Marshall Tree Farm in Morriston, Florida sells field-grown trees

About Marshall Tree Farm

OUR MISSION

Marshall Tree Farm began in 1984 with the mission of producing high quality trees for Florida’s landscapes. In that time we have grown from a small 10 acre nursery to over 500 acres of high quality landscape trees with 50 full time employees. We have also grown in selection as we now produce over 40 species and cultivars of the highest quality trees for your landscape designs and urban forests. We are big enough to provide great selection and availability but are still small enough to not lose touch of our goal to grow trees of exceptional quality while providing great customer service. Our trees are specified throughout Florida and we now supply trees from Texas to Virginia and everywhere in between.

We have grown because of our commitment to quality and service. Our trees are pruned, irrigated, root-pruned, and fertilized to produce a field-grown tree of exceptional quality. We produce trees to meet the stringent guidelines of the Florida Grades and Standards. This means you are purchasing a tree that is exceptional in both appearance and structure. Our trees are grown to provide superior long term results in the landscape.

OUR BEGINNING

Jim Marshall started his own company, Marshall Lawn Care, in 1983 after his employer, Pursley Turf, eliminated their Landscape Division. Marshall Tree Farm was started in 1984 when Jim, with the help of his family, planted the first ten acres. Jim’s education in environmental horticulture from the University of Florida combined with his practical experience, proved to be very helpful in those early years. However, Jim did not stop there. He attended tree conferences, visited other tree farmers, and asked University of Florida professors many questions. Even then, his goal was to produce the best tree possible. In 1995, Jim and other leaders in the field grown industry started the Roots Plus Field Growers Association of Florida. The association was born out of the desire to guarantee the consumer they are buying a hardened-off tree and to better the perception of field-grown trees. Roots Plus is dedicated to improving tree quality, sponsoring tree research at the University of Florida and educating our members, as well as consumers.

OUR STAFF

One of the most important ingredients for our success is a knowledgeable and hard working staff. Jim is still active in the business along with two of his children Jimmy, and Michael. They have been involved in the horticulture industry from an early age. Jimmy is the Production Manager and he oversees the day to day operations at the farm. Michael works in sales, marketing and production, as well as traveling around the state to talk at various tree related seminars and conferences. Chris Reese, Kris Scott and Michael Marshall handle sales, tagging and customer service for Marshall Tree Farm. When you call us here at Marshalls, Chris, Kris or Michael are the ones you will talk to most of the time.

OUR FUTURE

We celebrated our 30^th year in business in 2014 and are excited about what the next 30 years has to offer. We frequently host workdays in conjunction with Roots Plus Growers and the Florida Chapter ISA. Marshall Tree Farm has been and will continue to be on the cutting edge of field-growing technology. Visit our website regularly to see what we are doing to produce the highest quality trees possible!

ROOTS PLUS GROWERS

Marshall Tree Farm is proud to be one of the founding members of the Roots Plus Field Growers Association of Florida. Roots Plus Growers is an association of nurserymen from around the state of Florida who are committed to increasing the quality and public perception of field-grown trees. Their mission is three fold: To guarantee the consumer they are buying a hardened-off field-grown tree, to share new ideas to continually improve tree quality and to sponsor research and educational programs. Hardening-off means the tree has been held in our nursery under optimum irrigation until new roots have begun to regenerate (4-6 weeks minimum). This may sound like a simple idea but research has shown that hardened-off field grown trees are a superior performer in the landscape. Research conducted from Florida to Italy continues to confirm that quality field grown trees outperform container grown trees in landscape settings. Research has shown that field grown trees use water more efficiently at planting (need to be watered less), establish faster after planting (start growing in your landscape faster), and when planted with container trees in a situation of limited water or irrigation will have dramatically higher survival rates. All of these results are from peer reviewed research that has been published in various trade journals.