Feeding during winter (New York)

chkaplan

Hi all,

Winter is slowly coming upon us here in New York City, and I am left wondering about the feeding schedule for my collection. Are there any general pointers you can give me here, or is it safe to assume a monthly feeding routine across most trees? Would it be harmful not to feed at all during the coldest period? I have read that most trees should be fed with a low nitrogen feed in winter, and high nitrogen feed in the early spring, and then a balanced feed throughout the growing season. Will this strategy work well, save for a few specific species?

Happy Turkey Day everyone!
Chris

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ElGringo

deciduous trees will go fully dormant soon, and conifers will drastically slow their growth, but still remain 'active' throughout the winter. You don't need to feed at all now. Worse, it may force early bud growth which will subsequently be damaged by frosts which can occur in early spring. Where I live, random frosts can occur right until the start of May. However, we tend to get very mild winters.

I feed my deciduous trees throughout the spring and summer, and my conifers in the spring and again in autumn, as they tend to have 2 growing seasons. Of course, annual seasons differ in their timing and length depending where you live. And I'm trying to force growth out of my trees, not just sustain them.

I always use a balanced feed, but I've always believed that a little extra nitrogen does help overall foliege development.

Happy thanksgiving americans!

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Richard