Wentz Trees

06/12/2026

Well said. 💚🌲🌳

I absolutely love small businesses because I am one. ❤️

Everywhere I go, I try to support local because I understand how much those purchases matter. Behind every small business is a person, a family, a dream, and a whole lot of sacrifice.

I’ve never looked at other small businesses as competition. Maybe that’s an unpopular opinion, but I’ve always believed there’s room for all of us. I’ve spent countless hours helping people start businesses, answering questions, sharing what I’ve learned, and cheering people on. Some of those businesses could directly compete with mine, and that has never bothered me. If anything, seeing someone succeed after taking a chance on themselves makes me happy.

I genuinely want to see people win.

And since we’ve started taking the coffee trailer on the road, I’ve had a lot of thoughts about that too.

If the trailer comes to your town and you’re a business owner who feels like I’m stepping into your space or taking away from what you’ve built, please know that is never my intention. I know how much work goes into building a business, and the last thing I would ever want is for another small business owner to feel unsupported by me.

The reality is that I’m not choosing towns because I want to compete with anyone. I’m showing up because the people in those communities, local businesses, organizations, and event coordinators have reached out and asked us to come. When a community asks for us, I’m going to show up just like I always do.

Not because I want to take from anyone—but because serving people and building community is what we do.

At the end of the day, I believe there is enough room for all of us. I believe customers can support multiple businesses. I believe kindness costs nothing. I believe helping others succeed doesn’t take away from your own success.

Small businesses are the heartbeat of our communities. We should be lifting each other up, celebrating each other’s wins, and standing in each other’s corners because nobody understands this journey quite like another small business owner.

So if you’re out there chasing a dream, running a business, working long hours, and wondering if anyone notices—I’m rooting for you. I always will be. ❤️

Because we’re all just trying to do the dang thing out here. And that’s something worth supporting. ☕️❤️🍩

-Sam🤍🫶🏻

05/20/2026

Variety is the spice of life. 😎

To help protect against EAB and all pests, it's important to diversify tree plantings. Green ash is the most plentiful tree in the state, but as they die or are removed, they should be replaced by a different species rather than another single species.

Check out the North Dakota tree selector at https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/tree-selector or visit with your local nursery for options.

05/02/2026

Make sure you get out and take your trees for a walk.

Lack of sleep made this way funnier in my head than it probably is.

Happy planting.

04/30/2026

Of course the last hole has a sprinkler line. 24/25 ain’t bad.

03/09/2026

How tall will a tree grow in 23 years? https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/news/columns/dakota-gardener/dakota-gardener-23-years-from-now

03/08/2026

Best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. Next best time is today! Let us know if we can help.

A reminder to communities doing tree planting this spring-- be sure to get your order in to your local supplier NOW! 🌳 Just under two months until !

02/21/2026

Time to prune for Valsa canker.

I bring up Stigmina needlecast of spruce on a regular basis, but it is not the only important problem that spruce can have. There is a branch canker disease that is called Valsa canker (old name is Cytospora canker). If it is present in mature trees or in young trees that are not very vigorous, it can cause very serious damage. it can also cause damage in vigorous trees that are planted near diseased trees. Even though I consider Stigmina needlecast to be the most damaging spruce disease overall in the upper midwestern states, Valsa canker is the one that takes priority for management if it is present. In Fargo, I think Valsa canker is the overall most important disease of spruce.

Valsa canker is characterized by its killing of individual branches, with all of the needles on that branch discoloring, dying, or falling off .all about the same time. The first branches affected tend to be near the base of a tree. When more branches are affected, they can be right next to a branch that already died, or can be on the other side of the tree or higher in the tree.

The most important single action to effectively manage Valsa canker is proper pruning. The dormant season is the best time to prune because there is less danger of causing wounds on other branches and less danger of those wounds becoming infected. Pruning can be done any time of the year, but if done during the growing season, prune at a time when it will not rain for at least 24 hours and be very careful to cause little wounding to healthy branches.

Because of the way infections occur and branches die, careful pruning is required for two consecutive years to get ahead of it. After that, relatively few branches will die each year, and they should be removed each year.

Branches that died from other causes can also be infected by the Valsa canker pathogen, so they should also be pruned out. All spruce branches should be destroyed (e.g., burning or mulching) or placed where the fungus cannot spread to healthy branches (buried or moved at least 1/4 mile away).

If regular pruning is done to manage Valsa canker, then actions that improve the vigor of trees so that they are less susceptible in the future. If there are other problems, especially Stigmina needlecast, actions to reduce damage by the other problems will help maintain tree vigor. If shoot growth or needle length is relatively short, fertilization can help improve vigor. Mulching around the base of the tree, out to the drip line, is usually very beneficial to the tree. Thinning out trees or pruning up alternate trees so there is less competition for soil nutrients and water by the roots and less competition for light by the needles will improve tree vigor. White spruce and Black Hills spruce are less susceptible to Valsa canker, so they should be favored when thinning or pruning. Avoiding exposure to herbicides, especially dicamba (Banvel) and glyphosphate (Roundup) is beneficial.

Pruning alone can bring Valsa canker under control, and if pruning is not done, then other actions will not be very effective.

If you have spruce trees that have dead branches, the trees might have Valsa canker. This disease tends to kill more and more branches each year that it is not managed. If left unmanaged, Valsa canker often results in loss of the benefits expected from a tree.

So, if you have spruce trees that you want to continue to keep healthy, check to see if they have Valsa canker. If so, now is a great time to prune out the dead branches.

01/28/2026

One step closer…

It was only a matter of time.... 😢

Emerald ash borer larva have been detected in Fargo, ND. https://www.ndda.nd.gov/news/emerald-ash-borer-detected-fargo

01/21/2026

You may have seen posts or videos about “exploding trees” popping up on social media due to the impending extreme cold. Do you need to worry? Should you take cover?

While the sound can be startling, our NDSU Extension Forester says trees aren’t actually exploding. What’s really happening is called a frost crack.

Here’s what to know:
- Frost cracks form in winter during extreme cold
-They’re vertical cracks in the trunk, and when they happen, they can sound like a gunshot. No actual explosions happen.
-Some species are more prone than others. In North Dakota, frost cracks are often seen on green ash and chokecherry
-The exact cause isn’t fully understood, but it’s linked to uneven shrinking and swelling of wood and water as temperatures plunge
-We can’t predict which trees will develop frost cracks
-Cracks often close during summer and reopen in future winters
-There’s no cure, though some trees may eventually grow over the crack, forming a “frost rib.”
-The crack can allow decay fungi to enter, which may affect long-term tree health or structural stability

Bottom line>>>
Frost cracks are dramatic but not uncommon in cold climates. Keep an eye on affected trees, especially large or mature ones near homes or walkways.

Reach out to your local NDSU Extension office for science-based answers to your trending tree questions .... even the loud ones 😉

Follow the NDSU Extension - Lawns, Gardens & Trees page for the latest in this area.

01/14/2026