Container fruit tree fertilizer schedule

[nullzero]

Here is something I have been roughly following. Its still in the testing phase but it has given me great results for my container fruit trees (always keeping them nice and green and healthy).

Fertilizer schedule (This is mainly a guideline, roughly using the amounts works for me well, some plants will like more fertilizer while others do fine with less);

Once a week all the time during active growing
*Fresh worm castings water (I would do it every watering if you have it available)
*Compost tea (if available)
*Table spoon of brown sugar, molasses, or corn syrup per gal of water
*Using an air stone with the water, castings (or compost tea), and sugar source for 24 hours p prior to using supposedly increases effectiveness
*Teaspoon of mycogrow (first three watering for that plant)

Vegetative schedule every week (during vegetative cycles between March to November)
*1 tablespoon of fish emulsion per gal
*1 teaspoon of kelp powder and humic acid per gal
*1 teaspoon Yucca powder (for water absorption) per gal

Flowering/Fruiting every week during flower and fruit development (stop fertilizing 3 weeks prior to harvest)
*1 tablespoon of fish emulsion per gal
*1 tablespoon of kelp powder and humic acid per gal
*1 tablespoon of rock phosphate
*1 teaspoon of Yucca powder

Twice a year
*1 tablespoon of epsom salt per gal
*1 teaspoon of iron chelate per gal
*1 tablespoon of azomite per gal

Now what I do with these 1 gal mixes, is distribute it to the plants based on size of the plant and container size. Ex. I have a fig tree in a 15 gal container and its 5 ft tall, I am going to use the whole 1 gal mix on it. If there is a seedling in a 4 inch container, I am going to use about 2 tablespoons of mix on it.

Before applying the Vegetative, Flowering, and Twice a Year mix. I like to presoak the container with the water/castings mix or just water (as if you were just watering). Then apply the mix after that is done. Finish with a slightly watering just to wash some of it around the container and off the leaves.

I mainly use this as a soil drench, however you can use the castings and vegetative mix as a foliar spray (at night) dilute by about 1/2. This fertilizer schedule is all nature and its very hard to burn your plants. The goal of it is to feed the soil and boom the mycorrhizae populations. This works very well in an SWC because all that natural fertilizer runoff is brewing in the water reserve (its like a super fertilizer when the feeder roots get in there).

Great thing about this schedule is its very hard to burn the plants with more fertilization. If you are growing in SWC you can scale back to 1/3 as much and probably get similar results (since the water reserve prevents much wasted runoff).

[Droshi]

Great schedule, thanks for sharing. I'll be growing all my trees in containers for the foreseeable future. Maybe most forever so it's good to see.

I thought worm casting water was the same as compost tea? Worm castings I thought was compost made with worms, but is your compost tea more tree/leaf material rather than table scraps?

Looks like your method could be considered organic, or is there anything in there that isn't?

[Tomas]

Hi nullzero,

After reading about how methodical you are with the fertilization and all these "additives", I think that perhaps I should be more mindful about my own potted plants. I have been quite lazy to be honest. My philosophy has been that if a plant appears healthy then it probably is. So I have only applied fertilizers when it's obvious.

Tomas

[nullzero]

Great schedule, thanks for sharing. I'll be growing all my trees in containers for the foreseeable future. Maybe most forever so it's good to see.

I thought worm casting water was the same as compost tea? Worm castings I thought was compost made with worms, but is your compost tea more tree/leaf material rather than table scraps?

Looks like your method could be considered organic, or is there anything in there that isn't?

Compost tea, is other forms of compost used as a tea. Like decomposing leaves in water, other ways of composting material mixed with water. Everything is organic I decided about 2 years ago to stop using chemicals completely.

Berto,

I do this to insure my plants have everything they need (pretty obvious answer hehe). I also want to speed the fruit production, size of the tree, healthy and disease resistance, and improve the flavor of the fruit. This fertilization schedule does very well in an SWC type container.

[CoPlantNut]

Hi nullzero,

After reading about how methodical you are with the fertilization and all these "additives", I think that perhaps I should be more mindful about my own potted plants. I have been quite lazy to be honest. My philosophy has been that if a plant appears healthy then it probably is. So I have only applied fertilizers when it's obvious.

Tomas

A long time ago I discovered that fertilizing potted plants on a regular basis (but with low concentrations) worked better than waiting for the plant to show signs of stress.  While I use a different regime/materials than Null, I completely agree that fertilizing often but weakly is the way to go for container plants.  By the time the plant shows a nutrient deficiency, it has already stopped growing optimally.

I've found with weak fertilization with every watering that any signs of nutrient deficiencies I see in plants are a result of improper pH rather than actual nutrient deficiencies; pH is easily adjusted when watering as well.

   Kevin

[RodneyS]

Thanks for the 411, Nullzy!

I just gave my container plants a foliar spray/soil drench of worm casting tea today.  That, combined with the heat, will show a marked increase in vigorours growth

[Mark in Texas]

A long time ago I discovered that fertilizing potted plants on a regular basis (but with low concentrations) worked better than waiting for the plant to show signs of stress.  While I use a different regime/materials than Null, I completely agree that fertilizing often but weakly is the way to go for container plants.  By the time the plant shows a nutrient deficiency, it has already stopped growing optimally.

I've found with weak fertilization with every watering that any signs of nutrient deficiencies I see in plants are a result of improper pH rather than actual nutrient deficiencies; pH is easily adjusted when watering as well.

   Kevin

Agreed.  I feed with a 12 month slow release food, 18-4-9 with micros and occasionally do tweaks with something like Jack's Citrus FeED if additional greening is necessary.   My container mix is basically 50% inert and 50% organic.  When I water my organics create their own tea in the pot.  Humates are in a very high concentration in organics like peat moss and organics.   Easy peasy...... and my plants get everything they need to grow healthy and fast. 

