Deciding between soil injectors?

[ATH]

I had kinda shelved my Kiroitz, but started using it again last couple of years...it's a good tool for sure. The EZ-Ject looks like the only stand alone alternative. The only thing I don't like about it is needing to refill frequently. But I that's easy when I mix up a big jug and just transfer already mixed solution into it.

 

[ATH]

@macrocarpa have you ever seen the Nu Arbor 1-Two Root Injector? It would be more bulky with the backpack to carry around...but easier with a bunch of trees to have enough mix on hand.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

I’m just gonna throw this out there again. I had the original kioritz but I think I like this injector better.

I use it for ash treatments and other insecticide applications, growth regulator, and fertilizers designed to be applied in concentrate/with minimal water.

What makes it so appealing is that I can mix up exactly what I need for each individual tree unlike when I had my 200 gallon spray rig.

Showing up with a little handheld injector, I can do a pruning job and plant healthcare job at the same time without having to worry about coming back with a spray rig.

What’s the difference between this and a big spray rig? Water. So I just use it when we’ve had adequate rainfall. Or worst case scenario have the client run the sprinkler. The majority of these applications are supposed to be applied during the spring/rainy season anyway, but I know a lot of companies have the sell “deep root fert” year-round profit model.

Lastly, I like not driving around with hundreds of gallons of mixed product.

EZ-Ject Soil Injector | ArborSystems

Ngl I like the price point for it. Compact, easy to use. That would be a great addition for right now in particular as I haven't sold large recurring injection/spray jobs yet. It would get me running while I build a spray rig, and like you said, useable for the small jobs to round out a day or prevent multiple trips.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

I had kinda shelved my Kiroitz, but started using it again last couple of years...it's a good tool for sure. The EZ-Ject looks like the only stand alone alternative. The only thing I don't like about it is needing to refill frequently. But I that's easy when I mix up a big jug and just transfer already mixed solution into it.

My thoughts exactly. Could have a 5-20 gal mix tank for filling. Not quite ideal on a big scale but useful for sure

 

[Brando CalPankian]

@macrocarpa have you ever seen the Nu Arbor 1-Two Root Injector? It would be more bulky with the backpack to carry around...but easier with a bunch of trees to have enough mix on hand.

How heavy does the nu arbor end up being when weighed down? It'd be great for my guys, I'm a lightweight now.

 

[ATH]

How heavy does the nu arbor end up being when weighed down? It'd be great for my guys, I'm a lightweight now.

You can use any tank/backpack you want just buying the probe, or buy their kit. I gotta assume there is something else in the kit though...
The probe is $560 https://www.grandarborsupply.com/brands/nu-arbor/nu-arbor-1-two-root-injector-probe/

The backpack is $125

1-Two Root Injector Backpack

1-Two Root Injector backpack for plant health care PHC tree care injection needs. This versatile tool accurately delivers liquid Fertilizers and can also be utilized to inject soil applied insecticides such as imidacloprid.

www.grandarborsupply.com

The kit with both is $725

1-Two Root Injector KIT

Nu-Arbor 1-Two Root Injector for plant health care PHC tree care injection needs. This versatile tool accurately delivers liquid Nu-Arbor Root Fertilizers and can also be utilized to inject soil applied insecticides such as imidacloprid.

www.grandarborsupply.com

But it doesn't show or list anything besides the probe and backpack. Maybe they include a quick connect attachment??? That's $84 https://www.grandarborsupply.com/brands/nu-arbor/nu-arbor-1-two-root-injector-quick-attach-kit/. I'd probably get those at local shop.

So to the question how heavy - depends on how much you put in it. I'm not gonna pretend 4 gallons on the back is light, but with a comfortable backpack it's not bad - we use backpack sprayers in the woods a lot. A good sprayer isn't bad to have for doing bush treatments either.

(Note: in the woods we are doing herbicide, so those are separate sprayers - never cross between herbicide and insecticide for trees we are trying to save!)

 

[Brando CalPankian]

Wor

You can use any tank/backpack you want just buying the probe, or buy their kit. I gotta assume there is something else in the kit though...
The probe is $560 https://www.grandarborsupply.com/brands/nu-arbor/nu-arbor-1-two-root-injector-probe/

The backpack is $125

1-Two Root Injector Backpack

1-Two Root Injector backpack for plant health care PHC tree care injection needs. This versatile tool accurately delivers liquid Fertilizers and can also be utilized to inject soil applied insecticides such as imidacloprid.

www.grandarborsupply.com

The kit with both is $725

1-Two Root Injector KIT

Nu-Arbor 1-Two Root Injector for plant health care PHC tree care injection needs. This versatile tool accurately delivers liquid Nu-Arbor Root Fertilizers and can also be utilized to inject soil applied insecticides such as imidacloprid.

www.grandarborsupply.com

But it doesn't show or list anything besides the probe and backpack. Maybe they include a quick connect attachment??? That's $84 https://www.grandarborsupply.com/brands/nu-arbor/nu-arbor-1-two-root-injector-quick-attach-kit/. I'd probably get those at local shop.

So to the question how heavy - depends on how much you put in it. I'm not gonna pretend 4 gallons on the back is light, but with a comfortable backpack it's not bad - we use backpack sprayers in the woods a lot. A good sprayer isn't bad to have for doing bush treatments either.

(Note: in the woods we are doing herbicide, so those are separate sprayers - never cross between herbicide and insecticide for trees we are trying to save!)

Worth looking in to. Thank you for the info. Super helpful

 

[macrocarpa]

@macrocarpa have you ever seen the Nu Arbor 1-Two Root Injector? It would be more bulky with the backpack to carry around...but easier with a bunch of trees to have enough mix on hand.

