Fertilizing young trees during winter - pros and cons?

[jc]

I have about a dozen avos and mangos that I planted this past summer/fall. I want them to concentrate on vegetative growth for at least another year.  What are the pros and cons of feeding the youngsters over the cooler Florida winter months? 

I have been using Excalibur's 8-3-9 w micros thus far.  I have super fast drainig sand w minimal organic top soil.  Based on a recent thread, I'm not tipping again until spring.

My temps stay fairly warm due to my close proximity to the coast. 

If feeding is appropriate, how often?  I've heard the Excalibur folks feed monthly. 

What is the opinion on foliar feeding?

Thanks in advance.

[phantomcrab]

I don't know about avocados but I would leave the mangos alone and only water them if really dry. Mango trees like a winter resting period that is (ideally) cool and dry. Any new growth in winter will be very cold sensitive and liable to damage by strong winds. If you get heavy winter dews, anthracnose can be an issue. Excalibur grows their plants in pots and keep them sheltered from the elements under a canopy of larger trees.

[FlyingFoxFruits]

I think Foliar feeding may be ok for some plans that are kept in a greenhouse.

I'm going to be feeding them minimally this year.  As long as I can seem them trying to grow.

Moisture and fertilizer levels should be monitored closely though....this really isn't the time of the year for excess amounts of either.

all these tropicals are in suspended animation, of a gray expansion, casting shadows over the sun. 

[CTMIAMI]

When I planted my grove, 2700 avocado trees, we fertilized monthly (small amounts)  during the first year in the ground and I do remember they kept on growing and flushing during the winter. Second winter we fertilized less but we did some plus some liquid fertilizer with the irrigation water. I don't remember how cold it was back in 2004 and 2005 but we had a good irrigation system for frost protection. 
My avocados in containers that I use for grafting in February I push them with fertilizer as hard as I can. Now, I can tell you that you need to measure the amount you put in the pot not to burn them. I would recommend slow release fertilizer like Osmocote, even in the ground plants but follow the label instructions. After burning many tree I now measure what I put in the pot and on the ground.
I don't know how much of the 8% nitrogen in that mix you use is slow release but you may want to supplement that with milorganite 5% slow release organic, if you have an issue about where the nitrogen is coming from in the milorganite use another form of organic slow release fertilized. Don't know about mangos but what pushes avocados is the nitrogen. Urea is cost effective 50lbs $23.00 and is 46% nitrogen if you irrigate with an urea solution 2-3 times a month it could work as well to supplement the granular. Always make the calculations and keep track of the fertilizer you apply.

Get to know your soil and your trees. Spent the $24.90 to do leave tissue test once or twice a year to get confirmation of what you are doing and if you are lacking a particular nutrient or way over the required. You will learn a lot from that, is not only an  N-P-K game. There are a lot of other nutrients.
Good luck with your trees

[jc]

Thanks for the input. Based on your recommendations and the U of Florida EDIS website, I will probably continue to feed the Avos throughout the winter.  As far as the mangos, I may just give them some micro nutrients in a foliar spray. But before I do anything to my mangos I have figure out what's causing this leaf scorch/burn.  (see my post under the mango pest and disease thread). 

I'm definitely going to get my soil and well water analyzed. Thanks Carlos!
 
If anyone is interested, I found the EDIS site to be very helpful and a newbie. 
 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs322
 http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/agriculture/index.html
 

[Nikitas]

Thanks for the useful information Carlos. I have a few grafted avocado trees I planted a year ago on the ground and up until now I didn't really know how to fertilize them. I trust your information because you are a professional. I'm curious though about one thing: I've been told we are supposed to refrain from fertilizing the first year after planting on the ground, in order to force the young tree to establish a strong root system. Any thoughts about that?

Nikitas

[bsbullie]

Thanks for the useful information Carlos. I have a few grafted avocado trees I planted a year ago on the ground and up until now I didn't really know how to fertilize them. I trust your information because you are a professional. I'm curious though about one thing: I've been told we are supposed to refrain from fertilizing the first year after planting on the ground, in order to force the young tree to establish a strong root system. Any thoughts about that?

Nikitas

That is crazy...the proper fertilizer applied appropriately will only help. 

[bsbullie]

I have about a dozen avos and mangos that I planted this past summer/fall. I want them to concentrate on vegetative growth for at least another year.  What are the pros and cons of feeding the youngsters over the cooler Florida winter months? 

I have been using Excalibur's 8-3-9 w micros thus far.  I have super fast drainig sand w minimal organic top soil.  Based on a recent thread, I'm not tipping again until spring.

My temps stay fairly warm due to my close proximity to the coast. 

If feeding is appropriate, how often?  I've heard the Excalibur folks feed monthly. 

What is the opinion on foliar feeding?

Thanks in advance.

Where exactly are you located?  Just curious as to what your winter temps are in comparison to someone further south and inland. 

Depending on your climate, or micro climate, if you are not trying to allow them to fruit, I would not let them go too dry and I would also keep up an abbreviated fertilization program.  By doing so will allow the trees to be stronger coming out of any type of "winter dormancy".

