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What Is The Best Fertilizer For Avocado Trees? Must Know Before Planting

What is the best fertilizer for avocado trees? :- Fertilization of avocado trees, along with general care and proper planting, will give you the best chance of abundant and healthy fruit harvest. The nutrition of avocado plants is determined by the soil composition.

That is, we fertilize to make up for any nutritional deficiencies in the soil, not to feed the tree directly with its nutritional needs. Avocado needs nitrogen, first and foremost, and a little sinking. You can use a citrus tree fertilizer as avocado or organic fertilizer and use compost etc.

What are fertilizer and fertilization?

Fertilizer is material that contains one or more plant nutrients which if given to a crop can increase plant growth and yield. Whereas fertilization is the addition of one or several plant nutrients that are available or can be available into the soil/plant for and or maintaining existing soil fertility aimed at achieving high yields/production.

There are 2 types of fertilizers, namely inorganic fertilizer (artificial fertilizer) and organic fertilizer. To get high grain yields while maintaining soil fertility, it is necessary to do a combination of fertilization between inorganic fertilizers and organic fertilizers.

The advantage of the application of the combination of the two types of fertilizers is the lack of the nature of organic fertilizers fulfilled by inorganic fertilizers, whereas the shortcomings of inorganic fertilizers are met by organic fertilizers.

Therefore, fertilization is generally defined as the addition of plant nutrients into the soil. In the broad sense of fertilization also includes the addition of other materials that can improve soil properties. For example granting sand to clay, adding mineral soil to liming organic soils, and so on.

Reasons to use fertilizer for plants growth

In nature free from human influence, plant development is balanced by weathering rocks and pellets of organisms. But with this agricultural effort carried out by humans, the process of washing of nutrients lost from the soil is enlarged.

The characteristics to be noted in fertilization include the use of plant elements by the plants and the properties of the roots themselves. Nutrients absorbed by plants, among others, are used for the growth of the body parts of plants.

The amount of nutrients needed to arrange the body parts of the plant is different for each type of plant and the same type of plant but with different levels of production. If the body part of the plant is the part that is harvested and does not return to the soil, then the nutrients present in it are nutrients that are lost from the soil.

In general, fertilizer functions as a source of nutrients to meet the nutritional needs of plants and improve soil structure. The application of fertilizer to the planting medium can increase nutrient levels and fertility. Agricultural activities that are continuously carried out will cause the soil to lose nutrients.

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avocado fruits

Therefore, to restore the availability of nutrients in the planting medium, fertilizer application is needed. The other reasons why we should use the fertilizer are as follows:

  1. Strong and natural roots

There is no healthy plant without healthy roots. The use of root stimulators is a great way to ensure that these colonize the substrate, and especially the use of organic products stimulates the growth of microorganisms and bacteria that will help them to better absorb nutrients.

The fertilizer helps the growth of the abundant root growth and it also provides the root with greater resistance to pests and fungi, but without leaving harmful residues on the substrate.

  1. Depletion of nutrients

Nutrients contained in soils and substrates purchased in stores can wreak havoc on a plant. Other soils have little or no nutrients in them.

Buying even the best soil or substrate from the store only takes you so far, if you do your job right, plants will eventually drain the nutrients out of that soil. To succeed, your plants need more. And this is where fertilizers come in.

  1. Availability

Having nutrients that your plant cannot absorb is useless. Bioavailability means that the nutrients are in a format where your plants can use them. You would not feed your children stones to absorb minerals. Do not feed your plants with sandwiches.

  1. Fertilizer for helpful bacteria and fungi

Nutrients alone do not make a fantastic plant. Healthy bacteria and symbiotic fungi create the monster plants you see in magazines. Mycorrhizae, the beautiful bottom webs in the soil, are easily broken during potting and transplantation.

You have to reintroduce them to have a healthy soil environment. Microrrizas help plants absorb water and nutrients while eating waste and protecting them from toxins.

  1. Life cycle

When plants from its pre-flowering vegetative state, its nutrients must change as well. A soil or organic substrate that works well for growth can work against you when it comes to forming and fattening flowers. If you don’t change her diet, your harvest will suffer.

