Fertilizing Fruit Trees | The What, When & How of Fertilizing
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ส.ค. 2024
- With over 170 fruiting trees, vines and shrubs here on the property, we know a thing or two about fertilizing. In today's episode we're breaking down the what, when and how of fertilizing to give you the confidence to ensure a healthy, productive tree.
Support the channel for free by starting your Amazon shopping here!
www.amazon.com/shop/edgeofnow...
*As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made through this link*
Check out our Healthy Farm Living Channel here;
/ @healthyfarmliving
Connect with us on our website here;
www.edgeofnowherefarm.com/
Our go-to tree trunk protectant at IV Organics. Use promo code "EONFARM" for 10% off your entire purchase!
ivorganics.com/
Homestead Essentials - Nesting Boxes
The BEST nesting boxes that hold up well and actually keep eggs clean. Use this link for 10% off your first purchase!
www.homesteadessentials.com/d...
#fruittree
#backyardorchard
#fertilizing
#desertfarmer
#eonfarm
Thanks for your video I'm at Chandler AZ I follow you every step 😁😁
Hey Catherine! Chandler is much like our weather here, so it all applies!
Thank you!
Excellent Video, Lot to learn
Glad you enjoyed this one Abid!
Very good video,well edited,well explained thank you for sharing!!🥸😎🤓🧐🤠
Glad you found this one useful!
Great video 🙌🏻
Thank you Robert, glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you so much for this very informative video 👏🏻 looking forward to some new content soon 😊
Glad you enjoyed this one!
So much great information here!! Thank you guys!!
This was our attempt at trying to put everything together into one episode for everyone. Glad you found it useful!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm yes I did! Very useful!! Thank you!!
Let’s see those apple trees
They are starting to take off!
Excellent video Duane, I’m about to fertilize my fruit trees and I needed a refresher course. I’m going with the 15/15/15 granular fertilizer and using a 1 1/2 inch auger to make holes around the drip line and a funnel to apply the fertilizer. It’s the first time I’m trying this method,we’ll see how it works.
Oh wow, that will take some work, but it should help with soil penetration!
I think is very similar to southern california for a 9b to 10a zone the difference from arizona that arizona its heat is just hotter than here but season wise almost same frost times
Hey Alberto. I (Duane) grew up in SoCal (Gardena). The extremes we have out here are the main difference. As you're pointing out, we're definitely hotter and we're also a bit colder in the Winter. We've hit 20 degrees in the Winter a few times which makes anything tropical a bit of a challenge. Otherwise, very similar!
I look forward to you guys' posts every weekend!
I had a scaffolding branch break off of my 1 year old Anna apple tree . I hate to toss it. I'm going to try to root it out and make a potted tree from it. I haven't done this before so it will be a fun experiment.
That leads to my next issue that I'm missing a quarter of my tree now. There is a tiny bud that is growing immediately below the break. Its pointing the wrong direction. I'm hoping to be able to train it from growing in a NW direction to a NE direction. Any tips or ideas from everyone would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for all your hard work putting these videos together for us!
Hey Andrea, I'm really glad you're enjoying the content. Sorry to hear about that break. It does happen from time to time and the tree should recover well, especially since we're here at the beginning of the growing season. You can train branches and Anna apple trees have a tendency to grow where you train them. While you can brace the branch and train it to a certain direction (we have a video coming out on this shortly) it's easier to find a bud that's facing the direction you want the branch to grow. You may find that the first few buds will push growth this Spring, so if that's the case you'll want to select one that is growing the best direction for what you're wanting to see.
I'm in Virginia and the clay can get as hard as Arizona soil in mid summer. I use pine bark mulch on all new plantings to improve the soil and it helps. I used dried chicken poop but it was expensive to fertilize 20 fruit trees. Normally I use a basic synthetic fertilizer to put down nutrients and I also use liquid fish/kelp/humic acid, all stimulate growth. The PH is 5.6 alot different from the desert SW. I used to live in Phoenix, and understand the climate.
