- 1). Walk to the base of the tree and use a tape measure to measure out 3 feet from the base of the trunk. Draw a line on the ground or lay a piece of string in the location. Repeat the process on each side of the trunk and connect the lines or strings to form a square. Do not drill any holes inside this square to prevent root damage.
- 2). Place a 1- to 2-inch diameter soil auger into a drill and set the auger on the ground just outside the 3-foot area. Press the trigger on the drill to dig down into the soil until the auger is 1 to 1 1/2 feet deep.
- 3). Remove the auger from the ground and walk out 2 feet from the first hole and drill another identical hole. Repeat the process in a straight line until you reach 2 feet past the end of the tree branches.
- 4). Walk back to the base of the tree and begin another line of holes that are 2 feet away from the first line. Continue drilling holes until you have a square grid around the entire tree, with each hole spaced 2 feet apart.
- 5). Fill each hole with 2/3 tsp. of an 18-8-8 granular fertilizer. Then water each hole well to begin dissolving the fertilizer.
- 6). Refill the holes with the soil that was dug up by the auger, or with additional topsoil if needed.
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