Fertilizing fruit trees in autumnis a very important procedure performed in allotment gardens and home orchards after the fruit harvest is finished. It guarantees thorough dissolution of the fertilizer and its even distribution in the soil. However, this procedure is not always recommended. See when it is worth doingfertilizing fruit trees in autumnand what fertilizers are the best forfertilizing fruit trees in autumn
Fertilizing fruit trees in the fall is an important procedure performed in orchards
When to fertilize fruit trees in autumn
The right date of autumn fertilization in the orchard is very important. Well,fertilization of fruit trees in autumnshould be carried out in the period when the plants have finished vegetation, but before the fall frosts come. Then, before the onset of winter, the sown fertilizers will dissolve in the soil and the nutrients contained in them will move to the root zone of plants. When the soil freezes, it will be impossible anymore.
Of course, you can also fertilize fruit trees in spring, but it may be difficult when the soil is mulched or when grass grows under the trees. Then in spring you cannot dig the soil with fertilizers. On the other hand,fertilizers sown in autumnwill have time to get into the soil by spring, without the need for digging. Sometimes in spring it is also impossible to fertilize on time due to unfavorable weather conditions.By fertilizing fruit trees in the fall , we will avoid this problem.
It is worth knowing, however, that fertilizing fruit trees in autumn is not always recommended. First of all,the autumn date for fertilizing fruit treesis not good on light soils with low sorption capacity. There is then a risk of rinsing out minerals from the root zone during spring thaw or heavy rainfall. Another contraindication is the location of the orchard on steep slopes and slopes, exposed to surface runoff, with which fertilizers will also be washed away.
Fall fertilization of fruit trees with urea
The basic treatment infertilizing fruit trees in autumnin home and allotment gardens is spraying apple and pear trees with a 5% urea solution.Urea spraying is usually carried out at the end of October or the beginning of NovemberWeigh 500g of urea into 10 liters of water and, after dissolving it thoroughly, spray all the leaves.
This treatment provides large amounts of nitrogen, and also speeds up the process of decomposing leaves, which then fertilize the soil.Above all, however, the autumn spraying of fruit trees with urea helps to combat the dangerous disease of apple and pear scab. It allowsto eliminate up to 90% of the spores of the fungus hibernating on leaves that have fallen from treesThanks to this, we reduce the risk of scab infection in spring and avoid spraying with chemical plant protection agents in the spring.
Fertilizing fruit trees with mineral fertilizers
In autumn, half the annual dose of nitrogen and the full dose of potassium are sown under fruit trees from which fruit has already been harvested. For nitrogen fertilization, urea can be used in the amount of 6.5 - 11 g / m² or ammonium sulphate in the amount of 15-20 g / m² (remember, however, that ammonium sulphate strongly acidifies the soil). For fertilization with potassium, potassium sulphate is used in the amount of 14 - 28 g / m² or a slightly cheaper potassium s alt, in the amount of 12-24 g / m².
Vila autumn fertilizer for fruit trees
There is no need to fertilize fruit treeswith phosphorus and magnesium every autumn. Usually, the possible doses of phosphorus and magnesium fertilizers are determined on the basis of soil analysis or when there are symptoms of deficiency of these elements on the plants (e.g. purple-violet color of leaves and their stiffening, poor fruit setting or the so-called leaf chlorosis). We will fertilize with phosphorus using superphosphate, and we will supplement magnesium with magnesium sulfate. If you want to deacidify the soil at the same time, you can use magnesium lime (e.g. Dolomite).
Of course, in amateur crops, we can also reach for ready-made fertilizer mixtures. They are convenient for use in home orchards and on plots of land, ensuring that the plants are provided with a set of necessary minerals. Therefore, forfertilization of fruit trees in the fall , we can use universal fertilizers, such as Azofoska or Fructus Ogrodnik, or fertilizers intended specifically for fruit plants, e.g.Dr Green fertilizer for fruiting plants. We will achieve even better results by using special autumn fertilizers, such as Florovit universal autumn or YARA-Vila autumn fertilizer for deciduous trees and shrubs. The minimum nitrogen content and increased potassium content in autumn fertilizers is the optimal solution infertilizing fruit trees in autumn
