Crab Apple

[wiggs]

What fertiliser you using on your crabs?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[shibui]

Hi Wiggs,
For most of the year the flowering/fruiting plants get the same fert as all other trees. I alternate between Thrive (general purpose) and Powerfeed with occasional sprinkles of Chook poo pellets and try to feed every 2-3 weeks while there are leaves on the trees (all year round for evergreens and spring-Autumn for deciduous) I only use those brands because they are easy to get and use. Plants do not really care what fertiliser they get as long as it has all the nutrients they need. feel free to use any complete fertiliser.
After mid summer I change to a flower/fruit fertiliser for the species that are grown for either flowers or fruit. That includes the crab apple, callistemon, leptospermum, cotoneaster, hawthorn, etc. the higher K in flower/fruit ferts helps the trees to set good strong buds and I have noticed a difference since I have been using it. Again, brand does not matter. As long as it has high K and all other nutrients. I usually use Thrive - flowers and fruit but citrus, tomato, rose and azalea fertilisers have almost the same formulation so rather than having a box of each just use any one on all flowering species. Most flowering plants cannot read so they won't really know the difference.
High K fert is used from mid summer because most spring flowering species are actually forming flower embryos from late summer through autumn which are then dormant until warmer weather in spring.

[TimS]

Beautiful crab apple, i don't seem to see good ones very often but maybe i'm just not looking in the right places!