Do tree/pine fertilizer "spikes" really help?

[BoxMN]

I have used some "pine" fertilizer spikes in thepast, and I kinda thought they worked, at least on smaller trees. I know you don't want to over do it and kill/harm the trees, but am wondering if they really do help to the extent that it is worth doing.

I am thinking in a pretty sandy environment in central MN, mainly on white spruce and white pine, and a couple Austrian and Norway pines I have. I want to get them growing as fast as possible to BIG as soon as I can... haha, I know I can't will them to be big though

I have nursed these guys from hydo seedlings, and transplanted them at my cabin. Now some are about 4 feet tall. I only use one spike and not too close for trees this size.

I also have some blue spruce about 6-7 feet tall that I would like see grow thicker if possible, sort of a "fence" between us and neighbors. But I like those neighbors so more a privacy issue for us both.

Anyway, thanks for any thoughts on getting young evergreens to grow the best I can.

[eyemaster]

I would be interested to find out the same thing. I planted my blue spruce this last summer, I think they were about 3 years old when I bought them. I have heard that I don't want to put the spikes in the ground for at least the first two years.

[jeffreyd]

I use them all year on my citrus trees. The years that I have not used them, I do not get any oranges. This year we had over 30 on the tree. I think they do help a lot. While we dont have spruce or pine trees in my yard, i can say that the will help with fruit.

[solbes]

I'd be interested in spike info as well. I've got the same trees that Box has and about the same size. I've used liquid fertilizer some years, and the slow release granules others. I usually fertilize in early to mid May, just before they start sending out the new growth.

I have noticed that the trees that do not get fertilized do not put out much new growth. Also, nothing grows as quickly as the trees planted down the hill from the septic mound. Those white pine put on about 2 feet of growth a year since becoming established.

[Tom7227]

Can't comment specifically on the spikes but everything I've read indicates that keeping grass/weeds from competing with the trees is a major key in getting things going correctly. I've got to think that a spike or two isnt' going to make that much difference and may just be a really expensive subsitute for some other methods/products.

Moisture and protection from critters girdling/eating the trees are key. Given the size of the trees you're past the major hurdles of startup. I bet that you'd have better results if you mulched them with some straw/rotten manure. Also remember that fast growth may result in a weaker tree. Try the U of M extension service and see if they have some solid info for you. Christmas tree growers 'shave' the trees and that helps fill them out for their purposes - which may or may not be the same as yours.

[BoxMN]

Good ideas. I have a buddy who has Christmas tree business, and I didn't think until right now to ask him - doh!

I defintely will try the mulch to keep down competition, and retain moisture. I do put up a cage around ALL pine trees now, after having too many eaten and killed by deer. That's one reason I like the spruce, the deer hate them

I might even try a couple of those "rubber-type" mulch covers that slip around the trunk. Will test out this summer and see which works best.

[Steve Foss]

I bet that you'd have better results if you mulched them with some straw/rotten manure.

+1

A thick layer of composted/rotted manure topped off by straw or wood chip mulch goes a long way. The manure leeches into the soil over time and the roots pick it up. Mulch does what we all know mulch does, and a continued supply of moisture and food such as this, with no long dry periods, is what any trees, not only conifers, need to get a great start. You can also just broadcast some 10-10-10 fertilizer over top of the mulch after a couple years. The manure's nutrients will already have been used up, and if you toss out the fertilizer before the first snow, spring melt will dissolve it and distribute it in the soil.

One key is to make sure your mulch circle is wide enough. For trees that size, I'd make them at least 6 feet across. The wider they are, the more you'll be able to offer in terms of moisture retention. As the tree gets larger and the roots spread farther, you'll still have mulch over them and no competition from grass.

Later, once they are a good bit older and the grass has all grown up around them (assuming that's what you'll be doing), you can hire a lawn service person to come in and inject fertilizer/water mix down about a foot or more around the edge of the root/drip line. I used to do a lot of that when I ramrodded a landscaping service years ago. It gets right at the roots right now, and is deep enough that the grass doesn't get a chance to use up all the fertilizer before it leeches down.

[eyemaster]

I have been using grass clippings for mulch..........I would assume this will do the same thing as wood chips

[Steve Foss]

I have been using grass clippings for mulch..........I would assume this will do the same thing as wood chips

Yep, it just doesn't last as long, so to get the benefits you've got to keep reapplying grass clippings. Also, you may run into problems because grass clippings can get very hot when they decompose. I'd make sure you don't pack them in too tight against the tree's trunk for that reason. I think a few inches of air between the trunks and the clippings would be good. Not sure if that heat really matters or not to young tree bark (it's sometimes an issue for garden plants), just how I've always approached it.

[Tom7227]

Wood chips really eat up the nitrogen in the soil. I put them in the ornamental gardens and after a year or so the plants didn't seem to do very well. Of course I then put nitrogen on top and that caused the chips to rot out in a fairly short time. My best success was when I hauled in massive amounts of compost from the county compost site and tilled it in about 10 inches.

Box's sand soil issue give me the impression that he couldn't till in too much organic material. Probably a bit much if you're doing 500 trees or some large project like that. On those types of things my experience is the best thing you can do is to put down fabric and water them if at all possible for the first few years.

[lindy rig]

Is it too early in the season to try some spikes?

[LwnmwnMan2]

Short answer, yes.