The Best Fertilizing Techniques For Your Trees
What Kind of Nutrients Does a Tree Require and Why? Trees in every ecosystem, urban, suburban and rural, are under high amounts of stress.
Environmental strains such as low moisture availability, too much moisture, soil compaction, and nearby construction can deplete the ground of the elements essential to proper growth and maturity.
There are two groups of nutrients that trees need to grow, fight disease, and cultivate a stable root base: macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfer, and are required in large amounts.
Only smaller amounts of micronutrients, such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, chlorine, and molybdenum, are necessary.
How to Tell What Fertilizer Your Tree Needs A tree plagued with disease and insects or a tree that has prematurely stopped growing are visible signs that your tree is in dire need of attention.
Another area to observe is the leaves.
Foliage that is yellow or just "off-color" is a sure sign that some essential nutrients are missing from your trees' diet.
Instead of waiting for problems to become visible, have the soil around your trees periodically tested.
Most county extension offices have soil test kits available.
Simply gather a sample from around the root zone of your tree and follow the instructions on the kit.
Options of Fertilizer All fertilizers are labeled with three numbers (i.
e.
10-8-6).
These represent the weight per 100 lbs of nitrogen (10), phosphorus (8), and potassium (6).
If your soil needs more nitrogen, make sure the first number is high; if it needs more potassium, make sure the last number is high.
The combination of 10-8-6 is often referred to as a "complete fertilizer".
Organic versus Inorganic The latest trend in society is to use organic when possible.
Organic fertilizers take a longer time to break down and release the nutrients at a slower rate.
Inorganic fertilizers are generally highly soluble and liberate the nutrients more rapidly.
Some inorganic fertilizers can be covered with various products that slow down the release and extend the length of time the nutrients are available.
Some people combine organic and inorganic to give the tree an instant boost as well as long term sustenance.
Always keep in mind that fertilizer can help reduce the stress on the tree, but not completely eliminate the whole problem.
To ensure the health of your trees, have your trees periodically inspected by a professional tree company.
Environmental strains such as low moisture availability, too much moisture, soil compaction, and nearby construction can deplete the ground of the elements essential to proper growth and maturity.
There are two groups of nutrients that trees need to grow, fight disease, and cultivate a stable root base: macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfer, and are required in large amounts.
Only smaller amounts of micronutrients, such as iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, chlorine, and molybdenum, are necessary.
How to Tell What Fertilizer Your Tree Needs A tree plagued with disease and insects or a tree that has prematurely stopped growing are visible signs that your tree is in dire need of attention.
Another area to observe is the leaves.
Foliage that is yellow or just "off-color" is a sure sign that some essential nutrients are missing from your trees' diet.
Instead of waiting for problems to become visible, have the soil around your trees periodically tested.
Most county extension offices have soil test kits available.
Simply gather a sample from around the root zone of your tree and follow the instructions on the kit.
Options of Fertilizer All fertilizers are labeled with three numbers (i.
e.
10-8-6).
These represent the weight per 100 lbs of nitrogen (10), phosphorus (8), and potassium (6).
If your soil needs more nitrogen, make sure the first number is high; if it needs more potassium, make sure the last number is high.
The combination of 10-8-6 is often referred to as a "complete fertilizer".
Organic versus Inorganic The latest trend in society is to use organic when possible.
Organic fertilizers take a longer time to break down and release the nutrients at a slower rate.
Inorganic fertilizers are generally highly soluble and liberate the nutrients more rapidly.
Some inorganic fertilizers can be covered with various products that slow down the release and extend the length of time the nutrients are available.
Some people combine organic and inorganic to give the tree an instant boost as well as long term sustenance.
Always keep in mind that fertilizer can help reduce the stress on the tree, but not completely eliminate the whole problem.
To ensure the health of your trees, have your trees periodically inspected by a professional tree company.
