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WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “SILK” AND REPLICA PLANTS? At PTI we choose to call our plants Replica rather than “silk” because fabric plants have not typically been made of silk fabrics for many years. The majority is currently made from mainly polyester fabrics and many have polyurethane coatings, so truth in advertising says it all. We call them Replica, as the term Replicated represents products that duplicate, copy or reproduce something from nature.

WHAT MAKES PRESERVED TREESCAPES PLANTS DIFFERENT THAN OTHER MANUFACTURERS OR THE TYPE I CAN PURCHASE FROM MY LOCAL CRAFT OR BIG BOX STORE? Our Replica plants and leaves are made from a thicker fabric and a heavier gauge wire, so they hold their shape better. The leaves are sealed with a PU coating so they repel and resist dust and the coating doesn’t allow the dust or the spill of a soda or coffee to penetrate into the fabric. This also makes them easier to clean. We also offer the Inherently Fire Retarded option.

WHAT IS THE TALLEST TREE YOU HAVE MADE? A 72’ Preserved palm for interior use and a 192’ Pine for Exterior use.

HOW MUCH DO PRESERVED PALMS WEIGH? Anywhere from 3-30 lbs per foot, depending on the species.

HOW MUCH DO FABRICATED TREES WEIGH? They are surprisingly lighter weight than they appear, a 10’ high tree with an 8’ canopy and a 3”-5” diameter trunk is less than 200 lbs, while and 18’ high tree with a 20’ diameter canopy and an 18” diameter trunk will weigh just over 600 lbs.

HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO CLEAN MY PLANTS/TREES? This depends on where your plants/trees are installed. Generally, about every 3-4 months depending on the amount of dust or air circulation. More frequent cleaning makes the process easier.

HOW DO I CLEAN MY PLANTS/TREES? For replica products, a lot of different methods may work such as a feather duster or a light vacuuming, for smaller plants you can also use the cool setting on a hair dryer and blow the dust off. Of course, the recommended method is spraying the plants with Repla-clean. Preserved products will require a bit lighter touch but still need to be cleaned. Try to avoid cleaning preserved plants when the humidity is very low as the plants become more fragile during this time. TropEx products are easily cleaned with a low pressure water hose. DO NOT use any alcohol based cleaning solutions on preserved plant materials such as palm fronds.**See cleaning instructions.

IS THERE ANY TOXIC CHEMICALS IN THE PRESERVATION SOLUTION? No! The preservation solution is non-toxic, non-hazardous and completely safe to all living things. You could eat a Preserved product (although it would not taste very good) without any concerns.

IS OUR BASE PLATE DETAIL WET STAMPED? Our base plate details are not wet stamped. We wet stamp, as requested and for a fee, on a project specific basis. We include actual site conditions, particular tree specifications and a project title block on wet stamped trees.

HOW DO YOU PRESERVE A TREE? Fresh cut palm leaves are collected from our growing grounds here in California and brought to our manufacturing facility. The leaves are placed into a trough containing the preservation solution. The leaves then draw up the solution, replacing the water in their cells with the preservative. Although the ingredients in the preservation solution are proprietary, they include humectants to keep the leaves soft and pliable so they are not “crispy” like a dried product, a fire retardant for safety and dyes to keep the leaves green. This process retains the natural characteristics of the foliage including the natural dried tip of the leaves. Preserved foliage retains the appearance and feel of live palm foliage.

WHAT KIND OF CLIMATE IS NECESSARY FOR A PRESERVED PRODUCT? It is important to remember that the plant tissue is still natural, organic plant material. The tissue has microscopic openings in the surface called stomata, they are like the pores of human skin. Even in a Preserved state there is interaction between the surrounding ambient air and the plant tissue through stomata. Do not expose Preserved foliage to too much or too little moisture in the air as well as temperature extremes. The recommended environment is temperature not exceeding 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees centigrade) and relative humidity between 30% and 80%.

HOW LONG DOES A PRESERVED PRODUCT LAST? This depends a lot on the environment where the plants are installed. Preserved plants react to environmental conditions such as heat, light and humidity in a very similar manner to live plants. If a plant is in a stable environment without excess heat, light or humidity, preserved plants can last for 8 years or longer. The trunks are usually more durable than the foliage. Quite often just the preserved foliage can be replaced making the plant look brand new again.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I PLAN ON REPLACING THE PRESERVED FRONDS/LEAVES? We suggest planning and budgeting to replace 1/3 of the foliage on each palm every 3 years, unless your fronds are subject to more sun or abuse you can increase the percentage. Incorporate the replacement with the cleaning of the fronds and move the older fronds to the bottom of the tree, disposing of the more damaged or faded fronds and be sure to put all the new fronds at the top center of the tree and it will look just as Mother Nature intended, the new growth will be on the top and the older more worn fronds at the bottom. This allows for a consistent and natural look while at the same time maintaining a steady budget rather than waiting until the trees look completely worn and then having a huge expenditure to replace them all at once.

