Top dressing of apple trees: what fertilizers and when to feed

What does an apple tree need?

As soon as the leaves appear and bloom on the plant, it’s time to fertilize it. Gardeners prefer both organic and mineral compositions. To begin, saturate the soil with nitrogen-containing mixtures, as they promote vigorous foliage growth. A complex fertilizer consisting of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus is also suitable. Remember that potassium and phosphorus stimulate flowering, so in most cases they are added to the substrate of the apple tree later.

Among the types of fertilizers that feed apple trees, the following are distinguished:

• urea;
• nitroammophoska;
• ammonium nitrate;
• manure.

Do not overdo it with fertilizers: if you add too much nitrogen to the soil, the tree will develop shoots and grow foliage, but you will have to forget about fruits. It is better to feed the apple tree in moderate doses.

With a deficiency in the soil of mineral or organic components, the apple tree looks sparse, and few fruits are formed. The sooner you notice the first signs of a lack of fertilizer in the soil, the more effective the feed for the plant will be.

If the apple tree needs nitrogen, small and faded castings grow on the tree, if boron, the veins on the leaf plate turn yellow, and the foliage quickly falls off. With a lack of iron, the foliage of the apple tree becomes discolored, and the edges die off. If there is a lack of potassium, the leaves turn pale, and their hue turns into a bluish-green. In the absence of phosphorus in the soil, the foliage of an apple tree acquires a dark green color with a bronze tint, purple or reddish patches.

Video “How to feed an apple tree”

From this video you will learn how to properly fertilize an apple tree in the garden.

Time for the procedure

Find out in advance what fertilizers are recommended to feed apple trees, and what compositions to give preference to during different seasons.

Experienced gardeners know that in July-August it is important to saturate the substrate of a fruit plant with potassium and phosphorus substances. Otherwise, fewer flower buds will appear on the tree next spring, which means fewer fruits will form.

Keep in mind that if you added both mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil when planting, do not add any top dressing to the substrate for the first two years.

In the spring, the apple tree is fed in three stages:

• before flowering – in March;
• during flowering – mid-late April;
• after flowering – at the end of May.

In summer, the emphasis is on nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus substances, and top dressing is carried out from June to August. Before the onset of cold weather, it is important to introduce phosphorus-potassium mixtures into the soil of the apple tree.

What can be fertilized

Foliar feeding of an apple tree or watering the plant with nutrient compounds is up to you. Find out how mineral and organic fertilizers differ when they prefer one mixture, and when they feed the tree with other vitamins. This will allow you to draw up a competent plan for feeding a fruit plant for the whole year.

Organic

Gardeners who prefer organic fertilizer feed the tree with liquid manure or compost. Scatter in the trunk circle and rotted manure (one adult plant has 3-5 buckets of organic composition).

Remember that manure contains a lot of potassium, which remains in the soil for a long time and is not washed out by rains. Do this once in the summer and the plant won’t need potash until harvest. It is important to saturate the soil of the apple tree with phosphorus, but it is not in manure. That is why, if you prefer such an organic fertilizer, add vitamins containing phosphorus to the substrate.

Useful are bone or fish meal. Bone meal contains potassium, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Calcium is useful for the apple tree, as it favorably affects the taste of the fruit.

Ash is another effective organic fertilizer. It contains a lot of potassium. Ash is also notable for the fact that it contributes to the entry of oxygen into the soil, which is important for the full development of the rhizome.

Minerals

Young seedlings and adult plants are fed with mineral compounds. Among the popular vitamins is carbamide (urea). It contains nitrogen, which is quickly absorbed by the fruit specimen.

One tree accounts for up to 600 g of urea. In the spring, when the apple tree is preparing for fruiting, give preference to complex mineral compositions:

• nitroammophoska;
• diammofosca;
• nitrophos.

Immediately before feeding the garden apple tree, carefully study the instructions.

It is important to adhere to dosages for high-quality nutrition of the plant. Gardeners add minerals to the near-stem circle to nourish the root system or spray them on the tree. Dilute the nitrogen-containing composition in water and spray on the leaves – they will acquire a rich shade, stop turning yellow and fall off prematurely.

Application rules of

The first rule for a gardener who wants to nourish an apple tree is to dilute the fertilizer, adhering to the schemes and dosages indicated in the instructions. In addition, there are a number of recommendations:

1. Feed the tree no earlier than 10-15 days after the last procedure.
2. It is important to stop feeding the plant in time. Apply the last vitamin composition to the substrate a month before harvesting.
3. For a full-fledged apple tree fertilizer, make 3-4 top dressings per year.
4. The first time the tree is fed before flowering.
5. Water the apple tree with the solution, distributing it around the trunk circle. At the same time, it is important to retreat 60 cm from the trunk, otherwise the rhizome will suffer from a high concentration of compounds.

Caring for an apple tree in the garden should be phased and well-organized. Take care of it, and you will reap a generous harvest, and the tree will survive the winter without any problems.