Fertilizing schedule

[DrewMc]

First time post on here. I was a long time member of the QDMA site before it dissolved.

Question, I have a variety of fruit trees 2-3 year old trees and have read conflicting advice on fertilizer applications. What have you guys used that seems to work the best? I have assorted apple, Kieffer pear, wild pear and crabapples. My PH is a 5 and I hail from SW PA

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Your PH is pretty low, adding some lime to them will be something I would do. As for fertilizer, 1 cup of 10-10-10 per inch of trunk diameter after the tree leafs out in the spring is what I do.

 

[Prof.Kent]

And here is my conflicting advice. I always used 1/2 cup per inch diameter of tree of 12-12-12. If you get too much new growth on the tips of limbs (over 18") I'd cut back on the fertilizer. I fertilize 3 times a year at most. May, June, & July. Don't feed nitrogen late into the summer because it keeps the tree from going dormant as it should.

 

[DrewMc]

This is what a guy on Midwest Whitetail recommended who runs a commercial orchard in VA.

– Fertilizing: Wait 2-3 weeks after planting or a few good rains, then apply 1/2 lb. of 19-19-19 about 18 inches from the base of the tree and spread in a circular motion.

On year two, you can apply 1 lb. of 19-19-19 in mid-March and another 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late May.

In year 3 and beyond, you can spread 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late March, then 1 lb. of urea in late May. My fertilizing program is more aggressive than anything you will read anywhere but if you want to grow a tree and get it into production this is my recommendation.

We have been growing trees 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide in five years producing 4-5 bushels per tree.

 

[Prof.Kent]

This is what a guy on Midwest Whitetail recommended who runs a commercial orchard in VA.

– Fertilizing: Wait 2-3 weeks after planting or a few good rains, then apply 1/2 lb. of 19-19-19 about 18 inches from the base of the tree and spread in a circular motion.

On year two, you can apply 1 lb. of 19-19-19 in mid-March and another 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late May.

In year 3 and beyond, you can spread 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late March, then 1 lb. of urea in late May. My fertilizing program is more aggressive than anything you will read anywhere but if you want to grow a tree and get it into production this is my recommendation.

We have been growing trees 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide in five years producing 4-5 bushels per tree.

Warmer and longer growing season in VA. But you can't argue with success!

 

[Barndog56]

I'm trying some foliar fertilizers from a company called Advancing Eco Agriculture this year. They have lots of info on their website and youtube page, including preventing apple scab, and bitter pit in honeycrisp. I'll post my thoughts on it's effectiveness this fall.

 

[WTNUT]

This is what a guy on Midwest Whitetail recommended who runs a commercial orchard in VA.

– Fertilizing: Wait 2-3 weeks after planting or a few good rains, then apply 1/2 lb. of 19-19-19 about 18 inches from the base of the tree and spread in a circular motion.

On year two, you can apply 1 lb. of 19-19-19 in mid-March and another 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late May.

In year 3 and beyond, you can spread 1 lb. of urea (40-0-0) in late March, then 1 lb. of urea in late May. My fertilizing program is more aggressive than anything you will read anywhere but if you want to grow a tree and get it into production this is my recommendation.

We have been growing trees 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide in five years producing 4-5 bushels per tree.

Just a word of caution and a disclaimer. I was one who went heavy on fertilizer as well and had similar results. But keep in mind, excessive fertilizer and growth also increases a trees chances of getting fireblight. Fireblight cost me all of my “15 feet tall and 10 feet wide” trees in one year, and then I had to start over again. Thankfully, I only had 12-15 trees of that size.


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[Bowsnbucks]

Just a thought - and I'm no expert - but the guy with the commercial orchard in Va. is going to put more time & effort into his orchard than the avg. wildlife grower. If he gets fire blight or some other bad result from heavy fertilizer application, he'll probably have the equipment and time to address it. Most of us wildlife planters don't have the time, proximity, or equipment to correct any mistakes.

That being said, I fertilize more like Prof. Kent and 4Wanderingeyes do. 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 in the spring around the drip line is my method and I've grown trees to 13 - 14 ft. tall in 5 years. No radical shoot growth or disease problems so far.

 

[DrewMc]

The thing that stood out for me with the commercial grower is the straight Urea application in year 3 and beyond.

 

[WTNUT]

Just a thought - and I'm no expert - but the guy with the commercial orchard in Va. is going to put more time & effort into his orchard than the avg. wildlife grower. If he gets fire blight or some other bad result from heavy fertilizer application, he'll probably have the equipment and time to address it. Most of us wildlife planters don't have the time, proximity, or equipment to correct any mistakes.

That being said, I fertilize more like Prof. Kent and 4Wanderingeyes do. 10-10-10 or 15-15-15 in the spring around the drip line is my method and I've grown trees to 13 - 14 ft. tall in 5 years. No radical shoot growth or disease problems so far.

This is a valid point. In my case I can go a week or two between visits to the farm. If you are not there, that is an eternity for Fireblight to spread. There are chemicals that can be applied when conditions are conducive to FB, but they have to be promptly. I am not sure how well the work because I have never been there to apply them when they are needed. I also have not been there to cut 24 inches below the first classic “shepherds hook” when it appears. But, if you think about it the tree is most susceptible when in bloom, so you are have a lot of contact points for the disease and thus a lot of “shepherd hooks” appearing at once. You have to act immediately. In my case, I ended up cutting the trees down and trying to top work (graft) the trunk. It has been a couple years and in 50% of those trees I was still to late FB has spread and reached trunk roots and all. They are dying.
So be cautious with that fertilizer and I agree straight urea sounds like a lot!


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[Catscratch]

How old should a tree be before you can cut it at the trunk and graft new on it? I have two pears that were purchased from Walmart last yr. Fairly large trunk diameter (maybe 2in) but in a small pot for their size. Roots were really small and I worry about their survival. I also worry about their health as this spring a lot of their new leaves have turned black at the tips. I don't know much about fireblight but I haven't seen a shephards hook on one yet. If they prove to be problematic this summer can I cut them next spring and top work them? It doesn't seem like they had enough roots to survive something like that...

 

[Wild Thing]

From notes I took from Bill Mayo's article in Quality Whitetails magazine several years ago - it has worked well for me:

Fertilization - Spring/Early Summer Only (when trees are fully leafed out). Fertilize around drip line (also for Oaks & Beech) with 19-19-19 or 7-27-27 slow release fertilizer then cover with leaves or mulch to retain moisture (I personally don't cover the fertilizer). Follow up with a second application 6 weeks later, but no later than July 1. Apply no more than ½# of fertilizer per year of growth. In preparation for winter months, move the mulch about 8” away from the tree trunk to prevent mice & voles from girdling the bark.

One thing I noticed is Bill Mayo says "Apply no more than ½# of fertilizer per year of growth"...vs Prof Kent's recommendation of "I always used 1/2 cup per inch diameter of tree of 12-12-12." I haven't actually weighed a cup of fertilizer lately...or measured the diameter of my trees but maybe I should do so this year for comparison.

 

[Charman03]

How early do you start fertilizing? Once the tree is fully leafed out?

 

[4wanderingeyes]

Yes