Fertilizing A Growing Fruit Bearing Plant

Fruit plants need food, too. If they are undernourished, their growth is generally stunted and their fruit production is small. Whether you have a big orchard or growing just a few fruit plants, it is necessary that you provide your crops the proper nourishment to keep them growing and producing good fruits. And you can do this through fertilization. Fertilizing a growing fruit bearing plant varies from plant to plant and from soil to soil. But here are general guidelines in fertilization.

1. Have your soil tested before applying fertilizer. Soil tests determine if your soil is deficient in nutrients and can provide specific recommendations to correct this deficiency. Your local extension office can facilitate the soil test for you; you only have to send them soil samples. The soil samples should come from at least four areas in your lot to represent the whole place. It is best to collect samples during summer and fall.

2. Adjust the ph level of your soil. The pH level determines the acidity of the soil. If the pH level falls below 7.0, the soil is acidic. If it is higher than 7.0, the soil is alkaline. Some fruit crops prefer more acidic soil, usually bordering on a pH of 4.0 to 5.5, although most fruit plants generally require a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5. If the test result shows your soil has a low pH level, you can add lime to the soil. Lime is shown to reduce soil acidity and provide magnesium and calcium. On the other hand, you can reduce the soil pH level by adding sulfur.

3. Apply fertilizer based on the soil test result. Remember to add only the nutrients that are proven lacking in your soil. Do not add those that are already present in the soil, as doing so can potentially injure your fruit plant.

4. Choose which fertilizer is best to apply in your soil. You can use either organic or chemical fertilizer. Although experts and growers have different and competing views on the effectiveness of these two, organic and chemical fertilizers are shown to confer advantages and disadvantages. For instance, nitrogen, the nutrient mostly needed by fruit crops, in chemical fertilizer is said to be absorbed by plants faster than that in the organic fertilizer. Therefore, correcting nitrogen deficiency is quickly achieved using chemical fertilizer. In contrast, it will take the organic fertilizer longer time to do it due to some natural processes. However, the use of organic fertilizer can improve soil structure because of its organic components that are naturally beneficial to soil. Chemical fertilizer does not have this benefit.

5. Use organic matters to improve soil fertility. This is especially important if the test result shows that the organic matter present in your soil is lower than 2%. You can use rotted manure, dried leaves, and prunings as organic materials and place them into the top layer of the soil, ideally up to six inches deep.

6. Carefully read and follow the instructions on the fertilizer label. And remember not to overdose the soil because this can lead to plant damage as simple as root injury to as worse as death. If you need help in calculating dosages and in actual application of fertilizer, contact your local nurseryman. Fertilizing a growing fruit bearing plant is highly beneficial if done properly.