HOW LONG DOES A TROPEX ITEM LAST? TropEx palms trunks are good for 15 years and longer, it is the fronds that need to be replaced every 6-8 years or more on Giants and 3-5 years on Standards, depending on the amount of sun, wind and exposure to the elements they get, such as salt spray from the ocean, or sand blasted from wind storms in the desert areas. TropEx flowering material is more fragile and can last between 3-5 years with exposure to the elements being a mitigating factor.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPLICA AND TROPEX PLANT MATERIAL? Replica foliage is made for interior use and is not as waterproof or UV resistant as TropEx material. Replica foliage is usually IFR whereas TropEx is not (although most TropEx materials can be obtained IFR if there is a sufficient quantity to warrant a custom batch of the material). Replica foliage is for indoor use only whereas TropEx foliage is designed for outdoor use but could be used indoors if desired, and would be especially beneficial in areas that have intense sun.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REPLICA AND FABRICATED PLANT MATERIAL? Although both have fabric leaves, Fabricated trees have trunks and branches manufactured from manmade materials, while Replica trees have natural trunks, grown by Mother Nature herself.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STANDARD AND COMMERCIALLY FOLIATED TREES? Commercially foliated trees have 30% more foliage than standard and are slightly larger in diameter. With Reed and Sanseveria, commercial has 30% more product per square foot than standard.

WHY OR WHEN DO YOU USE A COMMERCIAL VS STANDARD? Standard Foliation can be used for budgetary reasons, or when a tree is going into a corner or dark area, or when you want an airy look or if you have a group of trees, the foliage density feeds off of the other trees. Commercial foliation is for a tree that stands alone, or is up against a window or high light, each leaf is backlit and it can look sparse if not fully foliated. ** see photo

WHY CANT PRESERVED PRODUCT GO OUTSIDE? The main problem with putting preserved products outside is humidity. Preserved products react to the environment in a similar manner to live plants. If the air is humid, the leaves will absorb more moisture from the air than the cells in the leaves can hold and some solution may eventually leak out. The leaves also become very heavy and will soften and droop. Even though an area is protected, the humidity will probably be very high at night and there will eventually be problems. Other reasons are sunlight will cause the leaves to fade quickly and winds will damage the leaves.

HOW DEEP DO THE BOLTS NEED TO BE EMBEDED INTO THE CONCRETE? AND HOW LONG DO THE BOLTS NEED TO BE? This depends upon the height and type of tree being installed but usually a 5” – 6” embed depth is sufficient for interior trees. Larger bolts would be needed for exterior applications. The bolts need to come out approximately 3” above the concrete for the nuts and washers. Excess length can be cut off afterwards if necessary.

HOW DEEP DOES THE CONCRETE NEED TO BE FOR EMBEDDING BOLTS? The concrete should be at least 3” deeper than the embed depth.

WHAT DOES (IFR) INHERENTLY FIRE RETARDANT MEAN? It means that the fire retardant is an integral part of the plant. It can’t be washed off or brushed away. It is not a coating on the top of the plant but is actually inside the material used to make the plant (replica plants) or inside the preservation solution (preserved plants).

WHY IS INHERENTLY FIRE RETARDED PLANT MATERIAL BETTER THAN PLANT MATERIAL THAT IS TOPICALLY TREATED WITH FIRE RETARDANT? Topical Fire Retardant is a salt based product, so it leaves the plant looking dusty from the very beginning. Because it is a salt based product, it leads to the degradation of the fabric leaves and if a thinner less quality fabric is used, the fire retardant can soak through to the wire. The salt will then cause the wire to rust and that color will leach through the fabric, causing it to discolor. Topical fire retardant also needs to be reapplied every time the plant is cleaned in order to be effective. This can be costly over time. Fire Retardant that is inherent, cannot wash or wear off over time, so it never needs to be reapplied.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO ASSEMBLE A TREE? This will depend on the type of tree it is and how large it is. Palms up to 10’ tall can be installed without any equipment in approximately 30-45 minutes per tree. 10’ – 20’ trees require a ladder and approximately an hour per tree to assemble. Above 20’ requires a mechanical lift and installation time averages an hour to an hour and a half per tree. If a steel base-plate is used and bolt holes need to be drilled, add an extra 30 minutes to hour per tree.

Replica trees up to 10’ tall are shipped as one piece and only need to be placed into the decorative pot, requiring approximately 15 minutes per tree. Some, but not all Replica trees over 10’ are broken down into individual trunks to facilitate shipping and will require the trunks to be set back into the PVC or steel ”collars” that are secured into the nursery pot by sliding the trunks down inside the collar and sliding the through bolt back through the collar and trunk of the tree and then securing the nut on the end of the bolt. They are color coded for easy identification as to which trunk belong into which collar. There will also be wiring in the canopy of the tree that needs to be attached. It takes approxamately1 hour to assemble a tree of this size.

Fabricated trees, under 10’ in diameter will come as one piece and will only require a few minutes to install. However, most fabricated trees will require assembly by one of our trained Fabricated technicians. The time needed for this will vary for each job.

AT WHAT HEIGHT DOES AN INTERIOR PALM TREE NEED TO BE BOLTED TO THE GROUND RATHER THAN POTTED? Trees that have a cantilever or are taller than 20’ will require a base plate and bolting.

AT WHAT HEIGHT DOES A TROPEX TREE/PLANT MATERIAL NEED TO BE BOLTED TO THE GROUND RATHER THAN POTTED? This will vary depending on the type of plant and the location it’s going but generally, we recommend a base plate for material that is 15’ or taller.

WHAT SIZE FOOTING DO I NEED TO BOLT DOWN A TROPEX EXTERIOR TREE? Because factors such as soil type, earthquake zones and wind loads vary from area to area, this information needs to be determined by a soils engineer in your area.

WHAT TYPE OF FEATURES CAN BE CONCEALED INTO A TREESCAPES TREE? Quite often our trees are designed with integrated usage which includes everything from lighting, speakers, security cameras, monitors, misting systems, drain pipes, fire alarms, and support columns, to holding children at play, secret cupboards, and gold bullion. How about having your favorite beverage dispensed from one of our tree trunks? Our trees have also been used as support to hold signage, awnings and hammocks.