It sounds like you have a solid handle on your fertilizing routine. We're fans of natural fertilizers, but the most important thing is consistency as you know.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thanks, I use info from different university articles to understand how much the trees need and use 1/2 synthetic along with other inputs. I know the roots are active off season while dormant. More trees coming in a few months.
Arizona is brutal, I work at a winery in arizona, we wanted to plant a vineyard but the soil has so much copper it comes through in wines and they taste metallic and its not good.
I hope my peach tree comes back to life. It looks dead but has a tone of dead looking buds. I broke one bud off and it was really green so I hope it wakes up soon. All my citrus trees are blooming really good.
We have a few varieties of peach that are just now starting to wake up, so I would hold out hope for that one. With the hard cold behind us things should pick up very soon and, fingers crossed, that tree gets with it!!
Tomorrow is fertilizing day for us, we will be spreading organic slow release fertilizer, compost and fish emulsion. Afterwards, we will mulch with alfalfa hay that we picked up for free on OfferUp, thank you for sharing.
Perfect timing on the fertilizing Daniel! Sounds like you have a good mix... you will have to let us know how the hay works for you.
Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Can you share when is perfect timing for pruning..
I have 1 Fuji apple tree in pot (almost 2 years) I used 14,14,14 and organic swamp fertilizer.
I from Philippines
Hey Val.
We shared that in a video we did earlier this year that I'll link for you here;
th-cam.com/video/8Yfjj4G4Zf4/w-d-xo.html
Hopefully this helps!
Flood with the hose, here. But, soaker hoses would likely work better. Fertilize in May? I like that and will try it. That's about when the black radishes are cut off, which provides good penetration of water and a lot of fertility. Mostly, continuous fertilizer is mulch. We're still waiting for bud break. Apple leaves are out, but small. Some blossom buds are on the Capulin cherry. The Stella cherry is still bare but, I'm hoping they bloom together. hasta, kids!
Hey Martin. You have a great point on that mulch being continuous fertilizer. That's how we see it as well, especially with worm activity underneath that makes that "Gardener's Gold" throughout the year. I'm interested to hear how those cherries do for you. We have a cherry variety that's supposed to arrive tomorrow that we're keeping our fingers crossed on.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm You're doing great! Everything you tell us (With a straight face, anyway :) is taken to heart. The compost barrel here gets junk ail. That's OK for flowers, but I'll not put it on the trees or veggies. But, compost I do, filling 3 foot deep trenches with logs, brush, and so on. Too much top growth makes me nervous, but, an uncle from Penna taught me.
This year I plan to skip the smelly-fish fluid & try N-pellets with elemental sulfur.
Instead of using so much labor you might ought to invest in an air-blower setup for your pig-waste, the forced-air allows a heat/sterilization cycle before the cool-down but in a way that reduces the risk of coming into contact with parasites (like hookworms). I don't even risk a day with a fever & do all flipping with a front-loader.
Note: flipping a pile only adds additional oxygen for about 20 minutes so an air-blower changes the entire composting capabilities.
Hey Bob. Thanks for this suggestion. I'm not familiar with using an air blower for compost, but it sounds like a solid option. We usually sift it the first few weeks and then cover with woodchips for several months, but it would be great to speed that process up a bit.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm I forget which University had a YT video on it for horse stall owners their State but, they would process the used-stall-bedding for 90 days in a 3x3x3+ bin & after sifting the bedding was safe/healthy enough to be reused in a stall setup.
Hi. Videos are great. How can you calculate how much fertilizer to apply? I have apples, pears, pomegranate, persimmon, and figs in my backyard.
Glad you're enjoying the content. If you're using commercial fertilizers you'll want to follow the label directions and you'll be just fine. If you're using home made compost like we do, it's a guessing game. We're more generous with pig manure because it's composted down pretty well and much lower in nitrogen than poultry manure. We use far less poultry manure to make sure we're not burning the roots.
BIO-CHAR..to help maintain the moisture around your plants....make sure it is "activated" before useing it...
Another solid suggestion John. A great way to ensure the microbial life has a place to call home!
