To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize?

Happy Spring! I have not checked in for some time. The trees are still dormant but Spring is happening in Central Virginia and they are about to wake up! We are living and learning, and we have lost a few tree friends along the way. The Frasier and Canaan Firs are not thriving quite as much, perhaps because they are at a lower elevation than they would prefer. The Norway Spruce and Eastern White Pine on the other hand are doing very well! But you would not want to judge a kindergarten class on how much they have grown so we will wait and see if the others find their own way.

After obsessing over the conflicting science out there, NC State says fertilize Christmas trees, Michigan State says don’t do it the first year, I could not resist so I gave each of the remaining trees a little handful of Holly Tone. I carefully placed the fertilizer on the uphill side of each tree taking care not to touch the tree. We’ll see if that helps them get a burst of energy.

This is a critical year for all of the trees, as the roots go deeper and they soak up all the sun, nutrients and water they need to grow.