Box Tree Grower in the United States” and maybe you asked yourself, why are box trees better than field dug trees? We asked our experts and here’s what they had to say.

BIGGER BOX TREES CARRY A BETTER VALUE

We know you have options and we aim to give you the absolute best option of all. You get more bang for your buck when buying a box tree from Moon Valley Nurseries. This is because we actually have the right sized tree in the right sized box. So many other nurseries sell much smaller trees in a big box and sell them at the bigger box size. Not at Moon Valley. There are other reasons besides monetary to buy box trees from us, rather than field dug trees from someplace else.

Root System: consider this, the root system of a field dug tree has had a major part of its root system severed at the time of harvest. Whereas the entire system of a box tree is left intact. So basically, field dug trees are going through transplant shock and will have much slower growth due to the root system being severed. In other words, once dug, field grown trees have a reduced root system.

Easy, Proper Planting: box trees are easier to plant for any landscaper, contractor or by our own professional landscaping crew. Field dug trees are much heavier when compared to box trees and are harder to handle. Field grown trees are often lifted and planted incorrectly. Lifting by the trunk can result in trunk damage and will cause severe injury and may kill the tree.

Of course, then you’ve got those trees that are grown in plastic containers. And as we all know by now, plastic is bad for the environment because it cannot be as easily recycled, especially if planted into the ground. So, just say no to trees grown in plastic containers!

With a Box Tree You Get:

  • A straighter tree
  • A tree that is much easier to load and unload
  • Planting is always guaranteed to be planted at the right depth because the box is actually set into the hole
  • Box trees are 100% recyclable wood
  • A much greater selection of trees available during most times of the year when compared to field dug trees

Why Pay for the Dirt (When You Don’t Have To!): At most other nurseries, you get a smaller sized tree in a large sized box, so you, the customer, are basically paying for the box size price filled with a bunch of dirt, rather than getting the bigger tree you want at the right price. At Moon Valley we value engineer all of our trees, which basically means you aren’t paying for the dirt. Les Blake, owner, Moon Valley Nurseries, said “we value engineer all of our products, not only are they grown from our selected mother trees in our labs, they’re also a tree that we guarantee always. When you purchase a tree from Moon Valley, you’re absolutely going to have the finest quality tree.” Mr. Blake explained further that “over the last 25 years we’ve found that our customers do not want to pay for dirt.” For further proof, compare what other nurseries sell as box size trees to what we sell. The difference is obvious. With us, you get a bigger specimen tree sold in the right size box, not some tiny tree in a large box filled with a bunch of dirt, which you’re paying for!