Proper way to fertilize

[andy2019]

When I put down fertilizer for my fruit trees, do I need to mix the fertilizer with the existing soil or I just need to spread it on top of the soil? Of course I'll water it in well before and after

I just want to make sure the fertilizer gets down to the root level, that's why I'm thinking of whether I need to mix it with the existing soil.

I know if I have decorative bark on top then I need to remove those first.

Thanks

 

[Chuck]

When I put down fertilizer for my fruit trees, do I need to mix the fertilizer with the existing soil or I just need to spread it on top of the soil? Of course I'll water it in well before and after

I just want to make sure the fertilizer gets down to the root level, that's why I'm thinking of whether I need to mix it with the existing soil.

I know if I have decorative bark on top then I need to remove those first.

Thanks

A trees feeder roots are, for the vast majority, within the top 6-8 inches of soil. And the majority of those roots are within 2-4 inches of the top of the soil. When fertilizing a tree you can, if you desire, water before applying the fertilizer but this is not mandatory. Watering after fertilizing is also not mandatory but it is best to do so. I am speaking only of organic pelleted fertilizers. Organic fertilizers do not gas off like synthetics do so synthetics must be watered in or covered up or else lose effectiveness. Do not disturb the soil under a fruit tree if you can help it because if you do you will damage or destroy some of the feeder roots.

 

[andy2019]

I use the below product for mulching besides breaking up my garden clay soil so I guess I have remove it first before applying fertilizer

G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner

G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner

This all-purpose mulch and soil amendment mixes with your native soil to help loosen clay and add nutrients for strong root development.

www.kellogggarden.com

 

[Chuck]

I use the below product for mulching besides breaking up my garden clay soil so I guess I have remove it first before applying fertilizer

G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner

G&B Organics Soil Building Conditioner

This all-purpose mulch and soil amendment mixes with your native soil to help loosen clay and add nutrients for strong root development.

www.kellogggarden.com

That product is basically a fertilized compost and is NOT what is considered to be a mulch. It is much much better. You can if you like rake it back but there is really no need to. I would just apply your fertilizer on top and water it in. One thing I would do since you have this great stuff under your trees is after fertilizing I would apply molasses @ 1 oz per gallon of water as the watering in process. You might even add liquid seaweed at the same rate although it already has kelp in it.

 

[andy2019]

My main reason for using this soil conditioner product is to break up the clay soil to add drainage to my garden soil since in CA, the soil is mostly clay. They said to mix it into the soil so that's what I did, I lightly rake back the top soil around my fruit trees a little to mix it with this product. But now I know you said don't do that since I might damage feeder roots so I'll just put it on top of the soil from now on. Hopefully it will break up the clay soil if I just put it on top of the soil.

What does the molasses do please? My goal is to have as much fruit as I can out of my fruit trees (longan, guava, lemon and pear). Thanks

 

[Chuck]

My main reason for using this soil conditioner product is to break up the clay soil to add drainage to my garden soil since in CA, the soil is mostly clay. They said to mix it into the soil so that's what I did, I lightly rake back the top soil around my fruit trees a little to mix it with this product. But now I know you said don't do that since I might damage feeder roots so I'll just put it on top of the soil from now on. Hopefully it will break up the clay soil if I just put it on top of the soil.

What does the molasses do please? My goal is to have as much fruit as I can out of my fruit trees (longan, guava, lemon and pear). Thanks

Molasses feeds soil microbes and the microbes are what enables a plant to uptake nutrients. The more microbes your soil has the better your soil is and the molasses leads to more and more microbes. How large are your trees canopy wise? And yes, it will soften clay soils. In fact, if one just puts a shovel full of good compost on the top of hard clay soils and comes back a couple of months later, the area under the compost will be soft and workable.

 

[andy2019]

My fruit trees are not big, 2 of them are around 5 feet, one is 6 feet and one is 10 feet. the canopy is between 3-5 feet so it's not that big

 

[andy2019]

I have one more question, this soil conditioner product has Mycorrhizae. Does this Mycorrhizae do the same things as molasses?

 

[Chuck]

My fruit trees are not big, 2 of them are around 5 feet, one is 6 feet and one is 10 feet. the canopy is between 3-5 feet so it's not that big

So your ultimate goal is to have very productive fruit trees in hard clay soils. This is a long term goal as there is nothing in gardening that is fast. You might want to think about what I am about to say and do a little research. There is a way to achieve this without spending a lot of money on expensive compost and doing a lot of manual labor, and this is to use a product called Medina Soil Activator for a few months. You could start with this now on the OUTSIDE of that imaginary circle you drew when asking about driplines.

 

[Chuck]

I have one more question, this soil conditioner product has Mycorrhizae. Does this Mycorrhizae do the same things as molasses?

No, it doesn't. Mycorrhizae is a beneficial type of fungus that basically attaches itself to a plants roots, giving those roots a much larger area for the uptake of nutrients. Microbes are organisms that break down organic matter into a substance that a plant can uptake.