First Fertilizing

[cornfed]

I haven't done any fertilization yet. I have some liquid, synthetic fertilizer (15-15-15) and all of my trees are in development, in five-gallon containers with coarse, mostly inorganic substrate.

I chose liquid fertilizer because I largely sifted all the fine particles out of my substrate and I don't want to add any back in. Although drainage isn't a huge concern in the air-pruning pots, so maybe I don't need to worry?

I was going to do it on Saturday, but it has been pretty rainy here so I didn't. I still haven't done it. We've got more rain in the forecast.



My plan was to fertilize once a week with the synthetic fertilizer with the understanding that daily watering would wash a lot of the fertilizer out of the coarse substrate during the week. I am planning on just mixing the fertilizer in an old milk jug with holes in the lid and squirting it around the base of the tree in each pot until I start to see water coming out of the holes in the bottom.

My question for the forum is:

Does my plan hold water given my situation? (You can see my trees in my signature).
Would I be ok fertilizing today given the forecast?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If it's not going to rain, you'd be watering your trees.
Either way, organic or inorganic, synthetic of natural, you'll lose a whole lot of fertilizer.

So, go ahead and fertilize whenever.
I'm not a big fan of synthetic stuff because I feel like I have to do less manual work if I use organic. It lays there on the soil, deteriorating. And it contains a bunch of fibers and proteins (from feather meal) that people say are beneficial for the soil biome.

 

[Firstflush]

If you would like peace of mind, you can cut the strength of your fert to about a 5-5-5 and it still would be plenty especially if your plan is once a week.

 

[cornfed]

That's good advice. Thanks. I'll start today.

I'm finding most people use organic fertilizer, and I may too one day... But for now I want to try the cheap stuff. And since I don't have too many trees yet and they're so new I don't have a lot to do to them... I don't mind the extra labor.