The Tree Saver® Injection System is very simple. It consists of a patented, painted metal casing with a special rubber like substance at the closed end, (in effect, it is like a valve on a football or volleyball), and oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) antibiotic tree injection formula. Also, there is a small support group of supplies to facilitate the injection process.

1) 86 Gm Bottle of OTC

2) 4 Gm Vial of OTC
3) 5/16" Regular Casing
4) 1/4" Small Casing

5) Measuring Cups
6) Assorted Required Drill Bits

7) Needles and Wire

Injection Syringes - 3 types available

Non-Disposable Single-dose Syringe - A re-useable syringe with an ergonomically shaped handle, made to inject several trees at a time. After use it needs to be washed and air dried. It unscrews and comes completely apart, for cleaning , if desired . This syringe is designed well and made of tough materials. If cared for properly, it could last years and be suitable for injecting thousands of trees over it’s usable "life span".

Disposable Single-dose Syringe - An inexpensive syringe that can be re-used a few times or after each use discarded. When discarding carefully bend needle, back and forth, until it breaks. Place it inside the barrel of the syringe and dispose of properly and safely.

Care for all 3 Types of Syringes - For storage, after thoroughly rinsing with clean water, draw a small amount of liquid cooking oil into and through the syringe. Flush with water before next use. Do not use WD40 or any other petroleum based lubricant, this could harm the tree.

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About the OTC

Please read the label, it contains useful information. The formulation we provide is 39.6% active OTC and 60.4% inert ingredients. In an 86 gram net wt. bottle, there are 34 active grams of OTC. Material safety data sheet (MSDS) is available HERE. Do not use coconuts from treated trees for food or feed.

The OTC is sensitive to light and air, thus the brown sealed bottle. Store in a cool dark place. Mix (hydrate) with room temperature distilled or purified water, and only mix (hydrate) what you plan on using right away. Discard any unused, hydrated OTC at the end of the day. When hydrating, shake vigorously and let stand a few minutes, then shake some more to assure thorough mixing. Swirl or shake the OTC in bottle every few trees to keep mixed.

With regard to color, the inert ingredients are white. The active ingredients have a component in them which is mined from the earth - the veins from which the mining occurs range in color from bright yellow, to tan, or brown. When water is added, the mixture may be yellow, tan, brown or even almost black. This is to be expected. Marked on the label is an expiration date that is approximately 1 year from the manufacture’s production date. Rotate your inventory. If you open a bottle and the contents are jet black and rock hard, do not use it. Return the bottle to us and if it is prior to the label’s expiration date, we will replace it for free.

1.) For 1 Bottle of OTC - 86 Grams Net Weight - Open the bottle, save the cap. Add the amount of distilled or purified water determined from the dose chart to the bottle. Replace the cap and shake the contents vigorously until it dissolves. Let the mixture sit a few minutes. Inject according to instructions depending on the syringe used. These are 34 active grams in this bottle.

2.) For a single dose, rubber capped vial of OTC - 4 Grams Net Weight - Peel back the "pop-top" to expose the rubber seal. Draw 3cc of distilled or purified water into the single dose syringe. Invert the bottle. Penetrate the rubber cap with the injection needle and squirt the water into the vial. Remove the needle, shake vigorously until dissolved. Let the mixture sit a few minutes. Each vial contains 1.5 active grams.

Draw 15cc of air into the syringe and inject it into the bottle. (This will pressurize the bottle and make it easier to draw the antibiotic into the syringe.) Re-insert the needle into the vial and draw the antibiotic mixture out of the bottle into the syringe. Inject according to instructions.

3.) For a single dose, out of a bottle of OTC - 86 Grams Net Weight - Remove 4 grams or 1 tsp. of OTC and place in the small measure cup provided with your order. Mix well with 3cc distilled or purified water. Let the mixture sit a few minutes. Insert the needle and draw the antibiotic mixture into the syringe. Inject according to instructions. This dose yields 1.5 active grams.

2.) Use the proper size drill bit - 5/16" for Regular Casings - coconut and date palms and 1/4" for Small Casings - adonidia palms.

3.) At a slight downward angle, drill into the tree to the proper depth. Based on dose determination, the drill depth is usually 3 1/2 inches (9 cm) for coconut palms, 4 1/2 inches (11.5 cm) for dates and 2 inches (5 cm) for adonidias. When drilling do not wobble or elongate the hole. A perfectly round hole is most desirable, so the casing will fit snug and no leakage will occur. Trees vary with size, age, and hardness due to weather and other local habitats, thus sometimes causing difficulty getting all the chemical into the tree. If this should occur, just bore the hole a little deeper, or use an additional casing in a second hole.

