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Spring feeding of fruit trees and shrubs is the most important agrotechnical event, which determines the further growth of crops, their decorative properties and fruiting. Fertilizers applied in the spring saturate the soil with nutrients necessary for plants, which contribute to abundant flowering, ovary formation, and increased yields. Fruit crops grow for many years in the same soil, from which they continuously consume nutrients. Fertilizers introduced in the fall are not able to fully cover the need of plants for useful elements. Therefore, by spring, when the intensive growth of trees resumes, the soil is in dire need of mineral and organic top dressing. The lack of nutrients during the growing season can seriously weaken the plants, which will certainly affect fruiting and fruit quality.
What fertilizer to use
With the onset of heat, growth and vegetation are activated in plants, and these processes are best carried out with the participation of nitrogen. Therefore, for fertilizing the garden in early spring, nitrogen-containing products are among the first to be used. The second most important are potassium and phosphorus. They are introduced later, at the stage of intensive growth and flowering.
Important for the development of fruit trees in the spring are substances such as hydrogen, carbon, magnesium, calcium, iron, sulfur. If trees consume hydrogen and carbon from the soil, then they need to deliver chemical elements through the introduction of complex mineral mixtures. Ready-made industrial mixtures are more effective, as they also contain many microelements: copper, manganese, cobalt, boron in a form accessible to plants. From organic materials, manure of various origins (bird, cow, pig), peat, compost can be used as fertilizer in the spring. Green manure crops introduced in autumn give a good effect. By spring, they completely rot and form an effective natural fertilizer. Green manure is recommended to be grown on sandy and sandy soils, where the lack of humus is especially felt.
The first fertilizing with nitrogen is necessary for all fruit and berry crops without exception. For each species, you can choose the most optimal fertilizer option, but for this you need to know which plants to feed with what:
- it is good to fertilize apple and pear trees with urea, humus, ammonium nitrate, droppings, after flowering it is necessary to add superphosphate, a potash agent (potassium sulfate);
- for cherries, plums, the first dressing in spring may consist of urea, or ammonium nitrate, during flowering – from bird droppings, at the end of flowering – from manure, compost, dry organic mixtures;
- berry bushes in the spring are fertilized with potassium nitrate, nitrophoska, you can also add ash with urea under the root (3 tablespoons of urea, 0,5 cups of ash / 10 l of water), or rotted manure with the addition of saltpeter (1 bucket of manure / handful of saltpeter).
Video “Expert opinion on feeding”
Video review of the most popular top dressings for fruit trees, as well as useful fertilizer tips.
What to do in March
The first feeding of fruit crops is carried out in early spring, when the snow cover has just begun to melt. During this period, nitrogen-containing agents are used – industrial mineral mixtures that stimulate the vegetative process. Soluble mineral fertilizers are recommended to be scattered on top of the snow in the near-stem circles, which had to be well loosened in the fall. Such a surface fertilization of the soil is good because the melt water, penetrating into the ground, will dissolve and pull nitrogen with it. Nitrogen products are evenly distributed around the trunks within a radius of about 50 cm – ideally, the radius of top dressing is outlined by the width of the crown. It is in this zone that there is the largest number of root endings that actively absorb useful elements. An adult tree needs 2-4 handfuls of a nitrogen mixture (100-120 g), a young one is enough, about 40 g.
When carrying out top dressing, attention should be paid to the location of the landing. If the site is located on a slope, it is better to wait a little while applying top dressing, since the product can be washed away by melt water, which usually does not linger on slopes. It is also undesirable to apply the mixture to frozen ground with a lot of snow – in this case, the fertilizer will lie on the soil surface for a long time, due to which nitrogen can partially evaporate.
When applying nitrogen-containing preparations in the spring, the dosage should be observed – the principle “the more the better” does not apply here. Excess nitrogen in the soil can provoke fungal diseases, as well as weaken the immunity of plants. Experienced gardeners do not recommend feeding trees with complex mixtures labeled “spring”. In such products, as a rule, the concentration of nitrogen is very high, in addition, potassium and phosphorus are present in their composition, which should be added a little later.
