Gardening experts online and offline say your trees need fertilizer to thrive. However, you look around your hiking trail and find green, healthy trees everywhere with no one fertilizing them. So, you start to wonder: do trees need fertilizer?
As Crescent City’s top-rated tree service, it’s one of the most common questions we get. Many people call us to ask if they should fertilize their trees and when they should do it. Keep reading as we cover these details.
Don’t Compare Your Trees to Wild Options
The first thing we’d like to clear up here is that it’s a mistake to compare your trees to those you see while hiking off the beaten path. Tree fertilization is not necessary for them for various reasons.
Firstly, the tons of dead leaves, decayed fruits, decayed animals, animal droppings, and more that fall around those trees replenish the soil all year round. How long do you allow dead leaves on your landscape before sweeping everything away? A week or two?
Also, you definitely don’t leave any dead critter lying around to fertilize your soil. So, the wild trees have all the nutrient they need—your tree doesn’t.
Secondly, the roots of wild trees can grow further in search of nutrients because the soil is more malleable. The soil in urban environments like your yard is too compact, which makes tree roots work harder.
However, this doesn’t mean you should indiscriminately load your trees with fertilizer.
When Do Trees Need Fertilizer?
You should consider applying fertilizer to trees if you notice the following:
- Stunted growth. You should consider feeding trees with fertilizer if the canopy is thinner than usual or if the twig growth is shorter than in previous years.
- Visible dieback. Dead branch tips and branches are clear signs that your tree is under stress, possibly because it’s not getting enough nutrients.
- Discolored leaves. The leaves of a healthy tree are dark green. There’s a need for tree fertilizer if you can see many yellow, pale green, or purple leaves, it’s a clear sign of nutrient deficiency.
Tips to Keep in Mind When Fertilizing Your Trees
Some of the top things you should keep in mind when fertilizing trees include the following:
- Test the soil first. A soil test will show you the nutrient deficiencies to address with the fertilizer (if any).
- Do it at the right time. Apply slow-release fertilizers in late April or early May and fast-release fertilizers in late fall.
- Don’t apply too much fertilizer. Excess fertilizer is bad for your tree and the environment.
- Don’t fertilize trees under stress. Trees showing clear signs of drought, disease, and insect damage can’t reap the benefits of tree fertilization. You’ll need to address their problems first.
Get Expert Guidance on Fertilization From the Pros
What type of fertilizer should you use for dormant trees? Do trees need fertilizer every year? These are some of the other questions we get regularly. We are always happy to address them and any others you might have.
Call 3 Dads Tree Services in Crescent City, CA, at (707) 506-6602 to schedule an appointment.