I bought that injector when it first came out and it leaked on my back when treating for HWA. I returned it. I think they’ve made adjustments since then and it could have been user error. It is a good company to work with for sure. But since then I kind of want the product in front of me because especially in the summertime when I’m sweating, I can’t tell what’s sweat and what’s a potential leak

 

[macrocarpa]

My thoughts exactly. Could have a 5-20 gal mix tank for filling. Not quite ideal on a big scale but useful for sure

I learned about these little injectors from working with guys treating thousands of hemlock in the smoky mountains.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

I bought that injector when it first came out and it leaked on my back when treating for HWA. I returned it. I think they’ve made adjustments since then and it could have been user error. It is a good company to work with for sure. But since then I kind of want the product in front of me because especially in the summertime when I’m sweating, I can’t tell what’s sweat and what’s a potential leak

I had a backpack sprayer crack doing preemergent treatment years ago. Same thing, 100 degrees in Georgia, couldn't tell until my britches got wet.

 

[Joster19]

I was a huge fan of the Kioritz, it's a bummer they stopped making it.
The HTI from rainbow is the best tool out there at the moment IMHO. It's heavy but also durable and very accurate. Can be used attached to a hydraulic sprayer or gas-powered backpack. Looked at the arborjet product and my guys would break that thing after a week of use. Haven't tried the Njekt, but tried a similar designed one a few years ago and it leaked and broke often.

I went ahead and got the Njekt.
I like the idea of having the chemical in front of me (I also had a backpack sprayer malfunction and cover me once in the past) and having manual control of the flow seems good for a different soil types.
I received it today and I have only played around with it and found a couple issues, I actually got a hold of the inventor and he is going to work on some modifications to make filling and emptying easier. appreciated reading about y'all's experience
I wouldn't be surprised if I eventually go to a backpack as the tank just for efficiency but we will see. Will update you

Sent from my Pixel 6 using Tapatalk

 

[BadCowboyDan]

I’m deciding between soil injectors for the use of plant growth regulators mainly. What deciding factors go into this choice? Would you avoid Rainbow because of some things they did in the past? Or you like some of the other products and research? Or maybe go with Arborjet because of they’re availability from a local vendor? So no shipping costs? However some of their other products you’re not sure about selling to people. Maybe you go with the Njekt? Any help is greatly appreciated!

I have been doing PHC for 35 years, and I still don't see the advantage of a smaller injection unit. Why not a larger unit with more volume. Movement in the soil depends on volume to a great deal... Is it just to avoid the expense of a larger tank/truck combo?

I’m deciding between soil injectors for the use of plant growth regulators mainly. What deciding factors go into this choice? Would you avoid Rainbow because of some things they did in the past? Or you like some of the other products and research? Or maybe go with Arborjet because of they’re availability from a local vendor? So no shipping costs? However some of their other products you’re not sure about selling to people. Maybe you go with the Njekt? Any help is greatly appreciated!

 

[Frankkytree]

Cambistat (the growth regulator I’m using) I don’t need much product. If I ever got into deep root fertilization or etc I would love a spray rig!

 

[ATH]

If there's adequate moisture in the soil, what's the point of dragging around water? If the soil is on the dryer side, then yes volume becomes more important

 

[Brando CalPankian]

If there's adequate moisture in the soil, what's the point of dragging around water? If the soil is on the dryer side, then yes volume becomes more important

This is exactly what I've been told about our local. It's so wet here most of the time

 

[macrocarpa]

With the PHC program I offer, the only thing I can’t do without a large spray rig is foliar sprays of large trees. And I’m OK with that. I don’t want the exposure to myself or the surrounding environment, especially with nesting birds and pollinators. The only foliar spray I offered when I had the spray rig in the below picture was horticultural oils for hemlock woolly adelgid and scale, but now I live where HWA isn’t a problem and I only used the oil sprays on hemlock hedges since it was hard to dose with soil injections when they were planted 2 feet apart from each other. And I came up on too many scenarios where the neighbors were concerned with off target spraying, etc.

That said there is money to be made spraying spruce and crabapples in my area on a repeat basis. I just don’t really like crabapples because they generally have a crap suckering canopy and they’re so disease prone anymore with scale and fungal diseases, and I think the spruces days are numbered regardless. But north of me I think the spruce are still doing better.

 

[macrocarpa]

Here’s an example of a fertilizer program using the 1 gallon handheld injector that Banner Sales put together. As long as there’s adequate soil moisture or the customer can water, there’s no difference in my opinion between this and using a big spray rig lugging around thousands of gallons of water. The same amount of product is being distributed throughout the root zone regardless.

 

[ATH]

So that prescribes Chlorosis treatment...how do those work (I have that thread open in another tab reading it...)

 

[macrocarpa]

So that prescribes Chlorosis treatment...how do those work (I have that thread open in another tab reading it...)

I would have to experiment with it more but I’ve had decent results treating river birch and red maples with mild chlorosis with the soil injections, but I’m using arborjet for anything significant.

The 18-3-6 + beneficials in the spring, i’ve seen really good results fertilizing young trees in total junk new development soil.

 

[Brando CalPankian]

Here’s an example of a fertilizer program using the 1 gallon handheld injector that Banner Sales put together. As long as there’s adequate soil moisture or the customer can water, there’s no difference in my opinion between this and using a big spray rig lugging around thousands of gallons of water. The same amount of product is being distributed throughout the root zone regardless.

Love this. Could be great for us as we build a bigger program. Better than drenching but not a 3-5k dollar setup.