Thanks so much for this video. I'll be saving it for future reference :)
Quick question though... If I missed the February fertilization, should I do it now (end of March) or just skip it and start in May?
We have cocktail, tangelo, and grapefruit trees. Never fertilized them before, but I want to start making it a regular thing now.
Great question and it's really up to you. Citrus trees are pretty heavy feeders, so you're probably fine to fertilize now and again in late May.
We have been using a chipper shredder for mesquite trees. Wonder if I could use the chips left over for my cherry, peacher and apple tree? Thanks
Yes, you can definitely use those wood chips as mulch. In fact, our mulch comes from arborists who work in and around the Phoenix area, so a lot of mesquite is around our trees!
Used a 10.10.10 slow release granular fertilizer on my neighbor's Mulberry tree about three weeks ago. Had also fertilized this tree last fall using the same fertilizer. The tree was pruned in mid January. The tree this Spring is really leafing and budding out much better than the previous years. Thus far the catkins have not fallen off the tree; are about twice the size they were last year. Now if those catkins will just turn into edible fruit this year, that would be awesome.
The neighbor counted 55 catkins. He's looking forward to at least "one" edible berry. I'm hoping for at least half that number.
Oh yes.... Its watered thoroughly once a week.
Cheers....
Tony, I'm excited for you on this tree. If it doesn't fruit this year it's definitely not on you!!
Hi guys we love your channel and we’re binge watching you as we move onto our acre lot so we gather knowledge so thank you! Do you have any recommendations to help attract worms? I’ve heard placing cardboard on the ground and watering and wood chips as well… we’re moving into raw land similar to how it was for you. Thank you for any advice
Hey Joseph. We had worms eventually "show up" on our old property and we really didn't do anything specific to attract them. I can only assume they hitched a ride in one of the many dozens of potted trees/plants we planted in the ground there. I have heard of folks buying bait worms from Walmart to get them started and as long as you give them a cozy place to live (moisture and a food source like kitchen scraps or manure) they'll multiply rather quickly. As you know, we are HUGE fans of woodchips and that helps give them that cozy spot to call home.
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm thanks for the advice!
I was wondering if you also spray your fruit trees with a dormant spray before the buds come out. Very informative videos. Enjoy watching your farm come to life.
Ellen
Florida Gardener. Zone 9a
Hey Ellen! We have not started a dormancy regimen yet, but do have plans to. So, 9a in FL means you're up North a bit?
We are about an hour north of Tampa and it is already too hot and humid. I follow all your pruning and growing videos. Just bought the Fkamr and Concord grapes. Also found a new grape which I am hoping will do even better. It is the Razzmatazz which will fruit up until frost.
@@ellenconforti5693 ooh, that Razzmatazz sounds great. May need to track one of those down!!
I got mine from Spring Hill Nursery in Ohio. Gurney's also sells them. I believe I read that Spring Hill Nursery owns Gurnseys and Brecks and a few others. The grape vine comes dormant or dead
Not sure yet as it is just a twig with a stick next to it. You can see how they grow just search on TH-cam. I will put mine in a large pot to start them and hope for the best. They're a form of muscadine and they're very pest resistant. No spray needed. Good luck if you get one
if you have not already done so, you may want to look at the University of Colorada's study on the (Dr's) Johnson-Su bio-reactor and what they have found as far as useing the compost to make a "tea" solution to treat the soils of the farmers around them...
We are considering a "tea" for foliar feeding this year, but we have had very good success without it. With everything we have going on in addition to the fruit trees, we tend to minimize our inputs where we can. That being said, we did test a compost tea/foliar feed last year and it did well. I haven't tried it directly on the soil though, which would be worth considering.
❤❤❤❤❤
Thank you Valerie!!
I was wondering what would happen if you had an interruption in your water or a forced reduction in allocation? Is there a way to manage the trees to offset the lack-of-water stress? What about installing a cistern to get you through a short interruption? A longer period would require a different approach.
Hey Bob, great question and you bring up some good points. While it's possible that could happen, the aquifer that we draw from is one of the strongest in the state and already has restrictions in place to limit the amount of water that can be drawn at any time and also what it can be used for. The current estimated recharge rate is more than double the current usage.
