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Feeding young fruit trees.
What should we be doing now?
I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz |
Feeding young fruit trees.
"Baz" wrote in message ... What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz I don't 'know' Baz. But I have a two year old apple tree and I've just sprinkled blood, fish and bone around it and watered it in. -- Pete C |
Feeding young fruit trees.
On 01/05/2013 15:13, Baz wrote:
What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz A bit of potash at the end of the season and any slow release fertiliser you like will help them to get established. Preparation of the hole they were put it in and staking is probably more important. Keep grass and weeds down at the base of the tree too. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
Feeding young fruit trees.
"Pete C" wrote in
o.uk: "Baz" wrote in message ... What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz I don't 'know' Baz. But I have a two year old apple tree and I've just sprinkled blood, fish and bone around it and watered it in. Sounds good to me! Will do that today. A good handfull per tree? Thanks for that. Baz |
Feeding young fruit trees.
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Feeding young fruit trees.
On Thu, 02 May 2013 08:32:58 +0100, Martin Brown wrote:
On 01/05/2013 15:13, Baz wrote: What should we be doing now? A bit of potash at the end of the season and any slow release fertiliser you like will help them to get established. Preparation of the hole they were put it in and staking is probably more important. But stake low, and get rid of it after a couple of years so the roots can establish and the trunk strengthen. I prefer not to stake where possible, although mid- or high-grafted fruit will certainly need it, low grafts might not in reasonably sheltered locations. Keep grass and weeds down at the base of the tree too. Certainly a very important factor in establishing any young tree. Glyphosate is your friend here, used as necessary in early spring, because weeding can disturb delicate surface roots. (Except for the damned buttercup, immune to the stuff). I use mulch too, but weeds and couch do establish in it. Hay or straw is excellent mulch for apple trees if you don't mind how it looks. You can pile it pretty high, a fellow I knew as a child used to pile it right up the trunks, and had great results. We just throw some fire ash around the trees during winter, it's a good source of potash. -E -- Gardening in Lower Normandy |
Feeding young fruit trees.
On 02/05/2013 09:54, Baz wrote:
Martin Brown wrote in news:NEogt.6955$% : On 01/05/2013 15:13, Baz wrote: What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz A bit of potash at the end of the season and any slow release fertiliser you like will help them to get established. Preparation of the hole they were put it in and staking is probably more important. Keep grass and weeds down at the base of the tree too. Yes, thanks Martin. I did not add any potash last autumn, just lots of manure at the base of each tree. Only one of them is staked because that is the only one in a really exposed position. Would you advise staking the rest? I have the equipment to do it but am a bit scared of damaging roots. High availability nitrogen like manure isn't such a good idea as it encourages quick soft lush growth more prone to aphid attack. That's why I suggested a slow release fertiliser and extra potash. The latter encourages flowering. I actually use wood ash for this. Don't worry though no need to remove anything you have already added. I would always stake new trees, but I live in a wind tunnel! I have a piece of my fir tree to lop which partially snapped in the recent gales. It looked and easy enough job until I tried to reach it with the pruning saw. The "small" branch is actually 8" diameter and 25' up... A diagonal stake running in the direction of the prevailing wind will be well away from any roots, a rubber tie band and offer enough rigidity. You don't want them too firmly staked as the trunk will grow stronger with a bit of flexure allowed. Equally you don't want it rocking loose on the roots either. Oh and don't build the soil up in height too much or you could give it a growth check - the surface roots do need to breathe and will resent being buried by more than a couple of inches of top dressing. You are not supposed to let them set fruit in the first year either but I have usually left a couple on to see what they turn out like. Related fruit tree question. Does anyone have any experience of planting a commercial orchard using semi-mature to mature trees? I think it is madness, but I know someone who is planning to do it. Strikes me as expensive and very prone to failure. The horticultural equivalent of those wretched garden makeover shows. The new orchard will also be on a flood plain that floods in winter every few years. -- Regards, Martin Brown |
Feeding young fruit trees.
On 02/05/2013 09:35, Baz wrote:
"Pete C" wrote in o.uk: "Baz" wrote in message ... What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz I don't 'know' Baz. But I have a two year old apple tree and I've just sprinkled blood, fish and bone around it and watered it in. Sounds good to me! Will do that today. A good handfull per tree? Thanks for that. Baz But Blood,fish and bone are not soluble so you are just washing it down to soil level. If I tried that here the Foxes would go mad digging for the food they could smell. |
Feeding young fruit trees.
"David Hill" wrote in message ... On 02/05/2013 09:35, Baz wrote: "Pete C" wrote in o.uk: "Baz" wrote in message ... What should we be doing now? I tend to let them do their own feeding with their deep roots. Baz I don't 'know' Baz. But I have a two year old apple tree and I've just sprinkled blood, fish and bone around it and watered it in. Sounds good to me! Will do that today. A good handfull per tree? Thanks for that. Baz But Blood,fish and bone are not soluble so you are just washing it down to soil level. If I tried that here the Foxes would go mad digging for the food they could smell. I didn't relise that. Thanks -- Pete C |
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Feeding young fruit trees.
On Thu, 2 May 2013 12:36:25 +0100, "Pete C"
wrote: "David Hill" wrote in message ... But Blood,fish and bone are not soluble so you are just washing it down to soil level. If I tried that here the Foxes would go mad digging for the food they could smell. I didn't relise that. Thanks I just wait till the blossom starts to open and then feed with a high potash fertiliser. If I use B,F&B, I GENTLY work it into the top few inches of soil with a hand fork. It's no good on the surface. -- Cheers, Jake ======================================= Urgling from the East end of Swansea Bay where it's May and I'm worried about minus zero temperaturess forecast |
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