4.) Important - Do not drill in a decayed or previously injected area and be attentive to the wood fibers coming out the hole and off the drill bit. The wood should be moist, cream or tan colored and nearly odorless. It should not be dry, dark brown or black and smell rotten. If this exists, drill elsewhere until a suitable site is found. Try and drill several inches away from any previous wound or prior injection site, being extra careful not to "stack" the injections vertically up the tree.

5.) Once drilling is complete, insert tapered end of the casing into the hole and hold at approximately the same angle of the bored hole. Using a hammer and several soft taps, hit the casing into the tree until very snug or until approximately 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) of the casing remains protruding out of the tree.

6.) After boring the hole and pounding the casing into the tree proceed promptly to Steps 7 & 8.

7.) Using any of the three syringes available (all three use the same stainless steel needle) penetrate the "bulls eye" center of the visible rubber at the back flat face of the exposed insert. The needle should go up to it’s base, approximately 1 inch (2.5 cm). (If the needle goes in only 1/8 inch (.25 cm) and abruptly stops, you are off center, and have hit the "shelf". Realign to center and try again.) With minimal practice you will hit the center every time! If the needle should become plugged, remove the needle from syringe, pass wire through the needle, removing the obstruction. Wire is included with needles.

8.) Once the needle is completely in, depress the syringe to administer the proper amount of antibiotic. Retract the syringe and needle from the insert. The rubber will seal (valve) and your injection is complete. Leave the insert in the tree, as is.

9.) Move on to the next tree, repeat procedure.

About CODIT. This stands for C-compartmentalization, O-of, D-decay, I-in, T-trees. Humans heal wounds. Trees do not. They seal wounds. This is their defense mechanism against wounds. Drilling a hole is a wound, and is viewed as such by the tree. It sets up chemical boundaries that will eventually seal off the injection cavity. The process starts immediately at time of wounding and in palms the cavity is sealed within 6 to 8 weeks.

If you are re-injecting, within 6 to 8 weeks (For example - an extra dose for a sick tree or heavily infected area, or to get all trees in one geographical area on same schedule.) you can use the same casing insert in the same site with no-extra action.

For the third treatment, use a new insert in a new site. For the 4th treatment, re-drill and re-use as in the 2nd. treatment, etc., etc. Utilizing this method, you can get 2 treatments per casing insert, and only drill 2 holes for every 4 treatments.

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Unless otherwise requested, orders are shipped daily via UPS Ground. Most orders received by 12:00 noon, ET, Monday through Friday will be shipped the same day.

We make every effort to package our product in a secure manner. Double cardboard, bottle dividers and packaging "peanuts" are the norm. When available, we use bio-degradable packaging "peanuts". They are made from a cornstarch based product which completely melts and disintegrates when exposed to water. If you receive broken bottles please call and we will send you a replacement immediately. Usually the boxes are mishandled and damaged by UPS. They will send out a representative to inspect the damaged goods: bottles, box, "peanuts", tape, OTC powder, etc. After an easy investigation, UPS will reimburse Tree Saver ®.

Prices quoted are in US dollars and do not include shipping. All shipping charges (UPS Ground, UPS Express, Express Mail, etc..) will be added to your invoice. All orders under $50.00 will be charged an additional $5.00 handling fee.

Payment may be made by Visa/Mastercard, or once credit has been approved , we accept personal, corporate or bank checks for payment. If you desire credit with us, please ask for a credit policy statement and application.

If you are ready to order, compile a list of products desired and send it to us via E-mail, fax or phone. We will respond promptly with confirmation, shipping information, etc.

We are ready, willing, and most of all able to help you. As ongoing tree care professionals in South Florida since 1974, we have extensive experience and a 25 year involvement with Lethal Yellowing Control. Our level of expertise, along with our passion and tenacity for saving palm trees, has resulted in highly successful programs. Please take advantage of our technical support and expertise. We will be glad to talk with you about Lethal Yellowing and/or help you develop a successful lethal yellowing control program for your disease susceptible palm trees. We need to know information about the tree’s condition, the infection frequency in your area, the size of the trees, the species of the tree and the level of success you hope to achieve with your injection program. Based on the information provided we will be able to customize your program and order. If you would like your trees treated by a professional, using Tree Saver® products, we can recommend a company in your area. You may E-mail us through our Web Site, call us at (561)655-6940 or fax us at (561)798-0445. We would be glad to hear from you, with your comments, questions, or order.

Thank you for taking the time to view and read the information on this site.