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Most home and business owners in San Antonio realize that fertilization is good for your trees. After all, most landscapers, arborists, and other tree experts suggest fertilizing grass, flowers, trees, and other greenery. This is not just to help sales of fertilizer; it is actually in the best interest of your trees to fertilize them. While fertilization can be especially important for sick trees, it also has positive effects on any other plants on your property.
Before getting into the other benefits of fertilizer, you may want to understand exactly how it can help sick trees. Essentially, fertilizer will ensure that your tree receives all the nutrients that it needs, allowing to become stronger and fight the infection. You will, however, want to consult an arborist before using fertilizer on sick trees. That is because it does more harm than good in certain situations. Depending on the infestation or disease your tree is dealing with, some of the ingredients in certain fertilizers can exacerbate the issue. Fertilizer with nitrogen, for example, would only make an infestation of hemlock woolly adelgid worse as these insects feed on nitrogen.
Although it won’t affect you unless you have a farm in the Austin area, fertilizer can be a key part of being able to use the same area of land to grow crops year after year. This provides some excellent benefits for the planet as farmers don’t have to clear off new tracts of land every year, killing trees and removing animal habitats in the process. Instead, fertilizer allows the same plot of land to remain nutritious and provide everything crops need year after year. By comparison, areas without fertilizers can only grow two or maybe three crops on an area of land before they have to move on as the land is unproductive.
Some homeowners are hesitant to use fertilizers because they are concerned that they will encourage the growth of all plants, both those that are wanted and unwanted ones like weeds. In reality, however, simply ensuring that the grass on your lawn is healthy and thick is enough to prevent weed growth. Healthy grass has a natural resistance to weeds and even though these unwanted plants are resilient, it is harder for them to find a spot to grow if the lawn is already covered by thick grass. Because of this, using fertilizer correctly can prevent the need for weed-killing products containing harsh chemicals. This in turn saves you money, helps the planet, and reduces your exposure to toxins.
Even with the small amount of rain in Austin compared to other areas of the country, a rainfall can have a strong impact on your property. If you have noticed your lawn getting extra soggy after even the smallest rainfall, fertilizer may be the answer. That is because fertilizer helps strengthen the roots of grass. Strong grass roots are able to absorb more water and do so more quickly, meaning that you are less likely to have puddles on your lawn or muddy patches.
While you do have to pay for fertilizer initially, it will end up saving you money over time. That is because fertilizer is incredibly affordable compared to the cost of buying new trees, grass, or flowers. Fertilizer ensures that your plants get the required nutrients and grow strong, thriving. That in turn lets your property look great without having to constantly replace your plants with new ones.
If you talk to people who are a bit less knowledgeable about fertilizer and how it works, they may caution against using it because of the negative effects on the planet. The idea is that fertilizer can run off during the rain and enter storm drains or the water supply. This would cause issues for many ecosystems and affect our drinking water. Luckily, as long as you don’t use an excessive amount of fertilizer, this is incredibly unlikely to happen. Research shows that there is actually a very small chance of fertilizers leach down to the ground water. That is because your lawn has an extensive root system that stops it from reaching this far down. To make sure that you don’t cause any environmentally-damaging runoff, just be sure to use fertilizer as directed.
Now that you know some of the most important benefits that fertilizer can provide to your trees and other plants, you need to figure out which fertilizer to use on your property and how to actually use it. The easiest way to get the ideal fertilizer is to talk to an arborist familiar with San Antonio. They will know the unique soil requirements of your area and can suggest a fertilizer that provides the nutrients your plants need most.
Without the help of an arborist, you will have to look at the various macronutrients, micronutrients, and secondary nutrients found in tree fertilizer to ensure it contains the ones your property needs. Ideally, you should do a soil test before buying fertilizer so you know which nutrients are essential for your particular treesf and soil. Pay close attention to the recommended levels of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus as these are the macronutrients your soil needs.
You will also need to consider the type of fertilizer you want to go with. Liquid fertilizers act quickly and typically need to reapplied every two or three weeks. Granular fertilizers are dry and can be slow-release or quick-release. Slow-release may last up to 12 weeks while quick release is typically good for three or four weeks. Contact San Antonio Tree Surgeons with any questions or to set up an estimate.
Sources
https://www.proreferral.com/hg/3-benefits-fertilizing-your-lawn/
http://www.gardenguides.com/76038-advantages-using-fertilizer.html