How to Fertilize Your Trees

If you have trees in your compound, you must appreciate the beauty they bring during spring and their shade during summer. As such, good tree care is vital to ensure that they remain healthy at all times. One of the steps you can take to achieve this is to fertilize trees. This ensures that they can protect themselves from pests and diseases. Read on to learn how to apply tree fertilizer and how Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape’s fertilizing services can help. Call us at 217.306.4215 for tree fertilizing services.

Determine the Need for Fertilizing

The goal of fertilizing trees is to ensure that a tree is in optimal health. However, you should be wary about over-fertilization as it leads to adverse effects. These include reducing the number of flowers and fruit production and sudden plant growth with insufficient root systems to supply sufficient water. Therefore, the first and most crucial step is determining if the tree needs fertilizer. While offering fertilizing services in the Springfield area, we’ve picked up a few pointers for this. First, begin by reviewing whether the tree has faced undue stress. This may be from insects, physical damage, or environmental factors such as drought or flooding. Proceed to assess the size, color, and length of new twig growth and compare it with similar trees. If it’s lagging, it may need fertilizer to restore it to full health.

Determine the Appropriate Fertilizer

At this stage, you should be fairly confident that your tree needs fertilizing. However, don’t rush to apply the first fertilizer you find. Instead, take a sample of the soil near the tree and send it to a testing lab. The analysis will give you a report of which nutrients you need to supplement. With the right nutrient proportions in mind, choose a type of fertilizer. For easy application, use granular fertilizers. While there are all-purpose fertilizers, a better option may be one that’s specifically formulated for that type of tree.

Calculate the Size of the Root Zone

Now that you have the right fertilizer, you need to know the size of the area to apply. This is because congesting it by the base of the stem is ineffective. Also, roots spread varying distances depending on the type of tree and size.  To calculate the root radius, first measure the circumference of the tree trunk from four feet above the ground for an actual measurement. Once you have the circumference, find the diameter by dividing the circumference by pi (≈ 3.14). Lastly, multiply the diameter by 1.5 in order to calculate the proper radius for the critical root zone. Understandably, calculating the root zone may be challenging for you if the tree is huge. This is where Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape’s tree fertilizing experts in Springfield come in handy.

Determine How Much Fertilizer Is Necessary

Fertilizer manufacturers recommend an application rate per square foot for their products. This helps when determining how much fertilizer you’ll need to apply. Multiplying the root radius with the application rate will give you the amount in pounds.

Tree Fertilizing Services in Springfield

It takes a person with wisdom and foresight to take care of trees. Aside from the shade and beauty they may offer, trees are integral to the planet’s future. So, do you want to take chances with your trees? Fortunately, you don’t have to. At Custom Taylor’d Lawn & Landscape, we offer maintenance services, including fertilizing, pruning, trimming, and landscaping. Reach out to us today for top-notch tree fertilizing services.