A mixed hedge interspersed with new specimen fruit trees defines the boundary between our customer’s rural Lincolnshire garden and a gravelled driveway.
The tree planting marked the start of a complete garden renovation project which although still in its early stages is showing real progress thanks to smart use of fertiliser.
However, the project didn’t start quite so positively. Having planted quince, peach, apricot, cherry and plum trees, our customer was initially disappointed to see that they weren’t performing well.
He turned to the soil to understand if there might have been an issue at the root level and ordered a soil analysis kit. He had the results a few weeks later - no potassium.
Potassium is a vital nutrient that performs a range of functions to support the health of soil including improving the resilience of plants to help them fend off disease.
We spoke to Agrigem’s senior agronomist Ollie Wright, he said: “It isn’t that unusual for a soil analysis to show low or no potassium. While it is abundant in many soil types, it isn’t always available to be taken up by the plants. While clay and organic soils can hold large reserves of potassium, it can often be trapped within the soil particles meaning it cannot be accessed easily.”
A treatment of Nutrigrow High K Fertiliser swiftly followed. It has made a noticeable difference to the general health of the trees and to their overall performance.
Our customer picks up the story: “Some of the varieties I planted are naturally more resilient to disease than others. But the Apricot really stood out as struggling against the impacts of one of the many viruses that can attack it. Its leaves were curled and gnarly – it was clearly having problems.
“But since I rebalanced the nutrients in the soil it’s doing much better, it recovered more quickly from the first spring onslaught, and I haven’t had to treat it with chemicals at all this year. There’s clearly been a benefit from the fertiliser in terms of helping it defend itself against the impacts of disease.”
Thriving trees thanks to smart use of fertiliser
We’ll be back to check how the trees get on over the next few years. In the meantime, our customer plans to complete the house renovations and introduce further changes in the garden, including the introduction of an experimental apple orchard. We’re looking forward to harvest time!
If you’ve got a garden story you’d like to share, get in touch; email marketing@agrigem.co.uk. If you’re interested in testing the nutrients in your soil, you can order an analysis kit here.