FWIW, I use mychorzzial drenches on outdoor plantings in native soil and have pretreated thousands of Xmas, fruit, nut, and landscape tree seedlings including grapevines. They are ineffective in pots, that is the science according to a seasonal horticulturist friend of mine who has been doing this stuff for 60+ years..

I have done unscientific control studies outdoors using drenches with molasses and found no benefit.  That's the anecdotal evidence.   

[Mark in Texas]

Compost tea, is other forms of compost used as a tea. Like decomposing leaves in water, other ways of composting material mixed with water. Everything is organic I decided about 2 years ago to stop using chemicals completely.

All well and good, but organics are chemicals or they wouldn't work.  They're made up of inorganic minerals.  Everything is made up of chemicals.  For example, there is no difference in the potassium nitrate you're getting in that bag of manure and what you'd buy off a plant nursery shelf.

Regards,
Mark

[Droshi]

Compost tea, is other forms of compost used as a tea. Like decomposing leaves in water, other ways of composting material mixed with water. Everything is organic I decided about 2 years ago to stop using chemicals completely.

All well and good, but organics are chemicals or they wouldn't work.  They're made up of inorganic minerals.  Everything is made up of chemicals.  For example, there is no difference in the potassium nitrate you're getting in that bag of manure and what you'd buy off a plant nursery shelf.

Regards,
Mark

Other than the fact that the manure includes other things in it than just straight potassium nitrate?

It's the same idea as coffee vs soda with both having caffeine, except coffee has other things in it that may or may not counter-balance ingesting caffeine. Chemically isolated the caffeine is the same as taurine (derived from different sources) and the same that they put into coke, whats different is the rest of what's included in the plant matter itself. As to if it makes a difference, I guess that's what's up for debate. Personally I think nature probably knows best and is smarter than me, but if throwing some extra man-isolated chemicals in there helps, I also don't see why not.

[nullzero]

Compost tea, is other forms of compost used as a tea. Like decomposing leaves in water, other ways of composting material mixed with water. Everything is organic I decided about 2 years ago to stop using chemicals completely.

All well and good, but organics are chemicals or they wouldn't work.  They're made up of inorganic minerals.  Everything is made up of chemicals.  For example, there is no difference in the potassium nitrate you're getting in that bag of manure and what you'd buy off a plant nursery shelf.

Regards,
Mark

Mark,

Yeah I did not use the right terminology. What I was trying to say is I stopped using non organic, factory processed, isolated chemical fertilizers.

As for the mycorrhiza its costs about $7 for most of the year, even if its not effective in containers I might as well try it out. However from first hand view of the root system, the roots are very healthy and white with lots of beneficial fungi on the root system. Compared to root systems I have seen in the past without using any worm composting and mycorrhiza. I use a good amount of water bottle clear containers shielded from direct sunlight for cuttings and seedlings.

I will take a picture of a recently rooted dragon fruit inoculated with mycogrow and worm castings. Will add it below

[Mark in Texas]

Like to see those pix.

My roots can beat up your roots....neener neener   

Droshi, when did I ever say manure contains only potassium nitrate?  I'm an organic mofo too, but also don't fall for the baloney I hear and read by the organic purists.  For example, it's a given that conventional farming methods produce better tasting, just as "healthy" fruits than "organic" grown.  Check this diity out, if you dare.  Penn & Teller: Bullshit - Organic Taste Test

[nullzero]

Dragon fruit cutting rooting. Watered with worm castings tea every watering. Mycogrow adding in as well.

[Droshi]

Like to see those pix.

My roots can beat up your roots....neener neener   

Droshi, when did I ever say manure contains only potassium nitrate?  I'm an organic mofo too, but also don't fall for the baloney I hear and read by the organic purists.  For example, it's a given that conventional farming methods produce better tasting, just as "healthy" fruits than "organic" grown.  Check this diity out, if you dare.

great video...not saying you said that specifically, I just got it as an implication so figured I'd throw my 2c out there. I'm currently using both so I don't take stock in one over the other.

[Berto]

Null,
Are you also drinking this stuff?   ahahahahahahahaahha
Tomas made a comment and you replied it to Berto.
By the way, I am much better looking than my friend Tomas!  ahahahahahahahahahahaha

Null, seriously, thank you for the information.  I wish I had your discipline to follow such a nice program.  I do pretty much like Tomas does.  If they look good, I don't give them anything.

[nullzero]

Null,
Are you also drinking this stuff?   ahahahahahahahaahha
Tomas made a comment and you replied it to Berto.
By the way, I am much better looking than my friend Tomas!  ahahahahahahahahahahaha

Null, seriously, thank you for the information.  I wish I had your discipline to follow such a nice program.  I do pretty much like Tomas does.  If they look good, I don't give them anything.

I may breathe in a little of the kicked up mist when I spray it with water to aerate the worm castings and other stuff lol!

[Mark in Texas]

Null,
Are you also drinking this stuff?   ahahahahahahahaahha
Tomas made a comment and you replied it to Berto.
By the way, I am much better looking than my friend Tomas!  ahahahahahahahahahahaha

Null, seriously, thank you for the information.  I wish I had your discipline to follow such a nice program.  I do pretty much like Tomas does.  If they look good, I don't give them anything.

I may breathe in a little of the kicked up mist when I spray it with water to aerate the worm castings and other stuff lol!

Start a worm farm.  Found out they particularly like shredded W/B newspaper and banana peels.  Also found out they don't like to be near a batch of beer brewing!  They're animals ya know and I guess asphxiated them, arrgggggggghhhhh!

My veggie garden is full of earthworms and I didn't put them there.   Being that I have calcareous well water I deeply mulch with pine needles bagged during the Xmas selling season.

Nice roots!