[CTMIAMI]

JC and Nikitas.
JC leave burn if it is brown and reddish could be too much of the wrong fertilizer. I will add to this post the last leave tissue test I did in my grove so you'll  see how many different parameters there are.  Follow this link to see an actual report http://www.myavocadotrees.com/tissue-test.html  Again it goes to your type of soil. I have a lot of coral rock and little organic matter so I did fertilized small and frequent during the first two years.

Nikita same for you if you have a rich soil you may not need to fertilize but a small amount often can not hurt. You would not want to let the tree set any fruit for 3-4 years. I even don't resist the temptation I had a new Bacon tree 3 years old It set 20 fruit I took off 10 left 10 and the tree nearly died and now is set back If you are pursuing tree size and strength you can fertilize little and frequent and prune back so the trunk will get thick and strong to support the vegetation..

[jc]

I have about a dozen avos and mangos that I planted this past summer/fall. I want them to concentrate on vegetative growth for at least another year.  What are the pros and cons of feeding the youngsters over the cooler Florida winter months? 

I have been using Excalibur's 8-3-9 w micros thus far.  I have super fast drainig sand w minimal organic top soil.  Based on a recent thread, I'm not tipping again until spring.

My temps stay fairly warm due to my close proximity to the coast. 

If feeding is appropriate, how often?  I've heard the Excalibur folks feed monthly. 

What is the opinion on foliar feeding?

Thanks in advance.

Where exactly are you located?  Just curious as to what your winter temps are in comparison to someone further south and inland. 

Depending on your climate, or micro climate, if you are not trying to allow them to fruit, I would not let them go too dry and I would also keep up an abbreviated fertilization program.  By doing so will allow the trees to be stronger coming out of any type of "winter dormancy".

 
Hobe Sound, adjacent to Johnathan Dickenson State Park. Very sandy hills.

As far as temps go, if you recall winter 09/10, one of Florida's coldest winters on record, there was frost in my neighborhood twice.  The Atlantic, Lake Okeechobee, and the Loxahatchee river keep my temps higher than other locations on the treasure coast.

After consulting w you, Linda, and Richard this past weekend, I'm going to incorporate a light fert program over the cooler months.  I now have a better understanding of how the Excalibur fert works. 

[natsgarden123]

I have about a dozen avos and mangos that I planted this past summer/fall. I want them to concentrate on vegetative growth for at least another year.  What are the pros and cons of feeding the youngsters over the cooler Florida winter months? 

I have been using Excalibur's 8-3-9 w micros thus far.  I have super fast drainig sand w minimal organic top soil.  Based on a recent thread, I'm not tipping again until spring.

My temps stay fairly warm due to my close proximity to the coast. 

If feeding is appropriate, how often?  I've heard the Excalibur folks feed monthly. 

What is the opinion on foliar feeding?

Thanks in advance.

Where exactly are you located?  Just curious as to what your winter temps are in comparison to someone further south and inland. 

Depending on your climate, or micro climate, if you are not trying to allow them to fruit, I would not let them go too dry and I would also keep up an abbreviated fertilization program.  By doing so will allow the trees to be stronger coming out of any type of "winter dormancy".

 
Hobe Sound, adjacent to Johnathan Dickenson State Park. Very sandy hills.

As far as temps go, if you recall winter 09/10, one of Florida's coldest winters on record, there was frost in my neighborhood twice.  The Atlantic, Lake Okeechobee, and the Loxahatchee river keep my temps higher than other locations on the treasure coast.

After consulting w you, Linda, and Richard this past weekend, I'm going to incorporate a light fert program over the cooler months.  I now have a better understanding of how the Excalibur fert works.

I have heard them say differently.   

[bsbullie]

I have about a dozen avos and mangos that I planted this past summer/fall. I want them to concentrate on vegetative growth for at least another year.  What are the pros and cons of feeding the youngsters over the cooler Florida winter months? 

I have been using Excalibur's 8-3-9 w micros thus far.  I have super fast drainig sand w minimal organic top soil.  Based on a recent thread, I'm not tipping again until spring.

My temps stay fairly warm due to my close proximity to the coast. 

If feeding is appropriate, how often?  I've heard the Excalibur folks feed monthly. 

What is the opinion on foliar feeding?

Thanks in advance.

Where exactly are you located?  Just curious as to what your winter temps are in comparison to someone further south and inland. 

Depending on your climate, or micro climate, if you are not trying to allow them to fruit, I would not let them go too dry and I would also keep up an abbreviated fertilization program.  By doing so will allow the trees to be stronger coming out of any type of "winter dormancy".

 
Hobe Sound, adjacent to Johnathan Dickenson State Park. Very sandy hills.

As far as temps go, if you recall winter 09/10, one of Florida's coldest winters on record, there was frost in my neighborhood twice.  The Atlantic, Lake Okeechobee, and the Loxahatchee river keep my temps higher than other locations on the treasure coast.

After consulting w you, Linda, and Richard this past weekend, I'm going to incorporate a light fert program over the cooler months.  I now have a better understanding of how the Excalibur fert works.

I have heard them say differently.

JC's trees are under a different circumstance due to the current "damage".