Fertilizer question for newer trees

[Telemark]

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.

I use a lot of wood ash around my trees. Basically everything from the fireplace goes out to the garden/orchard, and we burn every day because of the high electricity prices in Europe. We have relatively acidic soils, so I spread it all over the lawn, vegetable garden, orchard, flower garden, etc. It seems to go into the soil VERY fast, and it is said to contain a lot of nutrients in small quantities, as well as calcium carbonate. I honestly can't get enough ash, but my soils are sour, and we get an inordinate amount of rain.

 

[bigboreblr]

Derek,

your trees are in your food plot? did you get a soil analysis of that old pasture?

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Derek,

your trees are in your food plot? did you get a soil analysis of that old pasture?

no not yet.... I think I have an old WI soil test kit sitting in the garage and I have been meaning to get that done...I think it is pretty good soil as I have grown good plots there the past 2 years but it would be good to know what I'm working with..I know that field was previously a hayfield that hadn't been worked on for a few years prior to me putting in the plots

 

[Tree Spud]

1st year planted trees probably will benefit more from fertilizing with phosphorous than a fertilizer blend. Phosphorous will help build strong root system which is important.

 

[PrairieShadow]

Great info in here guys.

 

[bigboreblr]

Agriform tree pellets are 20-10-5 with micronutrients. I have put them in my planting before..

I've been mixing 1/2 triple 12 and 1/2 6-24-24 for the new guys. Year two I have been using 1/2 6-24-24 and 1/2 osmocote fertilizer. It's slow release with micronutrients, very much like miracle grow nutrient proportions. Small handful around drip edge for my 1st year, and a more generous hanful for 2nd year. Likely a little under nourished, I do about 4 handfuls around the drip edge on my mature old trees. Those guys et 1/2 triple 12 and 1/2 6-24-24.

I also used 3 handfuls of pelletized lime a year in the general 6ft radius. Mature trees get probably a 1/2 ton / acre of lime. Soil is clay, but not horribly heavy, low 6's pH. I prefer lime with magnesium in it, not necesarily pelletized lime has it. Depends on source.

 

[Gmule82]

Anybody ever tree chicken shavings with their droppings all in it? I got around 40 chickens and I clean their big coil out about once a week. My wife uses it for her gardens and flowers and they take off. I’m just wondering if the shavings themselves would have any toxins that would leech out? I think it would make great mulch as well and fertilize but I really don’t want to try it and have a poor tree I’ve babied die.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Are the shaving treated with toxins before the chickens crap on it?
Ain't nothin' more toxic than chicken sh%t. Pardon my French.

 

[White Oak]

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!

You may want to contact Terry at Whitetail crabs. At one time he told me to use Miracle grow, and I used the Walmart knock off brand . I can't say if it helped, but didn't notice any ill effects. At that time he was talking about coming out with his own fruit tree fertilizer but I haven't heard or seen any more about it. Last year I sprinkled a handful of 10-10-10 around my 2 & 3 year old trees , didn't notice any improved growth. Some people say not to fertilize at all....I'm thinking buying one pack of Jobe’s Fertilizer Fruit tree Spikes this spring to try on a few trees just to see what happens

 

[Derek Reese 29]

You may want to contact Terry at Whitetail crabs. At one time he told me to use Miracle grow, and I used the Walmart knock off brand . I can't say if it helped, but didn't notice any ill effects. At that time he was talking about coming out with his own fruit tree fertilizer but I haven't heard or seen any more about it. Last year I sprinkled a handful of 10-10-10 around my 2 & 3 year old trees , didn't notice any improved growth. Some people say not to fertilize at all....I'm thinking buying one pack of Jobe’s Fertilizer Fruit tree Spikes this spring to try on a few trees just to see what happens

I have a 50 lb bag of 10-10-10 that I’ll be spreading around this spring. I have some conifers and screen trees that will be getting some also. If it helps even a little I am down for it as that stuff isn’t that expensive. Terry mentioned Miracle GRO to me also as I think he would be worried about burning the tree. I’ve also heard about soluble fertilizer that sounds interesting.

 

[Teeder]

Anybody ever tree chicken shavings with their droppings all in it? I got around 40 chickens and I clean their big coil out about once a week. My wife uses it for her gardens and flowers and they take off. I’m just wondering if the shavings themselves would have any toxins that would leech out? I think it would make great mulch as well and fertilize but I really don’t want to try it and have a poor tree I’ve babied die.

Put the coop bedding around my elderberries this past year and plan on doing it again this spring. It's straw and pine shavings.

 

[White Oak]

I have a 50 lb bag of 10-10-10 that I’ll be spreading around this spring. I have some conifers and screen trees that will be getting some also. If it helps even a little I am down for it as that stuff isn’t that expensive. Terry mentioned Miracle GRO to me also as I think he would be worried about burning the tree. I’ve also heard about soluble fertilizer that sounds interesting.

