What to Do About Fertilizer Burn in Fruit Trees? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Remedies
During fruit tree planting, what should you do if you accidentally apply too much fertilizer, causing fertilizer burn and affecting the growth of the fruit trees? This is a problem many people encounter when growing all kinds of fruit trees. If this happens, of course you should seek better methods to protect the root system of the fruit trees. Because fertilizer burn mainly damages the roots, let's take a look now at exactly what methods to use for remedies!
1. Symptoms of fertilizer burn
After fertilizer burn occurs, in severe cases the tree declines, grows very slowly, or stops growing altogether, with dry, withered leaves and dry, withered stems. Sometimes branches die back, and in severe cases even the trunk dies. The roots are the first to be harmed and are directly damaged, drying up, suffering root burn, and stopping growth; the roots turn reddish-brown and gradually blacken. On trees that are bearing fruit, the fruit will eventually drop as well.
2. Causes
When fertilizing too close to the trunk, large roots get cut and damaged; when the fertilizer is dug in too deep, it comes into direct contact with the main root and damages it. Applying too much fertilizer makes the soil solution concentration too high for the roots to absorb. Uneven fertilization that is too concentrated. Using fertilizer that has not been fermented and decomposed means it will ferment in the soil, generate heat, and burn the roots. Fertilizing without watering will also damage the roots, and highly caustic fertilizers such as urea must be used with extra care. Do not mix multiple fertilizers together, and pay attention to the concentration of foliar fertilizer.
3. Preventive measures
Fertilize evenly, and mix the fertilizer thoroughly with the soil, mixing in plenty of soil. Farmyard manure must be fully decomposed before application. Apply fertilizer in a dispersed way, not too concentrated. Fertilize reasonably, and do not fertilize too many times. Apply fertilizer somewhat away from the main trunk, at the drip line of the canopy. Strictly control the concentration when using foliar fertilizer. When digging the soil for fertilization, do not damage the roots.
4. Remedies
After symptoms of fertilizer burn appear, promptly use flood irrigation to dilute the soil solution concentration, dig away the soil around the root system, check whether the roots are damaged, prune the roots, and after exposing the roots to the sun for a few days, replace the soil, preferably with topsoil that has never been fertilized. Remove the withered leaves and spray water frequently; if the root damage is severe, the roots must be cut off.
If fertilizer burn occurs in fruit trees, the roots are the first to be harmed, but the first visible signs appear on the leaves. Prompt remedies mainly rely on diluting the fertilizer and replacing the soil to improve the situation.