Tell me what fertilizer I need

[K5lwq]

Yes, buying manure in bulk is the way to go for large areas. Quick search and found someone in your area that sells bulk.

COMPOST COW MANURE

 

[1930]

No point in purposely bring any in that I do not have too. Not to de-rail but if you or anyone has any ideas to this problem Id like to hear them.

I removed many many trees from the property originally, removed stumps and all, I guess still plenty of roots left in the ground, now I have small unwanted ( blackjack ) oak trees sprouting up everywhere. Need to get rid of these.

 

[1930]

Yes, buying manure in bulk is the way to go for large areas. Quick search and found someone in your area that sells bulk.

COMPOST COW MANURE

Ill be calling them today, thanks. Prob would not have found that on my own

 

[RalphVa]

First of all, you need to get a soil test done. The University of Florida will tell you how to take the soil sample, how to send it, where to send it, and will tell you what (if any) fertilizer you need and how much. This is really the only way you should be determining what to apply since you have many trees that you don't want to experiment on. Florida soils are different from the soils in the rest of the country so a soil test is better than us telling you what we think you should use. Once you get the test results, we can help from there.

Link to Florida soil test: Soil Testing - UF/IFAS Extension

Most important is to do the pH test. You can get test kits at Southern States, Lowes and Home Depot. Trees and shrubs will generally thrive in pH of 5.5 to 7.0. Their natural soil pH around here is 5.5.

Like most soil pH test results, the extension service will probably automatically put in to add something like 10-10-10. It's an automatic thing from when the big chemical companies paid most of their bills. I'd call the extension office itself. I am one of their volunteer master gardeners. I'd tell you what I told you above.

We normally do not advice people to do soil tests before planting trees or shrubs. If they're going to plant a veggie plot, it is warranted.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

I did do this with the 211 plants, Ill have to post a pict. All of them have rings of mulch around them but Ive been told that my mulch ( because its mostly pine and a few oak trees ) is useless for providing any real benefits.

The worms will work on any mulch. If you mulch veggies with mulch that is too woody, the woody parts will suck up some nutrients in trying to decompose and not be good.

For shrubs and trees, they'll go for woody. Leaf mulch is, of course, better, and the woody mulch will be better if from ground up tree limbs with green leaves on them.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Your right, thanks for reminding me. I will get this done and report the results. In the meantime I will just continue watering

EDIT: Im sure now that I think of it that because of all the media frenzy getting the testing kit will not be possible right now. Should have got this done months ago

Watch the watering. They want about 1"/week or about 1 gallon/plant/week if nothing from rainfall. Right now, here, we're getting regular rainfall. Don't know about Florida.

You may have more sandy soil. Might need a bit more. Ask your extension service. Around here, it's what I said above.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Pretty sure it will come back saying you need everything but more sand.

I would mix some cow manure in with the soil you have then water it in good. When I use to plant trees and plants in Florida, I always did this before putting the plant in the hole. Then side dress it with this mixture once or twice a year.

If you do decide to use fertilizer, pick one with all the trace elements. But then PH becomes more important in order for the plants to absorb the nutrients.

Sounds like from someone with good experience in growing in Florida. The side dressing is very important is you amend a hole like that. Otherwise, the tree/shrub will stay happily in its little cow manure hole and eventually die of not having enough roots to support the upper part.

Ralph

 

[K5lwq]

Sounds like from someone with good experience in growing in Florida. The side dressing is very important is you amend a hole like that. Otherwise, the tree/shrub will stay happily in its little cow manure hole and eventually die of not having enough roots to support the upper part.

Ralph

I have a little experience there. I agree on PH as being very important. If the OP has those wonderful sand spurs growing on his property, which I bet he does, then his ground is low PH. In which case I would put about 1.5 to 2 tons of lime per acre. And plan on doing that every other fall.

Also I agree on not overwatering. If he waters to much, the roots will never go deep and the tree will be over the first tropical storm that hits.

 

[1930]

I have a little experience there. I agree on PH as being very important. If the OP has those wonderful sand spurs growing on his property, which I bet he does, then his ground is low PH. In which case I would put about 1.5 to 2 tons of lime per acre. And plan on doing that every other fall.

Also I agree on not overwatering. If he waters to much, the roots will never go deep and the tree will be over the first tropical storm that hits.

I do not have the sand spurs, I was told once that I did not have them because my property was heavily wooded up until the time started my work. So Im under the assumption that sand spurs only grow in full sun? I do know that they are all over the area, just not on my property yet.

 

[1930]

Sounds like from someone with good experience in growing in Florida. The side dressing is very important is you amend a hole like that. Otherwise, the tree/shrub will stay happily in its little cow manure hole and eventually die of not having enough roots to support the upper part.

Ralph

Can you help me to understand what you mean here. Im guessing that you are saying that I need to add whatever fertilizer I do use around the small trees that I have in the soil already, not just at the base of the plant. Not sure how Im gonna do that since all the trees are now surrounded by a pretty good mound of mulch.