Can you fertilize mature oak tree's

Blackbear · #1 02/19/12, 05:37 PM

I was thinking of fertilizing the mature oaks around my land with the hopes that they will produce alot of acorns next fall, I have done some research online and one site has said to never fertilize an oak.I do not want to hurt them so I am hoping there is someone with more tree experience that can give me some info.

Andy

Old Vet · #2 02/19/12, 05:47 PM

If you fertilize a mature oak tree try to put a pipe in near the tree and fertilize it. I wold put it between the outer crown and the tree. I have never had any that showed any duress with fertilizer. Once you do it one time you must do it every year so that the roots will grow and not become too shallow for it to live. The roots will go to where there is food.

goatlady · #3 02/19/12, 07:17 PM

It's my understanding that acorns are not a real regular crop production. Some years there is an abundance and then there will be several years of poor crop. Has much to do with the weather I think and pollination and also the type of oak.

fatrat · #4 02/19/12, 08:07 PM

Call your state forestry department. They could answer your question better than anyone here and it wouldn't cost you anything as it's already paid for by your tax dollars.

Alice In TX/MO · #5 02/19/12, 08:41 PM

Hubby fertilizes at the drip line every year. We have HUGE oak trees that started as 18" sticks in 1979. I don't think acorn production is dependent on fertilizer.

wogglebug · #6 02/19/12, 10:12 PM

As someone said, fertilise any tree out at and beyond the dripline. That's where the fine hair roots that absorb stuff are. Just use manure and ashes, trail it out on the ground, and let rain take it down. That will help the tree grow big and strong, but you won't necessarily see an immediate return in fruit - that could be indirect and a year or more away, but a big strong tree will ultimately grow more fruit.

Remember, in any and every plant, unbalanced fertiliser towards nitrogen grows leaves rather than structure or fruit. That's not bad long-term in perennials - helps the plant help itself, the big strong plant thing - but you want more phosphorus and potassium for both short-term gains and long-term structure.

Old Vet · #7 02/19/12, 10:27 PM

The acorn production has a lot to do with the weather. The acorn on a red oak species tree is already set for this year crop White oak species will produce them during the spring for this years crop. When they are pollinating and rain or late frost will kill them. also during the spring or summer if a drought hits they will shed them to conserve water. Fertilizer may or may not help them. Watering them helps during a drought. Use the same method of watering them as I describe in another post. A 4 inch pipe is the best way to get water to the roots without watering the grass too much.

fatrat · #8 02/19/12, 11:09 PM

Perhaps using an aerator around the drip line before spreading fertilizer would help get it down to the roots, otherwise the rain might wash a lot of it away with runoff.

indypartridge · #9 02/20/12, 04:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wind in Her Hair

It is my understanding that acorn production is dependent on how stressed an oak tree is. When it is stressed - drought, physical damage, early cold weather, disease, insects, competition, etc. - it will put on more acorns.

That's been my experience. We had lots of acorns last year following long drought. Makes the deer happy.

Glacialtill · #10 02/20/12, 09:10 AM

Every 4 or 5 years oaks will produce a ton of extra acorns in what is called a mast year. Since so many animals eat acorns, the surplus in the mast year is a kind of insurance that the animals won't be able to eat them all and the extra acorns are given a better chance to grow into trees.

I don't think fertilizer would help much, as mast years seem to be largely triggered by the weather. That said, probably the best kind of fertilizer would just be to leave the fallen leaves under the trees and let them decompose to naturally feed the tree.

Here's a pretty good article on mast years:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/bowman/201...er_year_f.html

luvrulz · #11 02/20/12, 09:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goatlady

It's my understanding that acorns are not a real regular crop production. Some years there is an abundance and then there will be several years of poor crop. Has much to do with the weather I think and pollination and also the type of oak.

Acorns are similar to other nuts - sometimes you get a bumper crop - other years, you get nada. Not necessary to fertilize - nature takes care of them, just like the pecans, hickory nuts and black walnuts.

ronbre · #12 02/20/12, 09:20 AM

the only real fertilizer that an adult oak tree needs is its own leaves left around the base of it..can't hurt to put more natural foods around it but never chemical ones..but even if you do fertilize it will make no difference on the production.

Oak are MAST trees, they produce large crops when they are genetically programmed to produce large crops, this is called a MAST year.

here in Mic the white oaks had a mast year but the red oaks produced next to nothing..so it isn't necessarily the weather, or the precip or the feed, it is the genetics of the tree..