Fertilization is a very important aspect for all crops Fruit trees are no exception. The arborist, even one who grows organically, should not underestimate plant nutrition, since the quantity and quality of fruit production largely depend on it.
Plants feed on the soil as they absorb mineral salts dissolved in water into their pores from the roots. This means that a healthy soil is able to adequately support the development of plants, for the soil to be healthy it must take care of your chemical, physical and biological fertility .
Fertilization in organic arboriculture is based on the assumption that soil organic matter content it is always high, because it is the basis of its fecundity. Instead of planning fertilization with calculations, based on the amounts of each individual mineral element removed by different plants over a period of time, care must be taken that there is no lack of organic matter.
Contents [Ocultar]
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The precious organic matter
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What plants need to grow healthy
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Fertilization in the plant
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Post fertilization in the orchard
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Be careful not to overdo it
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macerated fertilizer
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Green manure between the rows
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The contribution of grasslands
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leaf fertilization
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valuable organic matter
By organic matter, we mean all of the biomass decomposed and mineralized by soil microorganisms. These microorganisms multiply and make the various nutrients needed by plants available for uptake by the roots.
Organic matter is provided by compost manure from various animals, green manure, organic mulch and various animal and vegetable by-products.
Numerous organic fertilizers such as manure and compost, are considered primarily soil conditioners , that is, substances that improve the physical properties of soils, in addition to providing nutrients. Indeed, they have the quality of softening very clayey soils, which thus form fewer cracks when drying. Sandy soils, notoriously very draining, have a higher water retention capacity by sponge effect, which is an advantage in a dry environment.
Soil rich in organic matter takes on a fairly dark color and is populated by many earthworms. However, when a soil has been exploited for a long time and is very poor in organic matter, one year is generally not enough to restore it to good condition, but a longer time is needed during which it is necessary to insist on the green fertilization and compost. However, in these cases we must never be discouraged, since the land regenerates and at some point we will only have to worry about maintaining the content obtained with a correct cultivation practice.
Besides organic fertilizers, there are other mineral type , which come from the extraction of certain deposits or the crushing of rocks, and which should not be confused with those of chemical synthesis. Natural mineral fertilizers are particularly important for the supply of many micronutrients and are sufficient in small quantities. They are rock flour of different nature, origin and composition, slag from the transformation of molten iron very rich in phosphorus and clay minerals. They should only be distributed in small handfuls under the tree canopy or in the plant hole when planting.