Fertilizing Apple Trees

[lupinfarm]

Just wondering what I should use to fertilize my apple trees, I read somewhere about sprinkling 1lb for ever year the tree is in age (up to 6lbs per tree) of 20-10-10 around the dripline of the tree and then watering. It also stated doing it once in March and again in May. Since we get a lot of snow its not all that possible to do it in March so I was wondering if it'd be the end of the world if I fertilized now. We've had some hot and dry weather and I thought my trees could do with a slight "pick me up." Plus my trees have never been fertilized and I thought there is no time like the present to start, most of them have been in the ground a year while 2 have been in the ground for 2 years.

I also have a very large, older crabapple down my driveway that is in need of some help. It obviously hasn't been cared for in quite a few years and was wondering if I should fertilize this tree as well. I think it may be a Dolgo, there are at least 4 of them but only 2 that are in good condition.

 

[vfem]

I just side dress with manure or compost under the mulch and do it right before they come out of dormancy. I waited until the trees were at least on their second year.

So far so good....

 

[patandchickens]

Are these old established orchard trees that have done more poorly in recent years? In which case fertilization may be worthwhile. In any other situation, though, and especially if they have only been planted in the last few years, I would not personally fertilize them. You don't want weak sappy watersprouty growth.

The reason they may be looking a little haggard right now is just cuz it's been dry. If you want to do something for them, water them (deeply and thoroughly, and only once a week or so). Did you get much of that line of rain that came through yesterday? I got POURED ON on the 401 bringing the animals home from Carrying Place. Though we only got about 1/4" here at the house, sigh.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

I haven't anything that is composted if that matters. Mine having been setting leaves, I'm really at odds because last year they had lots of leaves and quite a few buds but this year they have buds coming out first and hardly any leaves. My younger ones are doing better and I have one older one in particular that has some split bark (I dried it out and put some wound sealer on it, no insect damage that I can see ... just split) that has put out less leaves than the others but is still living and does have some buds on it.

I really need to mulch around them anyway, they're in what used to be a tiny hay field.

 

[vfem]

It really sounds like a moisture issue more then fertilzation.

 

[lupinfarm]

Are these old established orchard trees that have done more poorly in recent years? In which case fertilization may be worthwhile. In any other situation, though, and especially if they have only been planted in the last few years, I would not personally fertilize them. You don't want weak sappy watersprouty growth.

The reason they may be looking a little haggard right now is just cuz it's been dry. If you want to do something for them, water them (deeply and thoroughly, and only once a week or so). Did you get much of that line of rain that came through yesterday? I got POURED ON on the 401 bringing the animals home from Carrying Place. Though we only got about 1/4" here at the house, sigh.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

Yeah most of them are only a couple years old, though we have that gigantic crabapple down the driveway which I may fertilize. The poor thing needs pruning badly but I wasn't even sure it'd survive the bugs last year and I forgot to dormant spray it this year. It set leaves faster and it was just too cold to do it.

We got some of the rain, it poured really hard while I was out picking up buckets in Orland for potatoes and I got drenched! but it rained more down by the lake than it did here. I've been watering them with a full 5 gallon bucket of water whenever I remember to do it. As I said in my other comment, I have one in particular that is looking kind of haggard and while it has put out some leaves it hasn't put out as many as soon as it did last year. It will be going on its 3rd year starting this summer.

On the upside at least the crabapple looks fantastic despite needing to be pruned, I'm going to go and take a cutting of it today and see what we get.

 

[lupinfarm]

It really sounds like a moisture issue more then fertilzation.

Thats what I was thinking, we haven't had any real significant rainfall in a long time and even my fields are just so dry and hardly anything has grown. The only thing doing super awesome is the dandelions LOL.

 

[lupinfarm]

Okay I just went down the driveway to chill with the crabapple and prune off all the dead wood, it hasn't been tended in A LOT of years. Its looking way better now, it'll need a spraying of something like insecticidal soap later in the season when all the nasty bugs are out to eat the fruit. It has TONS of flowers on it this year, looks maybe even healthier than last year and it smells divine. I took some cuttings to try and root because its apples were quite nice last year.

What sort of fertilizer would be ideal for a crabapple? It could probably do with fertilizing.

 

[patandchickens]

Honestly I would not do substantial pruning of an older tree AND fertilize, both in the same year. That is just asking for a bumper crop of watersprouts, which is useless and weakens the tree. I'd suggest doing one *or* the other this year, then the remaining one in another year or two. "Make haste slowly"

FWIW it is generally a bad idea to fertilize plants that are drought-stressed, either.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[lupinfarm]

Oh it was just dead wood that was pruned off. It has probably been dead wood for years. I wouldn't say this tree is drought stressed, its quite old and looks fantastic with lots of beautiful flowers this year.