Fertilizing newly transplanted trees...

16 years ago

What do you ya'll do for the new trees?

What i did...

1) Dig a wide shallow hole, about 5 feet wide..

2) Plant tree

3)backfill with native soil

4) cover hole with 1 inch of compost

5) spread a mix of corn meal, alfalfa pellet, soybean meal, greensand and lava sand

6) Finish it off with 3-4 inches of coarse hardwood mulch

It should help improve nitrogen content in the soil for spring growth...

I also fertilized other trees that have been planted past 2 years with organic fertilizer underneath fresh mulch.

I figured it would work better than just applying directly on mulch and it wouldn't reach to the soil because they aren't soluble or microbes would use up all the nitrogen to break down mulch instead.

Comments (7)

Kimmsr
16 years ago
You really done good, although that mix in 5) may have been a waste of time, energy, and money depending on what nutrients your soil already has.
lou_spicewood_tx
Original Author
16 years ago
Still stuck in chemical world?
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For my fig trees, I usually mix a few handfulls of aged compost into the soil but not a lot. Most of my soil has been enriched over several years with generous amounts of compost, so this is not much different from the surrounding soil, just a little extra. I mulch with aged yard compost as well. My newest fig tree was a King fig that I planted in a garden bed that was enriched with aged chicken compost, and it grew like crazy last year. Too fast growth can make it less likely to harden off in the fall, and be too frost sensitive, whcih might have happened with my new tree - I'll know this Spring. I think it's OK though. Also too much fertilizer can encourage excessive growth, at expense of figs, according to some authors. I think that you are in uncharted territory with the Kricket Krap - I imagine that it would be like most other composted manure products, as long as it is well aged compost, should not be enough to burn the roots. I also add generous amounts of crushed eggshells around my fig trees to enrich the soil with calcium. The soil in my climate tends to be calcium depleted, so the theory is that the eggshells will replace calcium. Figs are supposed to like calcium. A soil test might help you find out if you need any particular nutrients. The linked site has some information about fertilizing fig trees, from the Georgia extension. It might be helpful. Here is a link that might be useful: Univ. Georgia Fig Information
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Brendan, the depth of planting is indeed a serious issue, but not one which would account for the early failure of a transplanted tree. Its manifestations only come on later, after the tree has been in the ground for some time. So we can cross that out. But......I do want to disabuse you and anyone else reading this of the notion that the top of the root ball of a B&B tree is automatically the correct planting depth. It's not. Picture this tree, and a whole bunch just like it, growing in a row in a nursery. Weeds are always a problem and periodically, the nursery personnel will run a tractor with a cultivator of some kind down those rows to help get rid of these weeds. In the process, much soil may get heaped up around the tree trunk's base. Now, when that tree gets dug for sale, it has it's root ball with a bunch of extra dirt piled up on it. So when that gets planted, if that ball height is taken to be the proper depth of planting, one will actually be planting it too deep. We have already taken as much as 18 inches of soil off the top of a root ball, looking for the root flare, that swollen area where trunk meets roots. This root flare, when done correctly, should still be visible when tree is planted. This, and only this, is the proper guidance for depth of planting of a B&B tree. +oM
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jean001
16 years ago
The current guidelines for planting trees is to avoid any fertilizer of any kind in the planting hole.

If you think you really must fertilize, wait until the new leaves are fully expanded during the next season. Then apply nitrogen (use your preferred product) within the dripline and water in.

In many soils, supplemental fertilizer isn't needed for trees. So it depends upon what your soil is and what it contains. Only a professional lab test can tell you that.
lou_spicewood_tx
Original Author
16 years ago
Not really. That only applies to chemical fertilizer. Totally different. Trees will use them when they need it. Nothing are wasted. It's called nutrient cycling.

And yes, there are people including Dr. Carl Whitcomb recommending that they be fertilized when they are planted although he recommended slow release chemical fertilizer.

They are beneficial for maximizing growth... The nutrients in untouched forest floor is much better than typical lawn. Think about it....
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
16 years ago
Dr. Whitcomb strongly advises that any fertilization should be done only according to soil test results. And I'm pretty sure (not positive) that his observations about fertilization apply to the transplantation of container grown and not field dug (B & B) trees.
Kimmsr
16 years ago
If a good, reliable soil test indicated a deficiency of nutrients then maybe what you spread around that tree will do some good, but if your soil has what it needs what you spread around is not needed and was a wastte of time, energy, and money because it was not needed.
There are lots of people, on the web, that follow the guidelines of 20 or so years ago that newly planted trees need "fertilizer". Fertilizing newly planted trees can induce them to grow when you do not want them to and if fall planted that could mean not winter hardy growth, but along with the stress of this planting, fertilizers also cause more stress further weakening the tree.
david52 Zone 6
16 years ago
The Soil Conservancy here sells seedling trees and shrubs to fight erosion and so on. This is high desert, 13" annual moisture is normal, but we''re now in an extended drought. They have run extensive tests on what works the best. They recommend tilling the soil, planting the seedling with a very slow (like 2 years) release fertilizer, putting a 4 to 6 foot ring of woven black polypropylene weed barrier, and then a 4 foot high protective, 6" diameter translucent 'mini-greenhouse' staked around the tree.

The seedlings sell for peanuts. By the time you put down the weed barrier, add the fertilizer and the mini-greenhouse, it increases the cost significantly. I was skeptical at first. 10 years later, I am now convinced they're right.

Fertilizing newly transplanted trees...

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Kimmsr

lou_spicewood_tx
Original Author

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jean001

lou_spicewood_tx
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rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

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Fertilizing newly transplanted trees...

Comments (7)

Kimmsr

lou_spicewood_txOriginal Author

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jean001

lou_spicewood_txOriginal Author

rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7

Kimmsr

david52 Zone 6

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lou_spicewood_tx
Original Author

lou_spicewood_tx
Original Author