Fertilizing Apple Trees

All about feeding and fertilizing apple trees. Best fertilizer for apple trees. When to fertilize apples. Apple tree care.

Inexpensive Apple Orchard, Standard

Inexpensive Apple Orchard, Dwarf

When to Fertilize Apple Trees

Newly planted trees should be fed 1 month after being set into the ground and again in May and June of their first season.

During years 2-4 fertilize them in March, April, May, and June.

From their fourth year on, feed the trees at budbreak and again in May if the shoots grew less than 12 inches the previous season.

If the shoots grew more than 12 inches, skip the May application as too much nitrogen can cause the tree to bear poorly or not at all.

How to Fertilize Apple Trees

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Broadcast 1 dry cup of fertilizer under the apple tree beginning 6 inches from the trunk and ending at the drip line (the tips of the branches).

Fertilizing Apple Trees in Pots

Gardening Materials:Chickity Doo Doo Organic Fertilizer 6lb

Place a tablespoon or 2 of granular fertilizer in the bottom of the pot before you set the tree into it. Then follow the feeding schedule for in ground trees.

Watch the trees for signs of overfeeding. These include excessive growth, insect infestations, fire blight, and salt building up on the container.

If any of these things occur, skip the next application.

Apple Tree Fertilizer

Fertilizer: Espoma Garden Manure 4 lb 2 pk

The best fertilizer for apple trees will be a high nitrogen formula. This is the nutrient that apple trees most often need. If they need this!

It isn't always necessary to fertilize apple trees at all. It depends on the composition of your soil.

It is a good practice to mulch apple trees with a healthy layer of organic compost or composted manure each spring. As the mulch breaks down, it will slowly add a small amount of nitrogen to the soil and improve its ability to hold moisture and nutrients.

Beyond this, you will have to let the tree tell you what it needs. Different types of apple trees have slightly different nutrient requirements.

Yellowing leaves and poor shoot growth indicate a nitrogen deficiency. Excessive shoot growth and poor fruiting indicate that you've applied too much.

Most apple tree varieties will do well on a nitrogen rich food or a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10 or something similar).

If you want a food formulated specifically for fruit trees, Gurneys makes a good one called Garden Solutions^® Fruit Tree Food. There are 2 formulas available: Starter for young trees of those planted on sandy soils and Maintenance for more mature trees or trees planted on heavier soils.

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