Feeding / Fertilizing Your Trees

Trees are incredible living organisms that provide numerous benefits to our environment and our daily lives. They produce oxygen, clean the air we breathe, provide shade, reduce noise pollution, and create habitats for wildlife. However, in order for trees to thrive and continue providing these benefits, they require proper care and maintenance, including regular feeding. In this blog post, we’ll discuss why feeding your trees is important and how to do it effectively.

Why Is Feeding / Fertilizing Your Trees Important?

Just like any living organism, trees need nutrients to survive and grow. Nutrients are essential building blocks for healthy cell division, photosynthesis, and overall tree health. When trees don’t receive adequate nutrition, they become more susceptible to diseases, pests, and environmental stressors. The lack of nutrients can also lead to stunted growth, yellowing leaves, and even death.

Feeding your trees is especially important in urban and suburban areas where soil quality may be poor due to construction or other human activities. In these areas, trees must compete with other vegetation, grasses, and landscape plants/shrubs for nutrients and may not receive enough from your front and back yard soils alone.

Another reason feeding your trees is important is that it can improve the quality of the fruits, nuts, or flowers they produce. If your tree is a fruit-bearing tree, adding the necessary nutrients can enhance the flavor, size, and number of fruits produced.

How to Feed / Fertilize Your Trees Effectively

Chemical nitrogen has been grossly overused within the tree care and landscaping industries, and often nitrogen is available naturally to the tree through specialized nitrogen-fixing bacteria that pull nitrogen out of the atmosphere and convert it to a form that your trees can use. These specialized “super-cells” are found naturally in varying quantities throughout every soil on the planet. Instead choose a holistic organic fertilization program to give your trees the love and nutrients they need.

The best way to feed your trees is through organic fertilizing. Many believe that deep root fertilization is entirely necessary, however recent research has shown that deep root feeding typically only affects approximately 20% of the root system. This limits the amount of nutrient uptake the tree is able to acquire through the soil. A more effective means of fertilizing is by feeding both the tree and the beneficial microbes within the soil through a cover spray or top-dressing method.

By feeding both the tree and the beneficial microbes within the soil, you create a much more lasting and effective means of getting your trees the proper nutrients that they need. Here in the Houston in South Texas area, our trees are especially vulnerable to nutrient deprivation since trees are often grown in soils that are depleted of much of the organic matter that these beneficial microbes would feed on.  It’s

In addition to feeding your tree and the beneficial microbes in the soil, you can also feed your trees with organic matter such as compost or mulch. These materials can improve soil quality and provide most, if not all of the necessary nutrients. When adding compost or mulch, make sure to spread it out evenly around the base of the tree, but be sure and keep it at least 3” to 6” away from the trunk of the tree as this can cause root rot and similar pathogenic diseases.

Conclusion

Feeding your trees is an essential part of tree care and maintenance. Providing your trees with the necessary nutrients can improve their health, growth, structural integrity, and overall appearance. I hope that helps, and thanks for checking out our site! If you need help establishing a good tree care maintenance program for your trees and landscape, don’t hesitate to shoot us an e-mail or give us a call at the number below.

 

Matt Latham – 409.995.7940
Board Certified Master Arborist #TX-3737B
mattlathambcma@gmail.com
www.arboristondemand.org