[nafex] fertilzing

Hi, All.

I read on a list somewhere (don't know if it was this one) a debate
about whether to fertilize trees in the spring or fall. I think the
argument for fall was something about making the fertilizer available
for spring growth. The argument against fall was that it can cause late
growth that is too tender.

I'm not quite sure how fertilizing works. I have a suspicion and wonder
if anyone can confirm or contribute. We're in a location with very poor
soil, in fact mostly sand with few nutrients. It's been common for some
to plants to put on less than an inch of growth during a season. Last
spring I added both manure and organic corn gluten fertilizer to trees,
scratching the fertilizer into the top of the soil. By the end of the
season, most of the trees had still put on very little growth, maybe
1-3". Frustrated, I upped the fertilization this spring by putting
cottonseed meal fertilizer into holes punched in the ground to get more
to the tree roots.

However, as things leaf out this year, I see lots of the trees already
putting on 6-8" of new growth right away! It's as though the fertilizer
that they got last spring didn't add to last year's growth but prepped
the plants for strong growth this spring. Is this how it works, at least
with the slow release, organic fertilizer I'm using?

These are all fairly young trees, from a couple feet high to 5 or 6 feet.

Regards,

Jay

Jay Cutts
Director, Cutts Graduate Reviews
Lead Author, Barron's MCAT Prep Book
Lead Author, Barron's LSAT Prep Book (2013)
(505) 281-0684
10 am to 10 pm Mountain Time, 7 days


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