Caring for the trees in your yard requires a bit of maintenance, including fertilizing. In the same way that our bodies need fuel to function, trees need to eat so that they can grow strong! Fertilization is one of the best ways to ensure that your tree gets the nutrients that it requires to be healthy. In today’s article, we’re going to touch on a few of the points that will ensure your tree is well cared for through fertilization — as always, you can count on the tree experts at Lumber Jack and Jill of Fort Collins for tree care services throughout Northern Colorado!
HOW OFTEN TO FERTILIZE
The number of times that you should fertilize will vary on the type of trees that you have. Trees that are in clay soil should be fertilized once a year. This is because the ground that they’re planted in is better at retaining water than other trees. On the other hand, trees that are planted in sandy soil should be fertilized twice a year simply because sand won’t retain water as well.
The first step is going to be figuring out what type of soil your tree is planted in and catering to the fertilization needs from there.
What You’ll Need
Fertilization is often best done by professionals who can provide high-quality fertilizer that is loaded with nutrients for your plant. That being said, there’s also quite a bit of equipment that goes into the fertilization process that is going to be difficult to come by. You may feel the need to invest in the equipment if you enjoy the process and have many trees. That being said, here’s a quick list of items that you’ll need to complete the fertilization process.
- Fertilizer: Organic and Slow Release
- Compost
- High-Powered Battery Drill, Low-Powered Drill, or Corded Drill (any will work)
- 1” to 3” Earth Auger
This equipment can be found at most hardware stores, but aside from it being a little bit pricey to invest in all at once, the process of fertilizing your trees can be a tough one. Let’s dive into it now.
How to Fertilize
Now that you’ve got all of your equipment ready, you can start fertilizing your plants! You’ll start by putting the drill bit on your drill of choice. Next, begin to drill holes in the soil that are anywhere from 1” to 3” wide and no less than 6” deep. You can go up to 8” deep if your trees are planted in ground that is pretty dry and lacks the ability to retain moisture.
As you do this, make sure to stagger the holes in a pattern similar to bricklaying. Do this throughout the soil that you’re going to fertilize which should cover the entire canopy of the tree itself.
Once you’ve drilled all of your holes, backfill the top 2” of the hole with the fertilizer that you’ve selected. Organic fertilizer is always suggested simply because of the quality of nutrients that you’ll be receiving. We also suggest choosing a slow-release fertilizer that will make sure your tree continues to get nutrients little by little and isn’t bombarded with a large amount.
After that, you’re all set!
CONTACT JACK & JILL’S TREE SERVICE
The process we mentioned above can add a lot of extra work to your plate. If you’re ready to fertilize your trees but don’t have the time, contact our team of tree professionals and we can get you taken care of. Reach out to us today to book your tree services. Again, we provide tree care services for our neighbors throughout Northern Colorado from our hometown of Fort Collins!