Let’s play a game called, “Has this fruit tree been fertilized?”
I know all of these trees. Some are growing in my yard while others are growing elsewhere in Southern California, and I know how they’ve been cared for. Some have been consistently fertilized with products like the one shown above whereas others have never been given any kind of fertilizer.
So what’s your guess as to whether each tree has been fertilized?
Okay, here are the answers:
Red Baron peach, NO
Fuji apple, NO
Lamb avocado, NO
Hellen avocado, YES
Bananas, YES
Splash pluot, YES
Mango, YES
Fuyu persimmon, YES
Bearss lime, NO
Gold Nugget mandarin, NO
Maluma avocado, YES
Blenheim apricot, NO
How did you score?
I know I would have scored poorly. And so what this game shows me is that I cannot look at a tree that is growing and fruiting well, or struggling, and know whether it has been fertilized. Fruit trees can perform well while being fertilized and without ever getting fertilized, and they can look bad with and without fertilizer.
My experience growing fruit trees and observing them in other yards and farms throughout Southern California leads me to believe that many people expect fertilizer to do things it can’t. Many other aspects to caring for our fruit trees are far more consequential, and proper irrigation usually tops the list. For most people, time and money spent on fertilizer would be better spent improving irrigation.
(Nevertheless, I’m working on a complete post on fertilizing fruit trees. Coming soon . . .)
A few related posts:
“My watering schedules for vegetables and fruit trees”
“Watering fruit trees with drip irrigation”
“Fertile soil can be child’s play”
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Hi Greg,
I might be being a bit egotistical, but is that my Lamb tree? Either way this is a fun game!
Nick G
Not fair, Nick. That is your Lamb tree. Sooo much fruit on that thing!
Hahaha. Right on, and they tasted great too!
Thank you for your great posts! I have an orange, tangerine, lime and grapefruit trees. When should they be pruned. How do I find an excellent pruner?? What qualifications should they have?? I live in the San Fernando Valley – Sherman Oaks, CA.
Thank you so much for your posts!!
Hi Thelma,
Check out this post: https://gregalder.com/yardposts/when-and-how-to-prune-citrus-trees/
Pruning citrus is not sophisticated. Just don’t let anyone “lace” your trees. (That’s where the canopy is thinned.) That often results in sunburned branches on citrus trees in a location like yours.
Fantastic quiz! I guessed right about the last tree, the Blenheim apricot, but otherwise some very surprising results. That Lamb Hass of Nick’s is a miracle tree!
I’ve never had an avocado fresh picked, unprocessed. Also I have a Reed 4 months in the ground, so i had to take you up with your recent offer of Reeds. I did the toothpick test you have mentioned and being anxious to try, cut off a piece from the smallest one.. It wasn’t ready, but i could discern a strong flavor. My partner cut it up and put it in a stir fry which softened it. I waited another 4 or 5 days and when i could feel the hard shell giving to the soft inside, cut off a big slice and gotta say, I was delicious. So i cut another piece.Total YUM. The difference from the avocados we’ve been getting from the store and these Reeds is a new experience. Wanted to finish it off, but my partner said she wants in on these, so i held back. (Not easy)
So thanks Greg for gathering those Reeds and making them available. Now I’m going to work to make sure my avocados, up here in Humboldt, get strong and healthy enough to produce these amazing avocados. I also have 2 lambs, two Sharwils, a Mexicola and a Gem and would be interested in ordering any of those if and when you make them available.