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Recommended
Fertilization of Young Trees
At planting, use the recommended
number of 21-gram, 2-year fertilizer tablets. I personally have never used
root stimulator solution and have planted many thousand plants in the last
thirty years. Aside from the financial benefits to nurserymen who promote
them, the products might have some small, measurable benefit when planting
bare-root or balled-and-burlapped stock.
Water deeply whenever the
soil of the rootball is dry one-inch down or on the day before the leaves
would have wilted. Deep watering is easily accomplished with a root feeder.
Plunge the end of the root feeder as deep as possible, at the west edge
of the excavation and turn it on. When water bubbles up at the surface,
turn it off. Now plunge it as deep as possible at the east edge of the
excavated area and turn it on. Turn it off when the next "spring" appears.
Next watering, plunge the end of the root feeder at the north and south
edges of the hole. Alternate at each watering.
In addition to the regular
watering, to achieve maximal rates of growth, fertilize as indicated below.
Use a water-soluble 20-20-20 with trace elements in the following manner:
1st
year
From mid-March to mid-October,
fertilize monthly, with five gallons of 20-20-20 in solution, evenly distributed,
at a one-foot radius around the tree.
2nd
year
From mid-March to mid-October,
fertilize monthly, with ten gallons of 20-20-20 in solution, evenly distributed,
at a two-foot radius around the tree.
3rd
year
From mid-March to mid-October,
fertilize monthly, with fifteen gallons of 20-20-20 in solution, evenly
distributed, at a three-foot radius around the tree.
4th
year
From mid-March to mid-October,
fertilize monthly, with twenty gallons of 20-20-20 in solution, evenly
distributed, at a four-foot radius around the tree.
5th
year
From mid-March to mid-October,
fertilize monthly, with twenty five gallons of 20-20-20 in solution, evenly
distributed, at a five-foot radius around the tree.
In heavy,
clay soils with poor internal drainage, stop feeding for the year
if leaf margins
begin to burn from fertilizer salt build-up.
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