That being said, an investment into cistern storage would be a solid alternative, but would require a lot of capital that we don't have to invest. Without something like that we would need to significantly change how we handle the trees if we had a catastrophic failure in our aquifer. While the trees will become more desert adapted and able to handle large water fluctuations as they age, many simply would not survive without at least infrequent, heavy irrigation.
One thing you'll notice in our videos moving forward is a focus on desert adapted trees and runoff mitigation. These first 2 years we've been focused on getting cash flow established for the business and getting livestock systems in place. While fruit trees are a part of that, it's a small fraction of the revenue. With some of those measures in place I think we'll be in better shape should something happen to our well.
Again, great question Bob. I don't normally go into this much detail on this topic, but it's a question we get a lot!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Thanks. I thought you might be dependent on Colorado River water. I guess the possible water failure and mitigation scenarios would be an important consideration for people buying land for ag in AZ.
@@bobthrasher8226 that really is the concern and it's valid for all of us out here. The reality is, we just took a delivery of 15 bales of hay last night that originated from ag fields in Buckeye. They use regular irrigation that may be restricted in the future. It's one of the reasons we're changing our focus to start establishing desert pastures and fodder producing trees/plants to offset what may be a serious issue with sourcing feed!
This is my first spring with my fruit trees, down in the western valley suburbs. The pomegranate, oranges, and grapefruit as all alive and show new growth. Pomegranate actually has tiny little red fruit growing already. Pear tree still seems dormant, but it has a ton of buds. Does Fertizona sell to the consumer or are they only a wholesale supplier? I only have 8 trees, not 170.
Hey Rob. While we have a few more trees, we're not on a commercial scale and we have been able to buy from them. So you should be fine!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm How many trees would you need to have to be considered commercial scale then?
@@Bateluer you know, that's a good question and I'm not sure. In my mind it's for folks with hundreds of trees that sell to commercial interests. There are a few "backyard" growers here in AZ that have several hundred trees, so maybe my idea of commercial is a little skewed!
@@EdgeofNowhereFarm Well at least a 50lb bag of Fertizona dry will last me a very long time. :)
Do you use 6 10 1 or 6 6 5 on the bio flora???
You can go with either, but the 6-6-5 would by my choice.
I'm new to growing n I bought 6 diffrent fruit trees from moon valley there 3 years n getting transplanted on Feb 27th to my backyard. I got pomegranate peach plum mandarine tangelo n lemon tree. Will this work for all those or will some I need to feed more then 3x a year or at diffrent times???
Hey Anthony. You'll still fertilize them on the same schedule, so your first round would be in May for your new trees.
@Edge of Nowhere Farm ok thank you also how far should I space my trees??? I was gonna do 8 feet spacing. I have 40 long n 48 wide backyard. I wanna do 10 fruit trees
@@Machobuck1317 we have our trees on 16' spacing here, but it's really not needed. On the old farm we had 12' spacing and they were just fine as long as we kept them pruned back in the Winter. If you go with smaller spacing you'll just need to be more aggressive with your pruning.
In your opinion can a guy over fertilize with Bio Flora crumbles and azomite?
Great question Steve and I would say it depends. If you're talking in ground trees with similar irrigation to what we use it would be pretty tough. At least for the crumbles. For us here in AZ there isn't much benefit to Azomite when you're dealing with in-ground plantings. Our soil has HEAVY mineral content, hence the hardness. Potted trees are a different story. You can over fertilize there, but Azomite is back on the table.
Ha ha ha. I was just about to say not to use azomite and then I read the comment from Duane. Anyway, I definitely second his caution on azomite. There really is no need for it in Arizona.
@@TheFatTheist there's been some over zealous Azomite loving folks out there who hype this up a bit too much...at least for us growing in the ground in AZ that is.
I sent an email to the company asking them. That’ll be interesting if they get back to me
@@Steve-ig4td I'm curious what they say as well, so you'll have to keep us updated!