Old, vigorously growing trees usually have a well-developed root system.Deep-reaching roots extract all the necessary nutrients and water from the lower soil layers.Therefore, even prolonged droughts will not do much damage to such trees.
It is different in the case of younger trees and trees grafted on poorly growing rootstocks. These trees dominate our gardens, and their characteristic feature is a reduced root system.
The main mass of roots is in the top layer of soil, several dozen centimeters high.Due to this poorly developed root system, we should take special care of the soil in which they grow.Fertilization itself, done schematically, is not always necessary, and sometimes even harmful.
We do not really know what nutrients are abundant in the soil and what are missing.To find out, it is worth performing a thorough soil analysis every few years.
Such tests are performed by chemical and agricultural stations in each voivodeship city. Soil samples can be brought there or mailed.These are not expensive tests-the cost of one sample is about PLN 20, and we will receive information about the content ofmost important nutrients in the soil( potassium, phosphorus and magnesium).Additionally, the pH of the soil is always determined, thanks to which we will find out whether the soil is too acidic and does not require liming.
The best period for sampling is mid-summer - July to August.So now is a good opportunity to check what is happening in the soil from our garden.
Soil sampling technique
First, we should take the soil with an ordinary spade from several places in the garden.Then let's mix it in a bucket.From such a sample let's take no more than around half a kilogram of soil. Finally, we deliver it to a chemical and agricultural station.
The soil is correctly taken separately from the top layer, about 20 cm, and separately from the lower layer.Most often it is enough to analyze only the top layer of soil, because most fruit plants use ingredients that come from the top part.
