Johnson City, and Kingsport TN

Taking care of the trees on your property is a year-round job. From trimming and pruning to fertilizing, trees require maintenance that is never-ending. Fall is the best time to fertilize your trees before the dormant winter season so that they will thrive come next spring. ISA-certified arborists in Johnson City at Promier Tree want you to know how to fertilize your trees this fall in three easy steps.

1. When to fertilize

Fall, more specifically November, is the ideal time to fertilize your trees in Tennessee. It is preferred that you fertilize them before the ground freezes so that the nutrients can penetrate the soil and reach the tree roots. It is fine to fertilize your trees after the first frost, so long as the soil warms again by the time you apply fertilizer.

2. Choosing the right kind of fertilizer

Just like with your lawn, nitrogen is the best fertilizer to use for trees. Nitrogen helps trees grow, and it’s the most common fertilizer for most trees, shrubs, and plants. In addition to nitrogen, you may want to add some potassium and phosphorus, which also are necessary nutrients to help your trees thrive and produce healthy foliage. Sometimes, though, this basic fertilizer isn’t enough. To know what type of fertilizer your trees need, it is best to get a soil test. A soil test will reveal what nutrients your soil lacks so that you can apply exactly what your trees need. While slow-release sticks and pellets are available, it’s best to use regular fertilizer so that you can maintain control of where it lands.

3. Applying fertilizer

A lot of people assume that fertilizer only needs to be applied around the base of the tree, but that isn’t the case. You want to cover the ground above the entire root structure, which can be one to three times, sometimes more, than the width of the tree itself. Some root bases grow up to seven times as wide as the crown of the tree. If you don’t cover the entire root base, then your fertilizer probably isn’t going to do much good.

Use your hands, or a spreader just like you would for your lawn, to apply the fertilizer. After applying the fertilizer, be sure to wet down the ground to help the nutrients soak into the soil and reach the root system. Following this step, you should plan on watering your trees every couple of days for two weeks, unless there is a lot of rainfall, to make sure the fertilizer reaches all the way down to the tree’s root system before winter settles in.

Maintaining healthy trees can be simple and easy when hiring the pros. Promier Tree is here to help fertilize your trees, and provide maintenance such as trimming and pruning when needed. We also can diagnose tree diseases, and provide complete tree removal (including stumps) throughout Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport. To learn more or to schedule a consultation, just call Promier Tree at (423) 765-2626.