Fertilizer question for newer trees

Derek Reese 29

5 year old buck +
Hello everyone,
I have a few questions about fertilizing my fruit trees this spring.
First, some background. I planted ~2 dozen apple and crabapple trees last spring (March-April) and then 10 more apples and crabs in mid-November (trees were dormant when planted).
My questions are as follows:
1) What is the earliest (month) I can fertilize (I am in North Central PA)...should I wait till I see leaves sprouting?
2) What amount of 20-20-20 should I use per tree? I also might get some soluble fertilizer and tree that method (suggested by a wildlife tree business owner).
3) Can I fertilize the trees that I just put in the ground in November or should I wait till spring 2023?
Thanks for your help!
 
I wouldnt fertilize a tree in its first year in the ground. After the first year I use 1 cup of 10-10-10 about a 1-2 feet out from the tree. I wait until the leaves are out, in my area it is in about May.
 
20-20-20 is pretty hot. Keep all fertilizer away from the bark. Spread it around at the drip edge of the trees. to encourage roots to grow outwarf from the tree.
I use 12-12-12 at 1 cup per inch diameter of tree, three times at one-month intervals. ending no later than July.
 
I dont fertilize, not for the first couple years... if your soil is at least marginally average - water and weed and rodent/rabbit/deer controls are more important.

I should have added that I am starting with grafted smaller dia trees.... what caliper size did you plant, where they bare root or potted ??... either way I dont fertilize until they are on their own established roots beyond the hole I dug.
 
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I dont fertilize, not for the first couple years... if your soil is at least marginally average - water and weed and rodent/rabbit/deer controls are more important.

I should have added that I am starting with grafted smaller dia trees.... what caliper size did you plant, where they bare root or potted ??... either way I dont fertilize until they are on their own established roots beyond the hole I dug.
they were all bare root trees some of which were 6-7' tall and some of which grew from ~4' at the start to ~6-7'' from spring until now (a bunch from NWC and Blue Hill along with Turkey Creek and a few other nurseries).
 
I'm from NEPA I have it in my notes from last year that I fertilized at the end of April. We had a terribly wet spring and much of the area I fertilized flooded. I'll wait until sometime in May and if Prof Kent says we can do it a few times, then I'll try hitting them a few times.
 
If you got 2' of growth on average from your trees there is no reason to fertilize. If you are getting 12" or less of growth on non-bearing trees then I would be fertilizing. Keep in mind that if you are going to fertilize, depending on soil type, split applications can be beneficial, but dont fertilize past late July as the tree needs to harden off new growth before winter hits. Tree roots actively grow when soil temps are above 50 degrees, depending on soil type and Nitrogen type, your Nitrogen could leach through your root zone if you apply it to late in the fall or too early in the spring.
 
What others have said about timing, but I want to throw this out there. A friend of mine that graduated from Penn state and the worked for many years at Ernst Seeds recommended 5-10-10 for fruit trees. He didn't recommended very much N.
 
If you got 2' of growth on average from your trees there is no reason to fertilize. If you are getting 12" or less of growth on non-bearing trees then I would be fertilizing. Keep in mind that if you are going to fertilize, depending on soil type, split applications can be beneficial, but dont fertilize past late July as the tree needs to harden off new growth before winter hits. Tree roots actively grow when soil temps are above 50 degrees, depending on soil type and Nitrogen type, your Nitrogen could leach through your root zone if you apply it to late in the fall or too early in the spring.
there were a few that did that, but there were also a few that grew very little vertically (added some limb growth, but not much height)..I guess I should focus on the trees that didn't get much vertical addition?
 
No not necessarily, if any new growth exceeded 12" whether on a limb or the central leader I wouldnt fertilize. If you have trees that arent putting that growth on then I would think about fertilizing those individual ones. Too much fertility in the soil is not a benefit now or 5 years down the road.
 
^^^^^ this I only fertilize trees that show poor growth on the last year wood. 10-10-10 cup an inch is probably about my rule of thumb also.
 
I wouldnt fertilize a tree in its first year in the ground. After the first year I use 1 cup of 10-10-10 about a 1-2 feet out from the tree. I wait until the leaves are out, in my area it is in about May.

This is pretty much what I do as well.
 
Another data point to add to the discussion...
A soil test I had done a few years ago said that on my planting site, one ounce of nitrogen should be applied per plant, twice (so two ounces total) during the establishment year. It also recommended that I apply enough potassium to bring my soil up to target.
 
What about composted manure around drip line?

bill
 
Pig and cow manure can be awe fully strong for younger trees, keep it away from the tree itself. Dried cow manure should be ok, but expect whatever the cows ate, to eventually start growing where you fertilized. They are great for transferring seed.
 
I think in general people want their trees to jet off to throwing apples the first year... give your tree time to establish.

Bare rooting a tree is what we do but it is a horribly violent thing to do to a tree and it takes the tree a bit (year of so) to get over that root shock. There are plenty of my tree(s) is/are dead now horror stories here over the years about fertilizing new trees.

Very few soils are so poor as to prevent or overly limit the growth of a new tree, if you slightly amend the soil with well composted material you will have more than enough fertility to support the new tree initially. Dont over amend soils or you will make a vole haven. Top dressing around the drip line with a layer of well composted manure should be fine. It should be a sort of time release fertilizer - just as long as its not to hot. I just believe taking a shovel and breaking up the soil around the tree - just prying it, providing adequate water, fungal and insect control and a 3'-4' area of weed control are a far better less risky way of starting your tree off.

Year two if the tree is not putting on good growth then fertilizer of some limited amount should maybe be applied - new trees have a very small root system
There are plenty of people here with a wealth of knowledge that can read their trees but they gained that knowledge through killing off a handful of trees. Application time is pretty important. Also what I have seen over the years is that most people do not handle there bare root trees with the care they really need, roots are left exposed during the planting, tree is laid next to the hole while digging and that further induces root shock and some trees take even longer to reestablish those finer roots that were lost during the lifting process.

One fear I would have with adding compost to the surface in any significant amount is that your going to shift root growth on a plane higher up - I kind of believe its good to make a tree struggle a bit and want to go deeper and wider for its water and nutrients, to much top growth in height isnt always a great thing. I have come to top off my trees and harvest the scion.
 
Wondering now if wood ash (mainly from cherry/maple and maybe some horse chestnut) would do any good or do harm? I would save it and put it around the drip line in the spring.
 
20-20-20 is pretty hot. Keep all fertilizer away from the bark. Spread it around at the drip edge of the trees. to encourage roots to grow outwarf from the tree.
I use 12-12-12 at 1 cup per inch diameter of tree, three times at one-month intervals. ending no later than July.

I agree, 20-20-20 is hot. I used 17-17-17 last spring and ended up killing some trees as it burned them.

I now use 10-10-10 and spread as described. I spread in the late winte rbefore ground thaws allowing the fertilizer to seep as spring green up occurs.
 
I agree, 20-20-20 is hot. I used 17-17-17 last spring and ended up killing some trees as it burned them.

I now use 10-10-10 and spread as described. I spread in the late winte rbefore ground thaws allowing the fertilizer to seep as spring green up occurs.
i ended up getting 10-10-10 so I think I should be good there...(and I got a 50 lb bag, but thats for 50+ trees...
 
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