Author Topic: Feeding fruit (Read 4170 times)

suziequeue · « **on:** February 21, 2015, 09:16:23 am »

I have on my calendar this weekend a note to "FEED FRUIT". We have young apple trees, black currant bushes, strawberries and raspberries.

They have all been mulched over the winter but should I be giving them a liquid feed now?

If so - any suggestions about what I should be feeding them?

Carse Goodlifers · « **Reply #1 on:** February 21, 2015, 08:20:02 pm »

Muirate of Potash will do the ticket.
It will help flower and fruit development.

You can apply a handful of potash feed around the base of the plants and lightly rake it into the soil or you can use a foliar feed from the garden centre. I personally would use the powder/granular for most of your mentioned fruit but I'd use the foliar for the strawberries.

Fleecewife · « **Reply #2 on:** February 22, 2015, 12:10:05 am »

A gentler alternative to a chemical source of potash is wood ash, as long as it has no coal in it. We sprinkle it around all our stone-fruit trees, extending to the 'drip line' (how far out the branches reach, which is the same as the roots). Ash from a wood burning stove is perfect, and can also be used as a hen dust bath, around strawbs, onions, tomatoes, and any left overs can be sprinkled across the pasture. Pine needles are supposed to be good around strawbs too.
A liquid feed is inappropriate at this time of year when the trees are dormant, although it's the perfect time to apply well rotted manure.

suziequeue · « **Reply #3 on:** February 22, 2015, 09:36:55 am »

Yes - we have a bit of wood ash so I shall put that round. I put a lot of it on the onion bed before they went in in the autumn but we have a bit more now.

I have noticed this year that we don't light the fire nearly as much as we used to as the new house is so much better insulated and warmer so it actually gets unbearably hot when we light the stove and it's only a little one……

Anyway - I digress…

Thanks for the advice.

VEG · « **Reply #4 on:** April 24, 2015, 07:17:56 pm »

is it ok to put chicken crap pellets around fruit trees?

waterbuffalofarmer · « **Reply #5 on:** April 24, 2015, 08:26:01 pm »

I mulch mine with composted muck, how about a feed of fermented nettle fertilizer or seaweed? to make the fertilizer put loads of chopped nettles, or seaweed, into a water butt, fill the water butt with water and leave for a few weeks with a lid on, turning the mix every now and again the liquid is excellent for plants.

cloddopper · « **Reply #6 on:** May 13, 2015, 07:46:23 pm »

I've given all mine a spring boost dressing of dried blood ,fish & bone meal and gently scratched in in the surface that should see them make plenty of flowers and see some reasonable numbers of fruits form .
Then towards the end of June or into July I'll give them another feed of it to boost the crop .

Lesley Silvester · « **Reply #7 on:** May 13, 2015, 11:45:55 pm »

Mine get goat manure. Everything in my garden gets goat manure and there's still loads left.

pgkevet · « **Reply #8 on:** May 20, 2015, 01:42:26 pm »

Goat droppings ..if'n ya wants to drop some round i can take 30 or 40 tons from you for the veggies and garden ... or a couple of hundred tons for the meadows...