Adding vitamins to tree's

D

druggist

New Member
has anyone ever experimented with adding multivitamins to the drip line of their fruit trees (pears/apply/persimmon)? Adult multivitamins are roughly $10 for 400 at big box stores, and would dissolve slowly over time. Just a thought I had. I know NPK are what normally gets added for fertility, but micronutrients are important as well
 
I would probably not do that because it would be difficult to regulate the proper amounts of the micronutrients. There are at least eight micronutrients that are necessary for plant growth. These include zinc, boron, manganese, chlorine, molybdenum, iron, copper, and nickel. All micronutrients are needed in very small amounts, so when soils contain too much of some of them, toxicity can occur, and more harm can be done than good.

I don't do soil tests for growing fruit trees, because I've always had bumper crops and healthy looking trees - but if I felt I had a micronutrient problem, I would be open to doing one.

A better alternative for increasing soil fertility would be composting or scattering decaying organic matter such a banana peels, eggshells, etc. around the trees. I've never heard of that going wrong or causing a problem. Cow manure is also good to a point, but you can overdo it and end up raising your phosphorus levels too high. Good luck and best wishes.
 
Last edited:
The only time I've ever worried about micronutrients is when growing trees in root pruning containers using professional mixes. I used either Osmocote and Micromax until Osmocote Plus came out. For my wildlife trees, once they are planted in the field and protected, they are on their own. If they can't produce without maintenance, they are not the right tree for me. If I'm planting just a few trees either fir attraction or for human use, I'll just use tree spikes for the convenience.

I completely agree with Native, that improving the soil by topdressing with organic material is a great practice. It can be used to keep weed competition at bay and then it breaks down improving soils.
 
It's probably smarter to buy a micronutrient fertilizer for plants. Human ingested forms might be different than what can be available in soil.
 
good info everyone, thank you! What about micronutrient foliar sprays, any use there? or is it snake oil. All my trees are doing well, just looking to keep them at 100%. They can always be healthier in my mind
 
druggist said:
good info everyone, thank you! What about micronutrient foliar sprays, any use there? or is it snake oil. All my trees are doing well, just looking to keep them at 100%. They can always be healthier in my mind
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say they are snake oil, but I also wouldn't say they are the best option, except possibly in cases where you are specifically targeting a known deficiency. Folar intake works quickly, but you have to be careful. For instance, residual effects of applied copper are often noteworthy. Because of this, many experts recommend soil tests to monitor possible copper accumulations to toxic levels in soils where copper fertilizers are being applied. This is just one example of things that can go wrong.

With that said, I don't think you are likely to cause any harm by doing this once or twice a year - but without verification, we can't know that for sure. I will fall back to my initial response regarding improving soil in the way that it was designed by nature.

PS - In my opinion, taking steps to alter the soil PH (if necessary) to acceptable levels for the fruit being grown is way more important in most circumstances.
 
Just to expand on what Native brought up... most soils have most nutrients in them. If the pH is wrong then the minerals bind to the soil instead of dissolving into water to be available for uptake.

This is a very basic read but it's got some important bullets;

HS1373/HS1373: Movement of Plant Nutrients

University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension outreach is a partnership between state, federal, and county governments to provide scientific knowledge and expertise to the public. The University of Florida (UF), together with Florida A&M University (FAMU)...
edis.ifas.ufl.edu edis.ifas.ufl.edu
 
Thank you all for the info, im learning so much. Fairly new here. What ph do you guys aim for with pear/apple/persimmons? I do plant clover around all of my trees. My ph is currently 5.6
 
Jsteinke5188 said:
Would you ever look at spreading compost around fruit trees for an extra boost?
Click to expand...
Yes, I stated that back in post #2 of this thread. Light composting is a desirable practice in many instances. I would do it in the spring or late fall. It’s a good way of slowly adding fertility to the soil without doing too much at once. I would add it on top of the existing soil without doing any tilling. Some fruit tree feeder roots come up shallow and any type of tilling can damage them.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top