On Sat, 02 Aug 2003 14:23:05 GMT, "Badri Krishnamachari"
wrote:

Can anyone recommend a good fertilizer for a sweet gum tree. It needs
acidic soil....so any good acidic fertilizers should be ok.
Thanks
B



Deciduous trees are best fertilized during the winter months. Use
34-0-0 in a hand-held spreader to distribute the fertilizer within the
drip-line circle. This fertilizer is strong stuff and can burn the
grass, but I always fertilze when the ground is wet or covered with
snow and never had any grass burn issues. You will see the grass in
this area to take on a bright green color. I use about 1 cup of
fertilzer for each inch of the diameter of the tree (ie, 5 cups of
fertilizer for a tree of 5" in diameter) per month (October through
March). Do not attempt to spread the fertilizer by hand else it will
liekly burn the grass. An alternative is to use fertilizer tree
spikes, although these are more expensive. My sweet gum tree is over
80 feet high and I don't really want it to get any larger so I don't
fertilize it. To keep the pH below 7, use a pine needle or peat moss
mulch.