  1. Other functions of fertilizer

  • The absorption process of inorganic fertilizer is as follows: the same microorganisms in the soil break down the fertilizer to form water-soluble compounds (that is, non-polluting), which are what plants take advantage of.
  • Fertilizers help in increasing the action of fungi and bacteria that benefit the soil.
  • They cause the fungi responsible for the plants to take advantage of the nutrients to multiply significantly.
  • Organic matter creates an environment that facilitates the development of organisms such as earthworms.
  • Fertilizers are very rich in micronutrients, in addition to having macronutrients.
  • Organic fertilizers improve the soil structure tremendously.
  • The use of fertilizers helps to retain nutrients from the soil.
  • They allow taking advantage of organic waste.
  • They allow carbon fixation in the soil and improve the ability to absorb water.
  • They usually need less energy for their elaboration.
  • They maintain the necessary humidity in the soil for each type of plantation.

Types of fertilizer

All plants and trees, like any living organism, need nutrition. The nutrients necessary for growth, flowering, and fruiting, plants take from the soil, water, and air. Without proper and timely feeding, plants slowly grow, cease to bloom.

Therefore, fertilizers are the much-needed ingredients required for the growth of any plants especially that we grow in the home or cultivate in large quantities in farming for commercial purposes. There are mainly two types of fertilizer and they are organic and inorganic.

  1. Organic fertilizer

Organic fertilizers are made from natural raw materials. Their main advantage is a mild effect on the plant, the disadvantage is the smell and staining. These top dressings include peat, compost, green plants. Manure as a fertilizer is the best food for crops.

It contains all the necessary trace elements. The most valuable manure is a horse. Cattle manure is used as an additive to the horse. Fertilizing soil in areas with high humidity produce in the spring, in arid areas in the fall.

  1. Inorganic or mineral fertilizer

Mineral fertilizers are artificially created chemical fertilizers. They are easily and quickly absorbed by plants but have one significant drawback. If the dosage is not correctly calculated, the use of these fertilizers can lead to illness and death of the plant.

  • According to the form of release, mineral fertilizers are divided into:
    • Liquid fertilizers. A concentrated solution, which is diluted with water before use. The most common form of fertilizer for indoor plants.
    • Powder that is diluted in water immediately before watering.
    • Most often used as fertilizer for the garden.
    • Fertilizers in the form of candles or tablets. They are laid in the soil, where they gradually dissolve as they are watered. The disadvantage of this type is the uneven distribution of nutrients.
  • According to the field of application, inorganic fertilizer is divided into several types:
    • Universal fertilizers contain basic macronutrients in approximately equal proportions.
    • Special fertilizers are created taking into account the needs of a particular type of plant.
    • Fertilizer for trees is suitable for all fruit crops in the garden, and fertilizers for roses are needed to feed both garden and indoor roses.

Standard fertilizers, in turn, are divided into fertilizing for flowering and non-flowering plants. When choosing a fertilizer for the lawn, stop at fertilizing non-flowering plants.

The composition of mineral fertilizer is divided into:

  • Nitrogen fertilizers. With a lack of nitrogen, the plant slows growth, the leaves turn yellow and fall off.
  • Phosphoric fertilizers. Phosphorus plays a major role in the processes of photosynthesis and fertilization, the lack of this element adversely affects the flowering and further fruitfulness of the plant.
  • Potash fertilizers. Potassium helps retain moisture in the shoots and stems. Also, potash fertilizer increases the resistance of plants to various diseases.

Tips to apply fertilizer

If you are using the organic fertilizer in the soil, it may not have many side effects for the plant, soil, and environment except for of course its smell and stain. Natural or organic fertilizer has been said to be the most effective one.

However one of the drawbacks of using the organic fertilizer is that it may not provide all the nutrients that the soil lack and the plant needed. The nutrient that the organic fertilizer provides to the soil may not be in the form that the plant can use for its benefit.

The inorganic fertilizer, on the other hand, is the chemical form of the nutrient that can be easily absorbed by the root of the plant. However, the inorganic fertilizer if used less or excess can cause the illness of the plant and can deteriorate the quality of the soil.

Therefore, it is ideal that you use both organic and inorganic fertilizer together as these two fulfill the lack of one another.

