I was considering fertilizing the orchard trees this fall with a low N, high P and K fertilizer. I think it might help with flower bud/fruiting next spring.
Just curious if any of the folks on the forum have done this, how much they apply, and how it worked for them.
I use bone meal. I get a big bag when itās on sale. Put a cup out two around the drip line. Not very scientific. Itās got calcium in it too.
Someone told me this past week another old timer ātrickā. A couple of years ago someone told me to get a bucket of rusty nails and spread the rusty water all around fruit treesā¦ I posted a video a couple of years ago of a guy that said to spread iron filings all around a pear tree. The guy this past week said to drive an iron spike or rebar near my fruit treesā¦ that the iron will feed the trees.
An internet search confirms that this is very common knowledge. Some even say it stresses the tree to make it produce fruitā¦ and all kinds of rabbit hole theories.
I have even read to put a handful of nails in the bottom of a hole that you are planting a fruit treeā¦
A whole thread could never end on just the pros that people post on nails, iron and steel for fruit trees.
Hard to say its a myth with so many folks talking about it everywhereā¦ its some sort of ācommon knowledgeāā¦ it seems.
ive heard the olā timers say that. never tried it though. when my trees are young or show signs of deficiency i top-dress with manure in the fall. seems to do the trick.
Greensand is a good source of iron and many other micronutrients.
Some other good adds ā¦
Asomite, Bone meal, Gypsum, Epsom Salt
Have you had a soil test recently showing you lack certain macros and/or micros? I wouldnāt want to waste money adding ferts unless your soil is lacking and P and K is less mobile than N and stays in the soil for a long time. Nitrogen on the other hand is far more volatile and used more readily by plants, hence multiple feedings are recommended during the growing season. Iām willing to bet most can give a complete feeding by using cheap nitrogen only fert. like urea or AMS.
Iron deficiency is a problem but also excess iron can damage fruit trees. Best to test soil.
Who really cares what old timers say when the commercial industry has the incentive to follow practices to only fertilize fruit trees in the most efficient way- with hundreds of acres in production, this is the only way to compete with other growers.
A great deal of research has been done on best ways to fertilize fruit trees- but that doesnāt mean there is complete consensus, but at least you need to know something about what your soil already has and some nutrients may exist at high enough concentrations to serve the tree for its entire life.
I manage a lot of orchards and problems with growth, if they are nutrient related, are almost only tied to nitrogen. On this the less organic matter in the soil, and the sandier it is, the more likely it needs to be supplemented.
Iāve never yet run into a nutrient deficiency that prevents a healthy tree from baring fruit, but if your leaves show a sign of a specific deficiency it is well worth doing both a soil and leaf analysis to figure out whatās going on.
While the trees still have green leaves in the fall you can broadcast some quick release N if you want to serve the fruiting spurs by getting it to the buds before they start to leaf out in spring. You can even do this in the last few weeks of summer in my climate. Spring application may reduce the response by the delay compared to already having it in the buds as they start to swell. Fall is also a good time for adding K if you believe your soil is deficient- you can even try to add what the apples have removed with a basic maintenance schedule, Cornell used to and maybe still does provide guidance for this for growers that donāt want to do a lot of testing.
Iāve repeated this on the forum many times- fall and early spring N serves the fruit by feeding spur leaves, which are the first to open on a tree. Once the tree is fully leafed out N stimulates vegetative growth that you may not want to amplify on a mature fruit tree. Too much of it will shade sun from the leaves serving the fruit. It will also stimulate more root growth which can provide excess water to the fruit if you are where it can rain a lot in the summer.
P is adequate in most soils because of mycorrhizal relationships and it isnāt something you want to add blindly as it builds up in soils and can eventually created an imbalance by blocking the absorption of other nutrients.
Excess phosphorus can interfere with the uptake of micronutrients, particularly iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn). High levels of phosphorus can form insoluble compounds with these micronutrients, making them less available to plants.
Also, a high concentration of phosphorus can inhibit the uptake of these micronutrients by the plantās roots due to competition for uptake sites.
Alot of old timers still post in this forum. And some folks post for them. So i add what they say to the mix and make my own choices.
Jerry Lehman i reckon counts as an āold timerā and he tilled in woodchips in his walkways.
Does it work? Seemed to for himā¦
Most every pic i see of folks orchards or fruit trees the chips are around the treesā¦in circles or ādrip lineā or whatever the common knowledge is.
Mr Lehman seemed to do the oppositeā¦and put his in the walkways. Even going the extra step to till them in. Nothing around his trees except for grass.
Hard to argue with his results.
Lots of threads on this forum and others to NEVER till in woodchipsā¦ due to the robbing of Nitrogen etc etc etc. No consensus at all. And another can of worms that i dont want to open.
I agree that anything that works is a good thingā¦ I have used about 15 tons of manure and 25 tons of woodchips in my plantings along with 20 tons of leaf compost that i got from the local composting facility. Its all goneā¦ as if i havent even barely spread a ton of woodchips. I know because i hauled it in via dump truck. And there is barely any visible sign that i have done a thing.
Everything i grow does amazingā¦ so i cant argue with the results. However in my mind i kinda think i could have saved myself alot of time and effort by just using good ol triple 13.
I also hate the weeds that woodchips encourage hereā¦ I have certain weeds that seem to somehow be laced in the woodchipsā¦ its as if i planted weed seeds. 
So that counts as extra effort alsoā¦ or as Stephan would say āmake workā project. The manure i spread and leaves just go poof like magicā¦ no sign left of them at all.
I am an old timer at 72 and Iāve been pulling my living from the soil for my entire adult life.
If you only know the how and not the why you are ill-prepared to adapt to the myriad conditions that exist in various soils and climates.
What is close to universal is the desire for only moderate growth of bearing age fruit trees- the Goldilocks affect- not too hot- not too cold.
The affects, both benefits and liabilities of annually tilling in woodhips would depend on the soil you start with and whether it rains and how much during the growing season. Depending on how much you are incorporating, after a time you could create a soil with more organic matter than you want for the species of fruit trees I grow. You only want so much available water and organically released nitrogen- at least where it rains during the growing and ripening season. Even top mulching of wood chips can dramatically increase their vegetative growth after less than a decade of annual mulching.
It is a struggle in the east to get the brix up as high as you easily can in the west with its endless sunny days while most fruit is ripening.
Now paw paws and persimmons are not something I know a great deal about although I have grown both species for over 25 years. Maybe they are not affected by an unnaturally high level of OM the same way the more common fruits are. It certainly is not a concern with blueberries, in my experience.
i always put out fairly green woodchips. weeds wont grow in that for at least a season if put at least 3in. deep or more. i barely need to use woodchips anymore as my trees are getting bigger, shading out most weeds and grass under them. i never need to water them anymore as well.
So, much as I have expected, we all have a different approach to fertilizing our fruit trees. My āsoilā here is mostly decomposed granite, sort of a coarse sand like consistency. And while I do various amendments to improve it, I have noticed that the trees respond favorably to fertilizers and other supplements.
I do fertilize with 10-10-10 every spring (or with something similar). And instructions for the timing and quantities of that are easy to find. What Iād like to find out is how much say 8-16-16 should one apply in the fall, and when (before leaf drop, after, etc). Anyone have suggestions on this?
