In this video, I share how to fertilize fruit trees, shrubs and landscaping without fertilizer for amazing results! People are often surprised to hear that I don’t fertilize fruit trees in my yard after a few years. This includes fruit trees, landscaping trees, bushes, shrubs and any established perennial. You can give plants all the nutrients they need without buying fertilizers by mimicking the way forests work. The end result is lush, beautiful plants every time in a sustainable system that’s fertilizer free!
I use the following products* for growing fruit trees in my yard:
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Introduction
0:41 How Fertilizers Work
2:09 When Fertilizers Should Be Used
5:46 When To Stop Fertilizing
6:29 My Zero Fertilizer System
8:47 How To Feed Trees Without Fertilizer
11:58 How To Use Fertilizer Correctly
12:34 Plant Feeding Schedule
14:42 Adventures With Dale
If you have questions about how to fertilize plants without fertilizer, growing fruit trees or want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and “how to” garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
34.1°N Latitude
Zone 8B
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#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #vegetablegardening #vegetablegarden
48 Comments
If this video was helpful, please LIKE and share it to help spread its reach! Thanks for watching 😀TIMESTAMPS here:
0:00 Introduction
0:41 How Fertilizers Work
2:09 When Fertilizers Should Be Used
5:46 When To Stop Fertilizing
6:29 My Zero Fertilizer System
8:47 How To Feed Trees Without Fertilizer
11:58 How To Use Fertilizer Correctly
12:34 Plant Feeding Schedule
14:42 Adventures With Dale
Obviously you don't have problems, but I've been afraid to purchase straw bales due to the possibility of persistent broad leaf herbicides, such as aminopyralid. Is this ever a serious concern for you and where do you source your straw? Thanks!
Thanks! When my dad grew annual vegetable gardens in SE NC, he had to plant each year. I wish he was still living now and I could have a gardening conversation with him. I was too young at the time to understand how he grew all of our crops.
But instead I learn from gardeners like you and some in my own area of the Arizona low desert.
But my few fruit trees do get fertilizer, especially my citrus trees.
My deciduous fruit tree leaves serve as mulch during the winter months.
Does everyone know that commercial fertilizers are made with 'petrochemicals' which come from OIL? Our great-great grandparents didn't buy that cr@p at the store; they used cow/horse/sheep/chicken poop, and whatever was left over from last night's dinner. It's called 'compost'. I suggest you try it~
Great video! Thanks for all the information you post
I just planted a couple of apple trees a week or so ago, so I will get to work on those. After looking at how you pruned your figs, I can see that I needed to work harder on mine! Would you wait to prune until after I pick the figs this year? Thank you for all the great info.
My very young neighbors still have fall Straw squares in there porch ( not sure if it’s wheat ) they have been rotting in there porch since sept ish can I use it ? Around my 2 year thunga arborvitae’s.?? If so no compost ?
My dad use to put all his grass cutting
Thank you! just one question where vegetable came from? Is it from garden of Eden as of Old Testament mention it.
Our HD stopped carrying Black Cow manure. They didnt know why.
Great info! Planted a few citrus and apple trees a few months ago. I'll be buying compost tomorrow!
I love all your videos. Very helpful.
Great video, Anthony
Lots of useful information
Dale is a sweet little boy for sure!❤🙂
Great video, thankyou!
Is it okay to use leaves to mulch?
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If you want mind-blasting quality fruit, you must folier-feed.
Cow manure is a fertilizer – but we get your point.
I went out and pruned the whack outta some fruit trees. At least 10-15yo and first prune. Very excited to see how they fill out. I love growing fruit, the crazy thing is I don't even eat it.
Once again, great video! I've started rooting some fig cuttings after watching so many of your videos. Keep up the good work!
I have chickens and ducks. I blend chicken manure into soil and the muddy excrement filled water from the duck pool is used to water my non edible garden plants and trees.
This might be a silly question, but is pine straw the same as pine needles?
Also, my city makes free compost out of yard waste. Is this ok to use in gardens, or does the risk of herbicides and pesticides make it unsafe, in your opinion?
❤❤❤
We have fig trees that have not been fertilized or watered for at least 30 years, in the summer there are days when the temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius – 105 degrees Fahrenheit and they are not pruned. And every time they give a bountiful harvest. I must say that the climate is ideal for them, and they are local varieties.