There are other factors that you need to consider while applying the fertilizer. Such as:

  1. Never increase the dose or concentration of fertilizers yourself. Follow the instructions on the packaging.
  2. Do not fertilize dry soil. Such fertilizer will lead to burns and diseases of the plant.
  3. During dormancy, freshly transplanted plants do not need fertilizers.
  4. Slow-growing plants need more rare fertilizer than fast-growing.
  5. Flowering plants need to fertilize while flowering.
  6. If the plant is active in winter, then fertilizer is needed year-round.
  7. In sunny, warm weather, fertilizers are absorbed by plants faster, therefore, fertilizing should be done once a week. If the weather is cloudy, cold, fertilizer absorption is slower, fertilization should be carried out 1 time in 10-14 days. If you act on this principle and observe the dosage, there will be no danger of the accumulation of nitrates.
  8. Fertilize the soil with fertilizer several times per season. For each crop, there is a calibrated amount of fertilizer and the number of fertilizers carried out. Fertilizer must be balanced in terms of content.
  9. When using fertilizers by eye we do not achieve the necessary effect of decorativeness and productivity, moreover, we harm plants, the environment, our health, and our pockets, because fertilizers are not cheap now.
  10. If you use simple fertilizers (containing 1-2 nutrient elements), as well as complex fertilizers of the nitro phosphate type (but containing only 3 elements – nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium), mix them with fertilizers of a different mineral composition for proper nutrition of plants. Be sure to read the rules for mixing fertilizers. For example, you cannot mix urea with ammonium nitrate, and nitrophosk with potassium chloride. Do not store the mixture for a long time, otherwise, it can not only lose a lot of nutrients but also acquire undesirable properties.
  11. Applying the same fertilizer all season (from spring to autumn) is not recommended. Pay particular attention to the percentage of nitrogen. If it is in fertilizer more than 5%, the fertilizer can be used from spring to July 15. After July 15, when the plants begin preparing for winter, an excess of nitrogen is undesirable and even harmful, so choose fertilizers without nitrogen or those in which it is no more than 5%. This recommendation is true for all perennial fruit and ornamental crops. Vegetables, as a rule, are grown in one season, so they are fed according to a different scheme, not severely limited in nitrogen.
  12. To remove the deficiency of any element of nutrition, it is important not to make a mistake in the diagnosis and give exactly the element that the plant needs at the moment.
  13. Try to use complex mineral fertilizers, that is, those that contain both macro- and micronutrients.

What are the requirements for avocado fertilizers?

Avocado trees, when grown in the forest in the natural ways, didn’t require any kind of nutrition or fertilizer as its requirements have been provided by nature itself.

But with the popularity and the high demand of the avocado fruit, the artificial farming of the avocado has been the new profession of the farmers around the world. Now avocado doesn’t grow only in its native land but anywhere in the world.

Therefore, along with the proper care, environment, temperature, and climatic condition, the avocado tree also needs the appropriate fertilizer.

It is said that some fertilizers for avocado trees are recommended as the nutritional requirements change and the soil nutrient levels are reduced. You can nourish the avocado plants by planting them properly. Proper planting and general care will set you up for a healthy tree that needs little additional care as it is mature.

Avocados are shallow-rooted trees with most of their fodder roots on the top 6 inches or so of soil. As a result, they must be planted in well-aerated soil. Trees should be planted in the spring when soil temperatures are warming and protected in an area from wind and frost.

Also, keep your avocado away from any lawn where competition for nitrogen can keep the tree from adequate nutrients. Use a ground test kit, it should be at a pH of 7 or less.

If the soil is alkaline, the soil changes with organic matter, such as Sphagnum moss. For every 2 ½ pounds of peat moss added to 1 square meter of soil, the soil pH decreases by one unit.

Choose a full sunbathing area and dig a hole as deep as the root ball and a little wider. Gently lower the tree into the hole. If the tree is root bound, release the soil and gently lift the roots.

Fill in with soil. Wrap around the tree with coarse garden mulch (redwood bench, cocoa bean cloves, torn tree bark) at a rate of 1/3 cubic yard per tree. Make sure you stay 6-8 inches from the trunk of the tree. Water the new tree well. New trees can hold about 2 liters of water at planting.

Water 2-3 times a week, depending on the weather, but allow the soil to dry slightly between water. Wait for one full year before fertilizing an avocado tree.


How to fertilize Avocados?

Fertilization of new avocado trees must occur three times in the first year – once in spring, once in summer and again in autumn. When the tree gets dormant in late fall, stop feeding.

