In spring, it is necessary to fertilize various crops, including fruit trees and shrubs. Each month involves certain events. It is important to choose the right fertilizer for different types of crops, use them in a certain way and in a specific dosage.
Why is spring dressing of fruit crops necessary?
In the process of growing various crops, gardeners resort to all kinds of agricultural techniques. One of the most effective methods is plant nutrition. It provides decorative planting and a good harvest.
Timely application of fertilizers and the correct selection of formulations allows you to activate the growth of culture, provide good flowering and protection against diseases and pests. All this is necessary to obtain a high-quality and plentiful crop.
Fruit trees and shrubs are perennial plantings. Throughout their lives, they need various micro and macro elements, as does the human body. People get the necessary substances from food, and plants from the soil. Over time, the land begins to deplete, so you can not do without fertilizers.
Monthly feeding stages
Each variety of fruit trees and shrubs requires an individual approach. This applies not only to the composition of the fertilizers used, but also to the stages of their application. We can highlight some common points that are characteristic of each spring month.
March
This month, the very first feeding of the year is carried out. Fertilization is carried out at the beginning of the melting of the snow cover.
For this period, funds with nitrogen are needed. They stimulate the vegetation process. It is better to use soluble mineral formulations. They are poured right on top of the snow, which, when melted, will dissolve the fertilizer and pull it into the soil. It is necessary to prepare for such top dressing in the fall, well loosening the parabolic circles.
The amount of nitrogen to feed depends on the age of the plant. For shrubs and young plantings, 40 g of fertilizer is enough, an adult tree needs about 100-120 g of funds.
Recommended dosages should be observed, since an excess of nitrogen can lead to fungal diseases and weakened immunity of the culture.
If the plantings are located on a slope, then feeding is best done later, as the fertilizer may shift when the snow melts. It is also worthwhile to wait a bit if there is a lot of snow. In this case, the fertilizer will lie on the surface for a long time, therefore it may partially evaporate.
April
This month, the deciduous part of the plantings is actively forming, flowering begins. At this stage, plants need potassium and phosphorus. These elements strengthen cultures, provide them with normal growth.
Phosphorus is necessary to strengthen the roots, their growth and fixing in the soil. Potassium activates the appearance of side shoots.
Phosphorus can be used in its pure form, and potassium is preferable in the composition of combined mixtures.
If the end of flowering occurs in April, then the plants should be fed with organic matter. Such top dressing is especially important for apple trees and pears.
May
When the plant is actively flowering, then you can use both organic and mineral fertilizers. Minerals can be applied by the foliar method.
This month is characterized by the formation of ovaries and the beginning of fruit growth. At this stage, fruit trees and shrubs need organic matter. As a fertilizer, it is better to resort to compost, rotted manure, biohumus.
In May, fertilizers can be applied in various ways:
- digging with the earth;
- mixing with loose soil in the near-stem region;
- mixing with mulch (ripe leaves, straw are also used in this quality);
- embedment into recesses in the ground;
- foliar method.
This feeding scheme is generalized. It can be changed in accordance with the region of residence and weather conditions in a particular year.
Options for feeding fruit trees and shrubs in spring
When choosing fertilizers, one must rely on the type of crop, season, and soil characteristics. You can fertilize plants in different ways, while it is important to correctly calculate the amount of the product used.
Chicken droppings
This fertilizer is considered nitrogen. It is recommended to use it during the growing season. Such top dressing is more suitable for the following crops:
- Apple tree;
- pear;
- plum;
- sweet cherry;
- cherry;
- quince;
- persimmon;
- peach;
- apricot.
Fertilizer should be applied in spring in the tree trunk circles. Dry raw materials should be used for top dressing, since ammonia is formed during improper storage of raw materials.
Fresh concentrated litter negatively affects the state of the roots of fruit crops. Raw materials for feeding need to be diluted.
To get the right feeding solution, you need to breed 1.5 kg of bird droppings in a 10-liter bucket of water. First, dry raw materials are poured into a third volume of liquid and left for a couple of days. Then the fermented composition is brought with water to the desired volume.
Manure
For fruit crops, this fertilizer ranks second in popularity. Apple, pears, cherries, plums, apricots and other stone fruits like this top dressing more.
Fresh manure is not used. Regardless of the proportions of the dilution, it is converted to ammonia.
To feed fruit crops, manure must be at least 2 years old.
Humus
This organic fertilizer can be considered one of the basic tools. It can be used for various fruit crops.