I always learn from your videos and am inspired by them.
(Hi to Dale😀)
Exactly! I love your videos. You make a lot of sense.
I think the argument would be a wild mature fruit tree isn’t going to produce the amount and quality of fruit as one that is fertilized.
Is there a western coast of North Carolina 🤔
I never thought the sound of the word "potash" would irritate me 😒
What a world we live in.
9:56
If you don't have a truck (for a load of compost) you can rent a u-haul truck for $20/day.
Which is a LOT cheaper than having a company drop the compost of at your house.
Pee is free fertilizer and works great 10:1 to 20:1 ratio mixed with water. I use a cheap brass syphon injector that I’ve drilled out with a drill bit to give me a stronger 10:1 ratio. If I want a 20:1 ratio, I just mix half pee to water in a 5 gallon bucket and then syphon from that instead of straight pee. If you doubt it works try it on a small area in your lawn a few times and look at the results compared to the untreated area. Any smell will dissipate by the next day.
Good vid as always , enjoy.
Any figs that are nematode resistant that you enjoy? I live in SW Florida and the nematodes get figs quick.
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I love Dale ❤
I fertilize my fruit trees w/ composted chicken manure and they usually start bearing fruit a year early.
I use sardines and tuna mix in the soil ,and mux in coffee grounds,and everything i collected in a hole near ly garden all winter long to compost it all and when its time tomplant seeds i sur up that soil and use that I grow a jungle of plants .
All my citrus’s trees are blooming like crazy. There in my dining room with sun lights. I will put them outside soon. Citrus are my thing, I have been successful in growing citrus for 10 years in Kennesaw Georgia.
I have several small blueberry and elderberry trees in containers. Can they be grown in containers successfully or do I need to plant them in the ground? If they can be kept in containers, how many gallons do you think they will grow best in? Lastly, 2 of them have ant colonies in them. All of the trees are starting to bloom nicely except the 2 with the ant colonies. I think the ants are damaging them. What’s the safest way to get rid of them? Thanks in advance! 🙂
I have been checking the weather for parts of NC all winter since I'm considering moving there. I've been shocked and disappointed at how cold it is though. For example, Raleigh has somehow been colder or just as cold as Nashville TN and Charlottesville VA… So sad :/
Spot on Anthony. Feed the soil micro flora so they can feed the plants. If you make your own compost you can put organic fertiliser into the compost pile and when compost is ready to use, apply compost on the soil. The organic fertiliser in the compost has been worked on during compost making and when compost is applied to soil, the nutrients from the compost and organic fertiliser are immediately available to soil micro flora.
I have 2 young fig trees, an older fig and a pear tree. I'm going to get some cow manure tomorrow and the straw too. But I will have to let the straw sit for 2 to 3 months before I can put it on.
Just curious what zone you live in
Ok I’ve watched tons of your videos but I need a written plan for what regime I should do twice a month. I’m kinda overwhelmed and confused with all the plant foods and dry fertilizer and water soluble fertilizer and compost and mulch….etc. I need a list! TIA!
LOL your wheat straw looks more like hay. Maybe they grow a finer (smaller diameter) straw in Carolina. I've got about 13 fruit trees that I use manure from my chickens on, and both fresh and old straw–whatever I have on hand
Thank you for the valuable info. Mr.Dale says “Where is my other piece of pork?” lol. He was waiting for this piece so patiently. What a good boy!!
I totally agree to the historical evolution that we can learn from. Nature is slow and limited so it takes time to get something as nice as an onion. To have it procreate, conditions have to be right. Humans have filled that void. Fertilizers and grafting are meant to accelerate growth to fit our own limited times. One thing I am not sure at 6:40 is the cow manure — that too from a big box store! The cows are usually fed anti-biotics and hormones, and the manure could be swept up into tight anerobic bacterial floors. If we know the source, manure are good. This is also true of organic fertilizers from slaughter houses. Making compost ourselves is rewarding and relieves stress. Regular fertilizers have heavy metals (they conveniently fineprint in the bag for us to go and look at a website to see toxic contents) and it can be shocking!
This is great! Thank you!