How much fertilizer is needed for the avocado tree?

  • Put one tablespoon of nitrogen-containing fertilizer over the soil around the tree. Water the fertilizer with deep water. The process of fertilizing avocado trees changes as they mature as their nutritional needs change.
  • Continue to apply nitrogen, but in the second year of the tree, the amount of nitrogen fertilizer has to be increased to ¼ pound divided into three applications.
  • In the third year, the tree will need ½ pound of nitrogen and so on. As the tree grows, the amount of nitrogen has to be increased by ¼ pound for each year of life divided into three applications.
  • If you have found that you have alkaline soil, the addition of peat moss will take some time to regulate the pH. So you will need to supplement with chelated iron. An iron deficiency should be eliminated for the growth of healthy leaves. The latest leaves will have green veins and yellow margins.
  • Generally, no special avocado fertilizer is needed. A commonly used home fertilizer should work just fine. If it does not contain zinc, you can give the tree a little zinc once a year.
  • Keep nutrition to a minimum. Keep an eye on your tree for any other signs of distress such as illness and/or pests and treat immediately. Follow all of the above and you will make Guacamole in no time.

The best fertilizer for an avocado tree

Fertilizer for avocado is a peculiar but necessary product since these types of plants require high contents of nutrients and minerals that allow them to be properly formed.

Due to their fleshy constitution, they need the formation of oils and fats which require large amounts of nitrogen and other elements that allow it to create its constitution by adequately forming the fat molecules necessary to adopt its characteristics in flavor, color, and aroma.

While choosing the fertilizer for the avocado tree, make sure that the fertilizer is made up of a large number of chemical elements that favor the development of the plant’s cellular structures.

This will help to create a resistant trunk and branches, the avocado being a large fruit and its weight is high. They require plant structures capable of resisting this type of weight, which can increase significantly as harvest time approaches.

Among the elements that an optimal soil must have to carry out the cultivation of this fruit, nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, and magnesium stand out. These minerals that are usually present in the soil are vital for the growth and development of different types of fruits.

Furthermore, the soil must contain quantities of sulfur, a fundamental element that provides essential nutrients that help with fruit formation. Therefore, use the fertilizer that can cover all these elements by mixing with certain proportions which are balanced and allow the proper use of this type of chemical products.

Keep in mind that the use of fertilizers must be done following the instructions that appear on the packaging. Since the abuse of these can cause high levels of salinity in the soil making it a sterile substrate that can not harbor and allow the proper development of any type of plant specimen.

The best fertilizer for avocado trees are as follows:

  1. Epsom salt/magnesium sulfate:

  • Adding Epsom salt can enrich your soil with additional nutrients (such as magnesium), increase vegetable production, and accelerate plant growth.
  • Adding Epsom salt can supplement the soil with minerals that make the plants healthier, greener, and grow stronger, allowing the plant to withstand severe environmental factors. The addition of this salt can help with the germination process and seed growth in the early stages.
  • It prevents the leaves of the plants from turning yellow. Epsom salt is very soluble in water. Therefore, you can spray the fertilizer in liquid form with a spray directly onto the leaves or needles. The nutrient is directly absorbed by the leaves and has a particularly rapid effect, a great advantage for symptoms of acute deficiency. As a foliar application, a one percent solution of Epsom salt is used, which corresponds to 10 grams of Epsom salt per liter of water.
  • Epsom salt as a fertilizer, pest deterrence, and seed plucking, improve the quality of avocado trees.
  • Plants grow stronger, produce more fruit, have less flower rot, a deeper color, and tastier vegetables.
  1. Potassium containing fertilizer

  • Potassium chloride. The advantage of using this fertilizer is that it is easily soluble in water. The drawback of this fertilizer is that it requires a preliminary introduction of limestone into the soil, as it has an oxidizing effect. It looks like white chalk powder.
  • Potassium sulfate. It is a chlorine-free potash fertilizer that improves the taste of the fruit. It can be safely mixed with other fertilizers and can be applied safely in the soil.
  • Potassium salt. This red color fertilizer is rich in chlorine although it is washed out over time. When used, it can be mixed with other fertilizers, and it is a water-soluble fertilizer so it easy for the roots to absorb easily. It is preferable to use it in the autumn, after harvesting the tree. At other times, it is recommended to use it in strictly dosed quantities else the overdose can cause harm to the tree
  • It contains potassium in the amount of 30% of the substance, as well as chlorine and magnesium that are all three elements that are most needed by the avocado tree. The fertilizer is water-soluble so it can be quickly and easily absorbed by the tree.
  1. Phosphate fertilizer

