- To successfully give your fruit trees the nutrition they need, test your soil to learn what nutrients it contains. Gardening manuals specific to your area, as well as local gardening experts and Master Gardeners can be valuable sources of information on what type of soil is prevalent in your area. However, their knowledge can't replace finding out exactly what's in the soil nourishing your new (or soon-to-be-new) fruit trees.
Many nurseries or garden centers will perform pH tests on soil samples that you bring to them. There may or may not be a charge for this service, and these charges may vary, so it's best to find out what the cost is before bringing your sample in. Home test kits are also sold by many stores, but may not be completely accurate due to the tiny amount of soil used in these tests. - Just like different species of animals, different types of trees have different nutritional requirements. A good fruit tree manual should be able to tell you the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (or N-P-K, as it will be written on most commercial fertilizers) values that each type of tree prefers.
- Spring is the best time to fertilize your fruit trees. If you are planting fruit trees for the first time, it's important to note that they should not be fertilized the first year that they are planted.
Several kinds of fertilizers are available, whether you prefer to use ready-made mixes or more natural manures. If you choose to use manure, make sure that it is not fresh, as its pH levels will burn the tender root systems of your trees. Aged and/or composted manure is best for use in your garden, whether for your fruit trees or for your other plants.
The amount of fertilizer that you'll need to properly feed your fruit trees will depend largely upon its nutrient requirements, size and age. Consult fruit tree manuals for specifics on your exact type of trees before purchasing and applying fertilizer.
If you notice that your trees don't seem as healthy as they could be, and are experiencing problems such as yellow, frail looking leaves, your trees may be deficient in certain key nutrients. If severe, these deficiencies may require application of spray forms of the missing nutrients to younger leaf growth. Consult fruit tree manuals for more specific troubleshooting instructions depending on your exact problem and type of tree (see Reference 1 for all information in this section).
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