Fertilizing the apple tree »The right amount at the right time

Properly fertilize freshly planted apple trees

Basically, many hobby gardeners tend to overfertilize the fruit trees in the garden rather than insufficiently supplying them with nutrients. That is why all fertilizers should only be administered sparingly. With a freshly planted apple tree, it is usually enough for the first two to three years on the new one Location completely off when at the planting the Aushuberde around the Tree roots mixed with compost and stored manure. Only then should about 10 grams of blue grain per tree be administered around the trunk in spring and late summer. Over-fertilization with nitrogen would pose the following dangers to the apple tree:

• unripe, dying branches in winter
• strong shoot growth at the expense of blossoms and fruits
• increased susceptibility to Diseases and Pests

The effective fertilization of older apple trees

Depending on theirs variety

and the Location Older apple trees usually have a slightly higher nutritional requirement than their younger relatives. First of all, this should be a bigger one in the summer Tree grate around the Tree trunk a mulch cover as protection against Dehydration take place. Ideally, you should use a complete fertilizer containing potash or an organic-mineral fertilizer for large apple trees in full yield. Give about 60 grams per tree twice a year, once in March and once around the middle of May. However, if you have fresh compost, you can spread about four liters of it on the tree grate in the spring. After taking a soil sample, you can also take it with you Horn meal and calcium ammonium nitrate.

Underplanting with green manure

The use of chemical fertilizers can also be omitted in the apple tree if, in addition to the annual incorporation of compost into the soil in the area of ​​the tree grate, there is also one Underplanting with a Green manure he follows. Plants such as the low-vine are suitable for this Nasturtiums or lemon balm, which are then worked into the substrate after the season. In this way, rotable material is created in a natural way, which is the sensitive Root system of the apple tree protects and supplies it with moderate amounts of nitrogen and other nutrients.

Tips & Tricks

In the case of young apple trees, no freshly chopped wood should be used Mulching be introduced into the soil, otherwise these would remove nitrogen from the soil during the rotting process. Older trees are less sensitive to this and their tree grate can also be covered with wood-containing materials. In general, a proportionate fertilization should ensure a balance between fruit yield and shoot growth. Fertilization should be avoided in late autumn, as otherwise young shoots will not survive the freezing temperatures in mid-autumn and early winter.