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Manure under apple trees can be used several times per season. In early spring, it is brought under the root, preparing an infusion. In the summer, foliar treatments are done, and in the fall, the trunk circle is mulched. At the same time, only rotten raw materials should be used, since fresh organic matter leads to a burn of the roots.
Is it possible to fertilize an apple tree with manure
Despite all the variety of mineral fertilizers, the apple tree also needs to be fed with manure. Organics brings great benefits to both the tree and the soil:
- Rich composition – nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium.
- Enriching the soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria.
- Improving the structure of the soil (it becomes looser).
- Gradual assimilation of nutrients – plants can receive them throughout the season.
- Yield increase.
- Increased resistance to pests, resistance to adverse weather.
Types of manure for fertilizer
The apple tree loves different types of manure:
- mullein (used most often);
- bird droppings;
- rabbit;
- horse;
- pork (practically not used, because it contains dangerous parasites).
Depending on the state of the raw materials, the following types are distinguished:
- fresh;
- half-rotted;
- completely rotted (humus).
Fresh manure is used only for harvesting. It is laid out in a special pit, other waste of plant and animal origin is added, after which they are expected to rot for up to 12 months. It is absolutely impossible to use such fertilizer for watering or laying mulch.
Semi-rotted manure is often used to prepare liquid top dressing. It is diluted 10-20 times, and then the apple trees are watered under the root. Completely rotted organic matter is the most valuable raw material. Humus can be applied to the soil directly at planting, as well as put manure under apple trees in the fall for mulching.
When to put manure under apple trees
It is necessary to apply fertilizers for fruit trees several times per season:
- Spring feed.
- Summer.
- Autumn entry.
Fertilizer is used up to 3-4 times per season
In the spring, top dressing of apple trees with manure is mandatory. It is better to do this during the swelling of the kidneys, i.e. around the beginning of April. After winter, the plants are weakened and need a large amount of nutrients. Especially affects the deficiency of nitrogen – an element that triggers growth processes and stimulates the set of green mass. Therefore, in the spring it is necessary to water the seedlings with a liquid solution.
In summer, it is not necessary to feed apple trees with manure. At this point, the introduction is allowed only if there are signs of a clear deficiency of nitrogen and other trace elements:
- poor growth, developmental delay;
- thin shoots;
- short stems;
- small inflorescences;
- few leaves appear;
- bad branching;
- the color of the foliage is pale green, yellowish – a symptom of acute deficiency.
Fertilizers are given in liquid form, and they are applied foliarly. For this, an infusion of rotted manure is obtained, diluted several times and sprayed on the leaf. The procedure is performed 1-2 times until the symptoms described are eliminated.
It is useful to fertilize apple trees with manure in the fall. At the end of September or at the beginning of October, organic matter can be introduced into pre-dug holes, trenches, or simply mulch around the trunk circle. This technique will not only enrich the soil with nutrients, but also protect the roots from freezing in winter.
Ways to feed an apple tree with manure
Feeding is carried out in different ways. Organics are applied in the form of a solution (watered under the root) or the trunk circle is mulched. Foliar processing is also acceptable.
Under the root
In early April, apple trees must be watered with manure infusion – mullein 1:10 or bird droppings 1:20. You can also use both components together. To do this, they are mixed in equal amounts, poured with water in a ratio of 1: 3, and then insisted for two weeks. Periodically it is necessary to mix. Then they take the resulting slurry, dilute it with water 10 times and water it under the root.
In the spring, manure is applied in the form of an infusion, watering under the root
On the eve of flowering, it is recommended to feed the trees again. And this time the composition of fertilizers will be as follows:
- mullein 10 g (or litter 5 kg);
- superphosphate 1 kg;
- potassium sulfate 800 g;
- urea 500 g.
All components are mixed and dissolved in 200 liters of water. Then insist 5-7 days and give four buckets per tree.
You can also feed apple trees with slurry from manure in the fall. At the end of September or at the beginning of October, the containers are filled with organic matter to a third of the volume and filled with water to the upper level. Infuse for three days, mix and then dilute the infusion five times. Watered under the root or poured into a hole dug along the contour of the crown.
Foliar top dressing
Foliar application is practiced at the beginning of summer, when clear signs of a lack of nitrogen and other elements are found (yellowing of leaves, the appearance of light spots, and others). If the soil is infertile, foliar fertilizing with manure can be carried out three times:
- a week after the end of the flowering period;
- one month after the first treatment;
- 30 days before harvest.
To quickly fill the deficiency of trace elements, take 0,5 liters of mullein and insist in 10 liters of water. There also add a teaspoon of urea. The solution is stirred, allowed to stand for a day and proceed to spraying.
Mulching
1-2 weeks before the first frost, it is recommended to cover the apple trees with manure. To do this, a mixture of humus and peat is poured into the trunk circle in a ratio of 1: 1. The height of the layer should be 10-15 cm. It is advisable to apply this top dressing of apple trees in autumn with manure in late autumn – at the end of October.
How to feed an apple tree with manure
Manure is used to feed apple trees several times a season. Application features and composition depend on the time and for what purposes they are given.
How to feed apple trees in spring with manure
In the spring, top dressing is carried out once in early April. To do this, you can insist mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20). It is watered under the root and further along the entire near-trunk circle along the border of the crown. It is important to remember that the root hairs diverge several meters from the trunk. Therefore, the application must be uniform. To concentrate the liquid in one place, you can dig a trench 10 cm deep along the diameter of the apple tree crown.
When planting, manure is mixed with soddy soil and poured into the hole.
Autumn top dressing of apple trees with manure
The peculiarity of autumn feeding is that manure is already given in small quantities. You only need to use humus. They take from three to eight kilograms of raw materials (depending on the age, size of the tree) and close up in several deep holes (up to 50 cm). They are pre-digged according to the diameter of the crown.
30 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of superphosphate are also placed in each well. Then carefully watered with settled water. In autumn, a week before frost, rotted horse manure can be laid out under apple trees and as a mulch layer. To do this, it is pre-mixed with peat or soddy soil in equal amounts.
Fertilizing recipes with the addition of manure
Manure can be mixed with other components. For example, for early spring top dressing, use the following mixture (for one adult tree):
- humus – 5 buckets;
- urea – 500 g;
- nitroammophoska – 30 g;
- ammonium nitrate – 30 g.
Fertilizer in dry form is scattered along the near-stem circle to the contour of the crown. Then loosen the soil with a rake and close up organic matter. Immediately after this, watering is carried out, giving one tree up to eight buckets of water.
On the eve of flowering, a composition for root application (irrigation) is prepared based on the following components:
- 5 kg of litter or 10 kg of mullein;
- superphosphate – 1 kg;
- potassium sulfate – 800 g;
- urea – 500 g.
In autumn, slurry is prepared, diluting the infusion with water five times. They are watered near the trunk circle or holes that run along the perimeter of the crown.
Conclusion
Manure for apple trees is applied mainly in spring and autumn. In summer, foliar top dressing can be done. This is necessary to replenish the deficiency of nitrogen and other nutrients. In all cases, only pre-rotten raw materials are used. You can prepare it yourself by mixing it with other waste, as well as with complex mineral fertilizers.
