How to Fertilize Cherry Trees: The Latest Techniques and Methods Tutorial
Cherry is a fruit that many people love very much, and its market benefits are excellent. To grow cherries well and have them look beautiful, controlling fertilizer and water management is very important. Some inexperienced growers generally do not know how to coordinate the relationship between the growth cycle and fertilization. So exactly when should fertilizer be applied, what effect does it have, and how should it be applied?
I. Fertilizer Requirements
The root system of the cherry tree is mainly distributed in the soil layer 15 to 25 cm deep, and the main root does not go very deep, so fertilizer does not need to be applied too deeply. The root system is mainly distributed within the tree canopy, so when fertilizing, apply fertilizer along the canopy drip line. Generally, fertilizer is applied before bud break, before shoot growth, and during the fruiting stage, coloring stage, and after harvest in combination with orchard cleaning.
II. Fertilization Techniques
1. Apply base fertilizer after autumn harvest and before bud break. Generally, for small trees, fertilize about 50 to 60 cm from the trunk. For large trees, fertilize about 1 m from the trunk. When fertilizing, do not dig into thick roots and damage the root system. The usual application rate is about 500 jin per mu of fully decomposed composted farmyard manure or fallen leaves, mixed with soil fertilizer. Generally, dig trenches on both sides between the rows and apply the fertilizer there.
2. When shoots grow after germination, most branch tips are usually removed and healthy shoots are retained, so before this, a quick-acting compound fertilizer can be applied as a top dressing to promote germination and shoot growth, but after shoot growth the fertilizer rate can be appropriately reduced. At this time, the method of directly digging trenches around the canopy is generally used for fertilizer application, which makes absorption and use easier. Apply about 100 of chemical fertilizer per mu.
3. The period from flowering to fruiting is the key period that determines cherry yield. Generally, during flowering, growth regulators can be sprayed to protect flowers and fruit. But fertilization is definitely important. Holes can be dug under each tree for fertilizer application, generally using urea, superphosphate, potassium oxide, and other fertilizers in combination. The application rate per mu is about 100 to 200 jin. It cannot be too little; too little is not enough for absorption. When applying, mix with water so that it is easily and quickly absorbed and effective.
4. After fruit set, if the fruit is to change color and ripen, it needs a large amount of nutrients. At this time, more nitrogen fertilizer can be applied, which is beneficial to leaf growth and helps produce certain photosynthetic products and nutrients to supply the fruit. At the same time, a certain amount of phosphate fertilizer also needs to be added to promote ripening. At this time, weeds in the orchard can be composted and decomposed into fertilizer and buried in the soil to provide nutrients. This includes, after harvest, drying and burning dead branches and fallen leaves in the orchard into plant ash to use as fertilizer buried under the trees, for cold protection and root strengthening.
When fertilizing cherries, be sure to pay attention to the different application rates and methods at different stages, and different varieties also have different fertilizer requirements. Be sure to fertilize and top-dress according to the characteristics of the plant to help the cherry grow and develop.