Make Your Own Organic, High-potassium Fruit Tree Fertilizer

Credit: Terry Guscott | Stylist: Heather Cameron

Soil recipe for an organic gardener’s fruit tree booster

Autumn fertilizing of fruit trees should be designed to enhance fruit production, restore nutrients and prepare them for winter dormancy.

A high-nitrogen feed would not be in the best interest of the tree, as a new flush of growth would be unable to harden properly prior to cold weather, leaving the tree susceptible to winter damage. Potassium is ideal for fruit orchards, enhancing fruit colour and root development, and helping to build disease and pest resistance. Trace elements and minerals, commonly lacking, are a much-needed addition to a feeding routine to counter many common problems. Trace-element solutions include magnesium for premature fruit drop, manganese, zinc and iron for yellow leaves, and calcium for improper bud-to-fruit development. 


This fall help your trees recover from the burst of energy put into fruit development and ensure proper nutrition for the year to come with this high-potassium fertilizer, enhanced with trace elements and minerals:

 

Mix thoroughly and use below the dripline of the fruit tree. Sprinkle, rake in and water. This recipe is suitable for a six-year-old tree with a dripline radius of about 2 metres (6½ ft.); halve the recipe for smaller trees and double for larger.