Liquid fertilizer vs time release for Mango and other fruit trees

[Jagmanjoe]

I keep reading varying opinions about advantages of liquid fertilizer over time release.  Things like being able to get more consistent fertilizer to the trees as opposed to heavy rains washing out granular and time release fertilizers but I don't see near the selection of liquid ones available.  It almost appears that commercial growers use more of the liquid and in my view, I would expect they are the ones that would more likely use product that works better.

I would really like to hear about opinions on these including possibly using liquid with drip irrigation to maximize the growth and fruit production for Mango and other trees.  Advantages and/or disadvantages of one or the other.

Thanks in advance for everyone's input.

[Frog Valley Farm]

No news here.

[John B]

For my potted plants, I have always supplemented with an organic liquid fish emulsion/seaweed fertilizer. This is in conjunction with a slow release fertilizer.

This past year, I had two cherimoya's, a Carra Carra, my Parfianka pom, and atulfo mango on the same drip zone as I am establishing these trees. I would water deeply then fill the drip filter reservoir with the fish emulsion/seaweed blend and turn the water back on for 10 minutes to apply the liquid fert to the trees. They respond well and in about a week, you notice the effects.

The only issue i had there was that my largest cherimoya received too hot a mixture and it burned it. Since they are in the ground and more established, I will probably only continue to do this with the seaweed extract. 

[Fishinsteeg234]

I have had success with liquid fish emulsion applied every 1-2 months, in conjunction with slow release applied spring, summer, and again in fall. I try to stick with organic as much as possible to avoid burn.

[bovine421]

I pretty much agree with what you're saying and I too would be curious to know what the commercial Growers use as a product or special recipe

[Jagmanjoe]

One of the reasons I brought this subject up, Bovine is that I managed to have a brief conversation with a local nursery owner that has lived his entire life in the Plant City, Lakeland, Florida area and he personally knows many grove owners and vegetable farmers throughout Central Florida.  He commented to me that for many years they would just slam fertilizers on to their crops without regard for how much leached into the aquifer with heavy rains.  Then the regulators started appearing and imposed many restrictions to this which required reinventing how they fertilized their crops.  Over the years more and more have gone to what he called fertigation, using drip irrigation in conjunction with liquid fertilizers.  According to him they are seeing many advantages to this, including lower expense of fertilizing and better control over just how much they can efficiently get to the crop root systems.  I wish he had more time to speak with me so I could pick his brain more but his nursery was very busy plus the phone kept ringing.

Accordingly I posed the question here.

[bovine421]

With the trees that I'm more interested in growth than Fruit production. I like to use the water soluble fertilizer in the spring dry season. Then switch to Time released in the rainy season. Having concerns of leaching I only fertilize my piccabeen palm once with Time released because of its proximity 2A mango tree that I wanted to stay calm