Many garden owners have been trying for years to improve the taste of apples by buying expensive fertilizers and watering the trees with herbal infusions. The result is often discouraging: the apples are still small, sour and not even suitable for cider. It turns out that the secret is not in the amount of fertilizing, but in one single procedure carried out at a strictly defined time. The author of the Zen channel “Garden Cribs” (12+) spoke about it.
Golden hours of early spring
April is the very moment when everything is decided. As soon as the air warms up to 10-12 degrees, the apple tree begins to actively flow sap. The roots work like pumps, pulling from the soil everything necessary for the future harvest.
It is important not to be late: at temperatures above +20 degrees, the absorption efficiency drops by half. The best time for the procedure is the morning hours from 6 to 8. In the evening, feeding is useless – the nutrients will not have time to get into the root system before the night gets cold.
Only two ingredients for success
Having tested dozens of compounds, practitioners settled on a simple and inexpensive combination: superphosphate and potassium sulfate.
- Superphosphate (30 g per square meter) nourishes the roots and helps the formation of ovaries.
- Potassium sulfate (15 g per square meter) strengthens the tree and makes the fruits sweet.
Technology “by the hour”
For 100 g of the mixture, take 15 liters of water with a temperature of at least 18 degrees. First, superphosphate is dissolved (it takes longer to dissolve), after an hour potassium sulfate is added. The solution is infused overnight in a warm place.
Before the procedure, the top layer of soil is loosened by 5 cm. The solution is poured not under the trunk (there are no suction roots), but retreating half a meter from the trunk to the edge of the crown.
Immediately after fertilizing, the soil is mulched with a 3 cm layer of rotted compost. This retains moisture and helps the roots absorb nutrition.
Result: 170 grams of sweetness
With proper spring feeding, the average weight of an apple reaches 170-172 grams, and up to 165 kg of harvest can be harvested from five mature trees. The taste improves dramatically: more sugar, thick skin, the flesh does not lose juiciness when stored until January. Even old trees add 35-40% to the yield.
“The taste of apples noticeably improves. They have more sugar, the skin is dense, and does not tear during storage. Such apples remain in the cellar until January without losing their juiciness. In winter varieties, it is especially noticeable – the flesh becomes dense, sweet, with a pleasant sourness,” shares the author of the blog.
Previously, we reported on what to feed currants in April.
