Q: Why fertilize a tree?
A: If you fertilize your lawn, you may not have fertilized your trees. Tree care companies have specialized equipment that can deliver fertilizer right where the trees need it - the tree’s root zone, just below your lawn’s root zone.
In forests, trees shade out grass and other plants so the tree’s roots don’t have to compete with the roots of other plants. Trees are free to absorb all the nutrients they need. Your lawn is a harsher environment for trees. In your lawn, trees must compete with grass roots for the valuable nutrients. When you drop fertilizer on top of your lawn, the grass receives most of the benefits.
A different type of method of fertilization is used to fertilize trees than what is used to fertilize lawns, since trees don’t grow the same as grass. For trees, slow release fertilizer is applied directly to the tree roots, just below the grass roots. This can be done with a special liquid fertilizer injected into the soil, (sometimes called “deep-root fertilization”) or dry fertilizers poured into holes drilled into the root zone of the tree.
Q: What are the benefits of tree and shrub fertilization?
A: Fertilization helps make your trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals stronger, so that they can ward of insects and diseases naturally. Fertilization and nutrients can fix a lot of problems that lawn fertilization, chemical damage, improper pruning or trimming, drought, weather, wind stress, environment, and over-watering can bring about.
Q: Should you fertilize your trees this spring?
A: Since springtime is an active growth period for trees and other plant materials, it is important that they have everything they need to survive and thrive. In fact, fertilizing in the spring will help address any deficiencies that exist in the soil for the tree as it comes out of winter dormancy. Spring fertilization also helps prepare the trees for the stresses they will invariably face in the summer.
Also, healthier trees are better able to fight off - and recover from - damage from things like stress and pests. Call us for a free consultation.