Content
Manure can be used for apple trees several times per season. In early spring, it is applied at the root, preparing an infusion. In the summer, foliar treatments are done, and in the fall, the tree trunk circle is mulched. In this case, you should only use rotted raw materials, since fresh organic matter leads to burns of the roots.
Is it possible to fertilize an apple tree with manure?
Despite all the variety of mineral fertilizers, the apple tree also needs to be fertilized with manure. Organic matter brings great benefits to both the tree and the soil:
- Rich composition - nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium.
- Enriching the soil with nutrients and beneficial bacteria.
- Improving the soil structure (it becomes looser).
- Gradual absorption of nutrients - plants can receive them throughout the season.
- Increased productivity.
- Increased resistance to pests and resistance to adverse weather.
Types of manure for fertilizer
The apple tree loves different types of manure:
- mullein (used most often);
- bird droppings;
- rabbit;
- horse;
- pork (practically not used, since it contains dangerous parasites).
Depending on the condition of the raw materials, the following types are distinguished:
- fresh;
- half-rotted;
- completely rotted (humus).
Fresh manure is used only for storage. It is placed in a special pit, other waste of plant and animal origin is added, and then it is left to rot for up to 12 months. It is strictly forbidden to use such fertilizer for watering or covering with mulch.
Semi-rotted manure is often used to prepare liquid fertilizer. It is diluted 10-20 times, and then the apple trees are watered at the root. Completely rotted organic matter is the most valuable raw material. Humus can be added to the soil directly during planting, and manure can also be placed under apple trees in the fall for mulching.
When to put manure under apple trees
It is necessary to apply fertilizers for fruit trees several times a season:
- Spring feeding.
- Summer.
- Autumn application.
Fertilizer is used up to 3-4 times per season
In spring, apple trees must be fertilized with manure. It is better to do this during the swelling of the kidneys, i.e. around the beginning of April. After winter, plants are weakened and need a large amount of nutrients. The deficiency of nitrogen, an element that triggers growth processes and stimulates the growth of green mass, is especially affected. Therefore, in the spring it is necessary to water the seedlings with a liquid solution.
In the summer, it is not necessary to feed apple trees with manure. At this point, application is allowed only if there are signs of obvious deficiency of nitrogen and other microelements:
- poor growth, developmental delay;
- thin shoots;
- shortened stems;
- small inflorescences;
- few leaves appear;
- poor branching;
- The color of the foliage is pale green, yellowish - a symptom of acute deficiency.
Fertilizers are given in liquid form, and they are applied by foliar method. To do this, get an infusion of rotted manure, dilute it several times and spray it on the leaf. The procedure is performed 1-2 times until the described symptoms are eliminated.
It is useful to fertilize apple trees with manure in the fall. At the end of September or early October, organic matter can be added to pre-dug holes, trenches, or simply mulched around the tree trunk. This technique will not only enrich the soil with nutrients, but also protect the roots from freezing in winter.
Methods of feeding apple trees with manure
Feeding is carried out in different ways. Organic matter is added in the form of a solution (watered at the root) or the tree trunk circle is mulched. Foliar treatment is also acceptable.
Under the root
At the beginning of April, apple trees need to be watered with an infusion of manure - mullein 1:10 or bird droppings 1:20. You can also use both components together. To do this, they are mixed in equal quantities, filled with water in a ratio of 1:3, and then infused for two weeks. It is necessary to stir periodically. Then take the resulting slurry, dilute it with water 10 times and pour it under the root.
In spring, manure is applied in the form of an infusion, watering at the root
On the eve of flowering, it is recommended to feed the trees again. And this time the composition of the fertilizers will be as follows:
- mullein 10 g (or litter 5 kg);
- superphosphate 1 kg;
- potassium sulfate 800 g;
- urea 500 g.
All components are mixed and dissolved in 200 liters of water. Then they leave for 5-7 days and give four buckets per tree.
You can also feed apple trees with manure slurry in the fall. At the end of September or early October, the containers are filled with organic matter to a third of the volume and filled with water to the top level. Leave for three days, stir and then dilute the infusion five times. Water at the root or pour into a hole dug along the contour of the crown.
Foliar feeding
Foliar application is practiced at the beginning of summer, when obvious signs of a lack of nitrogen and other elements are detected (yellowing of leaves, the appearance of light spots, etc.). If the soil is infertile, foliar fertilizing with manure can be done three times:
- a week after the end of the flowering period;
- one month after the first treatment;
- 30 days before harvest.
To quickly compensate for the deficiency of microelements, take 0.5 liters of mullein and infuse it in 10 liters of water. A teaspoon of urea is also added there. The solution is mixed, allowed to stand for a day and spraying begins.
Mulching
1-2 weeks before the first frost, it is recommended to cover apple trees with manure. To do this, a mixture of humus and peat is poured into the tree trunk circle in a 1:1 ratio. The height of the layer should be 10-15 cm. It is advisable to apply this feeding of apple trees in the fall with manure in late autumn - at the end of October.
How to feed an apple tree with manure
Manure is used to feed apple trees several times a season. The application features and composition depend on what time and for what purpose they are given.
How to feed apple trees with manure in spring
In spring, fertilizing is carried out once at the beginning of April. To do this, you can infuse mullein (1:10) or chicken manure (1:20).Water at the root and then along the entire tree trunk circle along the border of the crown. It is important to remember that the root hairs extend several meters from the trunk. Therefore, the application must be uniform. To concentrate the liquid in one place, you can dig a trench 10 cm deep around the diameter of the apple tree crown.
When planting, manure is mixed with turf soil and poured into the hole.
Autumn feeding of apple trees with manure
The peculiarity of autumn feeding is that manure is given in small quantities. You only need to use humus. They take from three to eight kilograms of raw materials (depending on the age and size of the tree) and plant them in several deep holes (up to 50 cm). They are pre-dug according to the diameter of the crown.
30 g of potassium sulfate and 50 g of superphosphate are also placed in each well. Then water thoroughly with settled water. In the fall, a week before frost, rotted horse manure can be placed under apple trees and as a mulch layer. To do this, it is pre-mixed with peat or turf soil in equal quantities.
Recipes for fertilizing with the addition of manure
Manure can also be mixed with other components. For example, for early spring feeding the following mixture is used (for one adult tree):
- humus - 5 buckets;
- urea – 500 g;
- nitroammophoska – 30 g;
- ammonium nitrate – 30 g.
Fertilizer in dry form is scattered around the tree trunk to the contour of the crown. Then they loosen the soil with a rake and cover up the organic matter. Immediately after this, watering is carried out, giving one tree up to eight buckets of water.
On the eve of flowering, prepare a composition for root application (watering) based on the following components:
- 5 kg of litter or 10 kg of mullein;
- superphosphate – 1 kg;
- potassium sulfate – 800 g;
- urea – 500 g.
In the fall, slurry is prepared by diluting the infusion with water five times. It is used to water the tree trunk circle or holes running along the perimeter of the crown.
Conclusion
Manure is applied to apple trees mainly in spring and autumn. In summer you can do foliar feeding. This is necessary to compensate for the deficiency of nitrogen and other nutrients. In all cases, only pre-rotted raw materials are used. You can prepare it yourself by mixing it with other waste, as well as with complex mineral fertilizers.