For seedlings and young fruit trees, organic top dressing with urea, liquid manure and droppings is more suitable. These fertilizers are diluted with water and applied directly to the soil under a tree or bush. When preparing an organic solution, it is recommended to adhere to the following ratio: 300 g urea / 10 liters of water, 1,5 liters of liquid manure / 10 liters of water, 4 liters of liquid manure / 10 liters of water. The approximate consumption of the solution per tree is 4-5 liters.
What to feed in April
April is the period of flowering and active formation of the deciduous part, so it’s time to feed the garden trees with potassium and phosphorus. Both elements are necessary for the strengthening and normal growth of trees. Phosphorus strengthens the roots, promotes their growth and fixation in the soil. Potassium promotes the formation of side shoots, so it is especially important for young trees and seedlings.
It is desirable to use these components separately, therefore complex complex mixtures containing both components will not work in this case. Phosphorus fertilizer (superphosphate) is best applied in the first half of April, deepening it into the soil of the root zone in close proximity to the roots. For each adult tree, 60 g of the product is required, half a serving is enough for a young tree.
It is not advisable to introduce potassium in its pure form – it is better if it is included in simple mixtures: potassium sulfate, potassium magnesia, potassium salt, furnace ash. Potash fertilizer is applied at a dosage of 20-25 g/1 tree.
At the end of flowering, garden trees can be pampered with organic matter. In April, be sure to pay attention to feeding pears and apple trees. Many people prefer to use the so-called green fertilizer for this purpose, which must be prepared in advance, since it takes 3 weeks to ripen. The cut grass should be placed in a barrel, filled with water, covered with polyethylene, in which small holes should be made, and insisted. The finished product is diluted with water 1:10 and applied to the root zone.
Fertilizers in May
In the last month of spring, the formation of the ovary occurs and the growth of fruits begins, therefore fruit crops must be additionally fed with organic materials: rotted manure, compost, biohumus. In the absence of organic fertilizer, you can purchase a complex mixture with a slight predominance of nitrogen, which is most suitable for this type of soil. In May, fertilizer can be applied in different ways:
- to close up in depressions in the soil;
- dig with the ground;
- mix with loosened earth in the near-trunk zone;
- mix with mulch, as well as straw, rotten leaves.
To fertilize apple and pear trees, you can use mineral and organic products at the same time. In mid-May, during the period of active flowering, it is necessary to feed the berry bushes – apply liquid manure or urea under the root with a small addition of saltpeter, ash. May top dressing with mineral mixtures can also be carried out foliarly. In this case, the crown treatment solution should be slightly weaker than indicated in the instructions. It should be understood that the green part absorbs nutrients well and the trees are saturated faster, but still, root dressing is preferable, since microelements with this method of application remain in the soil longer.
What you need to know
When growing fruit and berry crops, you need to know what subtleties and features should be taken into account in the process of feeding:
- the root system of any plant absorbs the subcortex better in liquid form;
- young trees in the first year of life do not fertilize – seedlings should be fertilized only after full rooting, which is achieved, as a rule, in the second year after planting;
- it is advisable to apply any remedy in the evening, in cloudy weather;
- it is better to apply dry fertilizers to moist soil, when applying dry compost, manure, the soil must be well watered – the exception is nitrogen mixtures scattered over the snow in spring;
- liquid solutions are applied only to wet soil – top dressing in dry soil can lead to root burns;
- in the first years of a tree’s life, the effect of applying fertilizer is less noticeable than during the period of growing up and active fruiting;
- the root system of an adult fruit tree significantly exceeds the boundaries of the crown projection (on average by 0,5 meters);
- in fertile soils, organic fertilizer can be applied not annually, but once every 1-2 years, poor soils need annual and repeated feeding;
- lime fertilizer can be applied to the soil no more than once every 1-5 years.
Every gardener knows that getting a high yield is impossible without special top dressing in the spring. Fertilizer, correctly and timely applied during the growing season, plays an important role in the further development of the plant – it increases its chances for a healthy existence and successful fruiting.
Video “Care for fruit trees and shrubs”
Informative video about the care, fertilization of trees to improve fertility and pest control.