  • Phosphorus for a plant does not happen too much. This rule means that the plant takes exactly as much chemical fertilizer from the soil as it needs. Therefore, with an excessive introduction into the soil, you don’t have to worry that the plant will die from its overabundance. As for the other elements, when feeding them, it is still worth following the instructions and rules for using the drug.
  • Phosphate fertilizer in granules can not be scattered on the surface of the substrate. In the upper layers of the earth, reactions occur, as a result of which phosphorus, combining with some chemical elements, becomes insoluble in water, and therefore unable to be absorbed by plants.
  • Phosphate fertilizer is best done in the fall. During the winter, it becomes easily digestible for the plant, and in the spring during the period of active growth, it is absorbed as much as possible. For indoor plants, this rule will not apply, so you can feed them as necessary.
  • Organic phosphorus fertilizer accumulates in the soil and gives the maximum effect only after 2-3 years. Therefore, using organic fertilizers, it is important to remember this rule and not expect the maximum result from them immediately.
  • If the soil has high acidity, then you should not expect the maximum effect of phosphorus fertilizer. But this can be corrected if, 20-30 days before phosphate is added to the soil, ash is added at the rate of 0.2 kg per 1 square meter and 0.5 kg of lime per square meter.
  • During the planting of fruit trees, 0.8-1.2 kg per one seedling.
  • For feeding growing fruit trees 80-120 g per square meter. Fertilizer is applied in the form of a solution or dry form around a tree trunk.
  1. Organic fertilizer

Avocado trees respond well to the use of compost, compost tea, worm castings, and fish emulsion, all of which are not chemical fertilizers. Spread a 3-inch-thick compost twice a year around the drip line of the tree.

Trees also respond well to watering with compost tea or worm pouring. Mixing a packet of the diluted fish emulsion according to the instructions in the packet and then the avocado with water will provide a lot of nutrients to the tree. Other than this you can also use the following organic fertilizers:

  • Manure fertilizer: The first type of organic fertilizer is manure made from animal waste. Animal droppings that are usually used to make manure include goats, cows, chickens, or sheep. In addition to animal waste, manure can also come from animal urine which makes manure in the form of liquid. Ingredients such as phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, sodium, iron, and copper contained in manure are very useful for plants.
  • Green Fertilizer: Green fertilizer is the fertilizer that comes from the rest of the harvest or comes from green plants. The way to use it is very simple, where the green plant will be buried while it is still green or it can also be composted. The source of green fertilizer that is widely used by farmers comes from crop residues and can also be planted specifically for use as fertilizer. Green fertilizer is suitable for use as fruit fertilizer because it has benefits for increasing organic and nutrient content in the soil. Thus green manure can improve physical, biological, and chemical properties in the soil which can then increase crop productivity.
  • Fertilizer Compost: Compost is made from the rest of organic material such as plants, animals, and organic waste that has undergone a fermentation process. Many plants are usually used to make compost, including rice husks, straw, weeds, rotted vegetables, coconut fiber, corn crop residues, and so on. Not only that, animal waste, urine, wasted animal feed, water hyacinth, and blue algae are also widely used by farmers as a source of compost.
  • Humus: There is topsoil which is an organic material made from weathering leaves and twigs of plants that rot and then become topsoil and subsequently into The main sources used to make topsoil are tree branches, leaves, agricultural waste, bark, sawdust, sewage sludge, household waste, and various municipal solid wastes. The main benefit of topsoil for fruit plants is as a food source and is a very helpful role to protect the soil structure. Humus is also very useful for binding toxic chemicals in soil and water.

There are tons of organic fertilizers that you can use to optimize fruit growth. Starting from compost, manure, topsoil, and green manure, each of which has advantages that are beneficial for fruit plants.

The thing that becomes the advantage of organic fertilizer compared to chemical fertilizer is its nutrient content is more complete than chemical fertilizer. Also, the use of organic fertilizers is also very safe and does not damage the environment around the plants.

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