Author Topic: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer  (Read 2299 times)

Nisp66

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Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« on: July 08, 2015, 11:58:59 PM »
I need some advise on a foliar fertilizer with micros for Chicos, Cherimoyas, Mangos, etc. Also is it safe to apply it when the trees are fruiting?

thanks
Raul

buddyguygreen

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #1 on: July 09, 2015, 01:07:57 AM »
I use roots organics extreme serene with budswell bat tea.

Mark in Texas

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #2 on: July 09, 2015, 08:50:49 AM »
I need some advise on a foliar fertilizer with micros for Chicos, Cherimoyas, Mangos, etc. Also is it safe to apply it when the trees are fruiting?

thanks
Raul

I would choose any of the balanced Peters foods or Dyna-Gro.  If fruiting you could go with Dyna-Gro's Bloom, a 3-12-6 and add a bit of potassium sulfate to increase K.  Both have a good micro charge. It will not hurt the fruit, after all, you're only applying salts in very small amounts.  I foliar spray my vineyard quite often, see my recent thread on this page.  Make sure to include a surfactant like a non-ionic surfactant or your efforts will not work.

If you have severe micro deficiencies, it's hard to beat the Keyplex formulations.  Keyplex 350DP is my go-to spray.

Good luck,
Mark
« Last Edit: July 09, 2015, 08:58:02 AM by Mark in Texas »

Doglips

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #3 on: July 09, 2015, 09:36:42 AM »
I need some advise on a foliar fertilizer with micros for Chicos, Cherimoyas, Mangos, etc. Also is it safe to apply it when the trees are fruiting?

thanks
Raul
I wouldn't spray the fruit with fertilizers intentionally, and wash before consumption if I did.  If you are like most of us is spraying on a small scale by hand, dodge hitting the fruit, easy enough in most cases.  Treat it the same as fertilizing the roots.  Whether you spray or not, depends on the plant.  Mangos you don't fertilize until after fruiting, citrus like to be fed all the time.

I use Dyna-gro, and it seems to work well.

Mark in Texas

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #4 on: July 09, 2015, 09:48:48 AM »
Doglips, the amount of salts is negligible, or it should be.  When I foliar spray, I don't go more than 1/2 tsp/gallon and sometimes use rainwater as a carrier as my well water is super hard.....high in salts.  If you go more than 1 tsp/gallon, you risk foliar burn.  I extrapolate those amounts whether loading a 40 gal. PTO driven air blaster or a 4 gal. backpack sprayer.

I also don't foliar spray if I expect hot temps with low RH.  I'm gunshy when it comes to foliage burn.

Question, what is the problem with fertilizing mangos during fruiting?  I have 2 small trees, Pickering and Mallika, loaded with fruit and expect to harvest soon.  I recently drenched them with a Peter's 20-3-19 and they're doing fine. If anything they probably need more K now, at least on a technical, botanical basis.

Mark

Doglips

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #5 on: July 09, 2015, 11:00:37 AM »
Doglips, the amount of salts is negligible, or it should be.  When I foliar spray, I don't go more than 1/2 tsp/gallon and sometimes use rainwater as a carrier as my well water is super hard.....high in salts.  If you go more than 1 tsp/gallon, you risk foliar burn.  I extrapolate those amounts whether loading a 40 gal. PTO driven air blaster or a 4 gal. backpack sprayer.

I also don't foliar spray if I expect hot temps with low RH.  I'm gunshy when it comes to foliage burn.

Question, what is the problem with fertilizing mangos during fruiting?  I have 2 small trees, Pickering and Mallika, loaded with fruit and expect to harvest soon.  I recently drenched them with a Peter's 20-3-19 and they're doing fine. If anything they probably need more K now, at least on a technical, botanical basis.

Mark
Fertilizing during fruiting and you could get fruit drop.  Not saying it is a guarantee, but the general practice is to fertilize after harvest.  Stress mode is a trigger for flowering to maturity.  The mango pros can certainly give a better answer.

bsbullie

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #6 on: July 09, 2015, 11:18:00 AM »
Fertilizing mangoes while fruiting with nitrogen can cause fruit drop and vegetative growth which you dont want while the fruit is hanging.  It can effect the development and ripening process.
- Rob

Mark in Texas

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #7 on: July 09, 2015, 05:23:45 PM »
Thanks guys.  Well see if your position holds true.  8)  So far, no fruit drop.  Small pickering is holding 16 fruit with one just beginning to color up.

Nisp66

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #8 on: July 09, 2015, 11:00:14 PM »
Thanks guys for the recommendations.

Tropicaliste

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Re: Looking for a good foliar fertilizer
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2015, 11:02:35 AM »
Should I cut back on nitrogen fertilizer on a fruiting Guava as well? I use Holly tone.