Fertilizing trees

[Monsterbuck]

I have planted several fruit trees (apple, pear, etc.). I put heavy duty landscape fabric around them and then some stone over the fabric. My question is if I apply fertilizer over the top of the fabric and rocks is it going to eventually leach through to the roots when it rains?

I usually use a 10-10-10 granular fertilizer. Will the P and K get to the roots as well? Should I go to a liquid fertilizer?

 

[Sligh1]

I'd get it under the fabric or use liquid. Potassium will be hardest to get down so closer the better. N will leach down but again, I'd try and get under all and ideally in soil some.

 

[6Popes1Booner]

A bit off topic. I'm assuming you put down the fabric to keep the weeds at bay? I planted some trees late fall and was wondering if I should mulch the trees or put fabric down?

 

[Monsterbuck]

Yes, I put it down to keep the weeds down.

I have one of those root feeders, the kind you hook to your garden hose and put the fertilizer in the chamber and poke the prod onto the ground and it waters and fertilizes. Unfortunately too far from a spigot. I have thought about getting a water pump to pump water from the pond to water them so maybe that will work.

Guess I can pull up the edges some to try and get the fertilizer under there.

 

[Monsterbuck]

I planted some peach and plum trees as well. Probably not a draw for deer but more for personal use. Anybody plant these and how well have they done for you?

I've got about 20 trees that I have planted the last two years. Hoping to add a few more each year.

 

[Daver]

I planted some peach and plum trees as well. Probably not a draw for deer but more for personal use. Anybody plant these and how well have they done for you?

I've got about 20 trees that I have planted the last two years. Hoping to add a few more each year.

It has been years now, but I used to have four mature peach trees. Can't say that I ever remember getting a peach off of one though. They are fragile trees and we are at the far northern range for them.

Every year it was one thing or the other...but by the time that the peaches would be ready to pick, one thing or another wrecked them. Wind, bugs, coons, frozen buds, too much rain, not enough rain, you name it, everything seemed to come together to thwart those trees every year.

One year we actually had a bumper crop going and then a strong wind thrashed the orchard and at least two trunks split on me and essentially killed those trees. In retrospect, I should have had some support system under those branches because of the fruit load that year.

I suspect that you will struggle to get a crop off of them here in Iowa, but I hope you have more success than I did.

 

[BigfootWillow.com]

Peaches seem hit or miss for me because of various problems mentioned above. I had a good crop in 2008 and had to wait until 2013 to get a crop again which maxed out at over 1100 lbs, then this year only a couple peaches to eat. feast or famine.

They also are short lived trees, but I try to keep 20 going at a time, so in a good year I have more than enough to eat and preserve the harvest.

 

[6Popes1Booner]

Boy those sure look good!