Under the apple tree, you must make up to 30 kg of humus. If the plant is more than 9 years old, then this amount must be increased at least 1.5 times.
For feeding pears, humus is mixed with soil in the spring. On average, one tree requires 20 kg of such fertilizer.
Under cherries or cherries, humus is added for the first 4-5 years. It is necessary to scatter fertilizer around the trunks about half a meter.
Green tea
This fertilizer is harvested independently and is organic. It can be used for any fruit crops.
To prepare the composition, it is necessary to place the green part of the grass in a suitable container and fill it with water. Close the container with polyethylene, making several holes in it. After 3 weeks, the fertilizer will be ready. Such top dressing is best done after flowering, diluting the resulting liquid in 10 parts of water.
Ash
This fertilizer attracts natural origin. It combines phosphorus and potassium, in which fruit crops in particular need in the spring.
Ash can be used for different fruit trees. Her cherry and plum are especially fond of.
Top dressing must be applied to the trunks. To do this, make a groove 10-15 cm deep and pour ash there, immediately covering it with earth. Fertilizer can be applied in liquid form. To prepare it, add a half-liter can of ash to a bucket of water.
Ash can be mixed with urea. On a 10-liter bucket of water you need 3 tbsp. l urea and half a glass of ash. Among shrubs, such a composition is effectively used for raspberries, blackberries, mountain ash, gooseberries and currants.
Superphosphate
This fertilizer belongs to the mineral group and is based mainly on phosphorus. It can be used for any fruit trees and shrubs.
When planting crops, fertilizer is applied at 0.4 kg in each pit. As a top dressing, 40-70 grams are used, introducing the composition into the trunk circle. Feeding fruit crops in this way should be after flowering.
Superphosphate can be combined with potassium and some nitrogen fertilizers. You should not combine such top dressing with the introduction of urea, ammonium nitrate or chalk. Between the application of such fertilizers must be maintained for at least a week.
Potassium chloride
This fertilizer has a high potassium content. It perfectly compensates for the lack of nutrients and normalizes the development of crops. Such top dressing can be used for various fruit trees, but it is especially effective for apple trees.
About 0.15 kg of potassium chloride is needed per fruit tree. The optimal amount of fertilizer should be focused on the features of the soil. If it is black soil, then the concentration of the agent is reduced, and for light soil it must be increased.
Potassium chloride is well combined with nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, but it is also successfully used independently.
Fertilizing must be done correctly. Liquid formulations are administered only after watering the soil. Foliar top dressing should be done on cloudy days or in the evening. After applying dry fertilizer, watering is necessary.
Urea
This fertilizer is nitrogen and belongs to the amide group. It can be used for various fruit crops.
As a spray, urea is well combined with copper sulfate. For 10 liters of water, 0.7 kg of urea and 50 g of vitriol are needed. This treatment can be repeated during flowering, and then with the formation of ovaries.
Fruit plants are also fed during fruiting. In this case, resort to root dressing. For apple trees, 0.25 kg of urea is dissolved in 10 l of water; for cherries and plums, the amount of the drug should be reduced to 0.15 kg. If organic matter was previously added, then the concentration of the composition is halved.
Nitroammofoska
It is advisable to use this fertilizer when the soil is perfectly fertile. The tool is complex and consists of nitrogen, potassium, sulfur and phosphorus.
Nitroammofosku can be used for any fruit trees, but only as an additional top dressing. For apple trees, it is advisable to use it after flowering, spending 30-40 liters of solution on each tree. To prepare it, 50 g of the product per bucket (10 l) is required.
Nitroammofoska is also used for foliar feeding in order to enhance the growth of the culture. The prepared solution in this case is sprayed with a spray gun.
Ammonium nitrate
This tool is well suited for early feeding of fruit crops. It can also be used in the summer about 2 times a month.
Ammonium nitrate is best used as a solution. To do this, you need to dilute in a bucket of water 30 g of saltpeter. During fruiting - this amount is recommended to be increased by 1.5 times. Such top dressing well affects the yield of plantings and the taste of the fruit.
Do not use the product at the same time as peat, sawdust or straw. This combination is dangerous because it can cause a fire.
Fertilizing fruit crops is an important agricultural activity. Fertilizing must begin in the spring. In this case, it is important to consider the compatibility of the compositions among themselves, as well as with different types of crops. When buying ready-made products, you should carefully study the instructions.