It’s easy to come up with a fertilize recipe for gardens, lawns and flowers, but developing the recipe to fertilize fruit trees is an art form that usually takes years of practice. When fertilizing fruit trees, you have to discover just the right balance of fertilize mix that will promote moderate fruit tree growth, adequate flower bud formation and quality fruit. If one ingredient is off in the fertilize recipe, fruit trees will respond positive in one way and negative in another way, like producing too much tree growth with small fruit.
Have your soil tested at your county extension office before you plant fruit trees. As a general rule, the soil around fruit trees will need to have lime added and a soil Ph of between 6-7. Your county extension agent will be able to tell you how much lime you need to add to your soil.
When you plant fruit trees, never add fertilize to the planting hole. If the young fruit tree roots come into contact with the fertilize it may kill the tree.
The first year the fruit tree is planted, fertilize it with a balanced fertilize 4 different times. In April, May, June and July, apply 1 cup of 10-10-10 to your fruit tree. Scatter the cup of fertilize around the fruit trees in a 2 foot circle, being careful not to get the fertilize on the trunk of the fruit tree.
The second year of the fruit tree’s life, double the amount of fertilize and double the circle under the fruit tree where you apply the fertilize. Apply 2 cups of 10-10-10 fertilize in a 4 foot circle, but only fertilize the fruit trees 3 times the second year, once in early March, then early May and the last time in early July.
The third year of a fruit trees life is when it will begin the transition from a non-fruit producing sapling into a mature fruit bearing tree. Only apply fertilize twice in the third year, but use 1 pound of 10-10-10 at each application in an 8 foot circle around the tree. Apply fertilize to your fruit trees the last week of February and again the last week of May.
The first three years of fertilizing fruit trees sounds easy, but you were only concentrating on the fruit trees growth and health, now the tricky, trial and error part comes, developing the right recipe for fertilizing fruit trees that will keep the fruit tree strong and healthy, producing quality fruit and setting buds.
In the fourth year of the fruit tree’s life, start by applying 4 pounds of 10-10-10 to each fruit tree the last week of February. Keep annual records of the amount of fertilize you applied, when you applied it and how the fruit tree responded. If you get the desired results from your fruit trees (moderate tree growth, quality fruit) then do the same thing next year. If the fruit tree produced to much growth, decrease the amount of fertilize by 1 pound, if the fruit tree produced too little growth, increase the fertilize by 1 pound.
Pruning your fruit trees invigorates the tree and it will produce more tree growth, so reduce the fertilize by 1 pound the following February after your prune.