This is directly from Whitetail Crabs Website..... "A good quality commercial fertilizer is typically recommended after planting, such as 10-10-10. Fertilizer should never be added directly to the hole during the original planting. In general, two large handfuls can be spread on an approximate 2-foot radius around the tree and away from contact with the trunk to prevent any possible trunk burning. The initial fertilization during planting will help develop a strong, deep root system"

 

[Gmule82]

Put the coop bedding around my elderberries this past year and plan on doing it again this spring. It's straw and pine shavings

Are the shaving treated with toxins before the chickens crap on it?
Ain't nothin' more toxic than chicken sh%t. Pardon my French.

Package says only natural for, spruce and pine shavings. So think it could work. As for as excrement goes, the chicken shat ain’t too bad. It’s not an enjoyable experience but it’s more enjoyable than changing my almost two year olds diaper

 

[Telemark]

Anybody ever tree chicken shavings with their droppings all in it? I got around 40 chickens and I clean their big coil out about once a week. My wife uses it for her gardens and flowers and they take off. I’m just wondering if the shavings themselves would have any toxins that would leech out? I think it would make great mulch as well and fertilize but I really don’t want to try it and have a poor tree I’ve babied die.

Yes, it is good fertilizer, but it is best to compost it first. It's best to turn the compost pile to encourage aerobic bacteria to dominate the process, but you can just leave the pile for a year with a tarp over it if you want. Fresh chicken manure is a bit harsh, but once it it composted, it is an excellent fertilizer or soil amendment.

 

[bigboreblr]

I have used both walmart and miracle grow. I put one of their tablespoonish sized scoop in a 5 gallon bucket. I water with the hose first, then add about a gallon of that miracle grow water.

I experimented with 1/2 mulched and 1/2 unmulched. Just regular stuff from the store. About 2/3's a 2 cu ft bag per tree. The mulched half looked so much better, I ended up doing the other half.

I think folks that rarely or never water their trees, your money is well spent buying plenty of mulch. 8ft diameter circle would be ideal in my opinion. Even better if it's wood chips from hardwood trees. I have a 5 year old log landing with a huge layer of woodchips that are semi rotted. I use a big bunch of them up at camp. About (4) 5 gallon buckets per tree. Luckily, I can get my pickup truck to the log landing.

Keep in mind, old hayfields are typically very deficient in potassium. The farmer kept taking without putting it back.......

 

[Derek Reese 29]

kinda leapfrogging on this thread....should I fertilize some screen conifer trees (they were white pine, BHS and Norway Spruce) planted last April and all got at least some kinda growth..some better than others

 

[bigboreblr]

I fertilize young and mature spruce trees. I put some lime and fertilizer on some 30 year old ones looking rough infront of my inlaws house. They're looking alot better than past years. Watered them 2 or 3 times during a bad dry spell too. None of it seemd to hurt it. My spruces were put in in 2018 I think, maybe 2019 and fertilized every year. I got some 5-6 footers.

Called my ag co-op. Price of Urea went down. Was about 33 a 50lb bag of triple 15, 6-24-24, or potash. Now everything is around 25 a bag. Did triple 12 an some 6-24-24 mixed in for trees. Put about 100lbs/acre of 0-0-46 ptoash in the fields. Thought that would be best bang for buck, and potash was greatest impact with ukraine.

 

[OakSeeds]

Adding to what has been shared on this thread, this is a pretty good piece on fertilizing fruit trees; it covers quite a bit like needs for fertilizer components from planting through maturity, timing issues (time of the year e.g, summer or fall) for both organic and commercial fertilizers and other important aspects (the value of mulch and what works well).
https://orchardpeople.com/episode-64-when-to-fertilize-fruit-trees/
P.S Mr. Reese .... the expert is also from PA Good luck

 

[Derek Reese 29]

Just got around to this last weekend but we had been in a pretty significant drought. Spread about a handful or 2 of 10-10-10 around each tree that wasn’t planted this spring. Hoping it helps as some of my trees are looking pretty droopy from the drought. We got some good rain this week though so I am hoping it helps. Could I possibly do 1 more round in couple weeks or would that we too close together?

 

[bigboreblr]

Fertilizing and spraying today IF I get off this couch......... 1/2 triple 15, 1/2 6-24-24. I am going lighter than a cup an inch because of the high percentage. Using a handful an inch, whoch is about 1/2. Fetilized in may and will again today, then just potash in the fall.

Keep in mind your soil. Likely Derek is like most of the northeast, plenty of clay in the soil. CEC cation exchange capacity. Some soil can hold plenty of nutrients, others not.

Some folks mentiuoned using ash. Lime take months to dissolve. Wood ash is pretty much instant pH asjustment. I'd use it lightly and not when the ground is frozen. When you get the frost to release it could concetrate on the top unfrozen layer first kill the top layer of roots.