How to Fertilize a Tree
Mimosa tree
By mlynch43. Trees are a very important part of your landscape. The provide much needed shade and shelter for a wide variety of wild life in our yards. Trees may take years to grow and are often forgotten or when we think taking care of our gardens. With just a little seasonal care and feeding your tree can prosper and grow at a much faster pace than it would otherwise do if you left it up to nature. I can offer you an example of a Live Oak I planted from an acorn once. My neighbors laughed and said I wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy the shade from that tree. During the 10 years I lived in there in the house I would fertilize the tree every spring. When I sold the house twelve years later the tree was over 30 feet tall and had a very solid trunk. It grew to be one of the tallest and most beautiful trees in the subdivision. Below I will explain a very simple process for feeding your trees that is economical and effective.
1.)Just before the start of spring is a good time to feed your trees. Take a stake and a hammer and drive it into the grown about a foot or so depending on the size of the tree. Do this every 2 – 3 feet around the tree following the drip line. A cut of broom handle works well for a stake. The drip line is the outer edge of the lower branches.
2.)Fill the hole left behind to about 3 inches from the surface with a good balanced fertilizer like 8-8-8 or 13-13-13. Throw a little top soil on top to fill the remainder of the hole.
3.)Water the tree thoroughly once finished. If the weather is dry continue to water on regular bases for the sake of the tree and to avoid any possible burning issues from the fertilizer that hasn’t yet dissolved and been absorbed. You will know when most of the fertilizer has been taken up by the tree because the grass around the areas where the fertilizer was applied will grow at a much faster rate. Do this each year and you will be rewarded with a beautiful and healthy tree that will grow at a much faster rate.
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