Fertlizer Research Findings By University Of Florida

[Millet]

The recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ research, a multi-year study that is only a few years in, indicates that using a controlled release fertilizer (CRF) with micronutrients gives the best results of several combinations of fertilizer components. Specifically, 150 pounds/year/acre of CRF plus 1.5 pounds/tree of an Mn-Zn-Fe-B micronutrient fertilizer, divided into three applications per year provided better growth and production than traditional fertilizer and various other combinations of micronutrients. What does that mean per tree in your backyard? It means about one-third pound of fertilizer plus 0.5 pounds per tree of the micronutrients applied three equally spaced times from February to October. The fertilizer should be applied in the wetted zone of the tree’s root system, not just put in a single spot or narrow ring around the tree.

[luak]

Darn, it don’t apply to my container tree,s as they are much smaller. So I am continue to use Peters and Osmocote, the way I have been doing. So far so good. Maybe there will be something better in the near future, like a better Osmocote but not more expensive.

[Vlad]

Does the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences give the concentration of micro nutrients in the 1.5 pounds to be applied /tree?
Millet, can you provide the reference where the published their results?

[Millet]

Vlad the micro nutrient mix is Mn-Zn-Fe-B.   here is the reference:  https://www.dailycommercial.com/news/20181222/from-extension-citrus-fertilizer-for-greening-infected-trees   

[Yvonneen]

This field has always seemed interesting to me, but not so interesting as to study it and work in this field. Instead, my son is enthusiastic about it and chose to go to university in this field. Now he studies at Mount Kenya University and there they offer a lot of opportunities and every day he tells me how many experiments and how interesting everything they do. Even if the university is a private and expensive one, I am glad that my son has so many opportunities to develop in the field that he likes.

[brian]

The micronutrient math doesn't make sense.  Do you maybe mean .05 lbs per tree of micros?