Fertilizer - weed barrier in place

[silver_yummies]

So for the people that have a 3 x 3 or 4 x 4 weed fabric laid down around their fruit trees, do you still just sprinkle the fertilizer on top of that around your trees? I’m just imagining the fertilizer all funnels down to the opening of the weed fabric by the trunk of the tree over time, does it not? Is that fine?

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I just lift the edges of the fabric for the first couple years and sprinkle it right under the edges, then lay the weed fabric back down. I'm thinking that may encourage root systems to grow outward to get to the goodies - maybe get the roots established quicker/better. It also helps eliminate the "evaporation" of the fertilizer as it's covered and out of the sun. Evaporation isn't the correct term for this process, but the correct term escapes me right now.

 

[Prof.Kent]

Fertilize at the drip edge of the tree. 1 cup 12-12-12 per 1" diameter of tree, once at Spring green-up and again about a month later. That's how I do it.

 

[Charman03]

I fertilize just outside the fabric and it works fine.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I should have clarified my "under the edge of the fabric" method. I only do it that way for the first 2 years, while the root systems are just getting started and smaller. Like Prof. Kent said, the drip edge is the place for fertilizer after that. Our fabric mats are about 3' x 3'. By the 3rd leaf, our tree limbs are beyond that mat size.