When to Fertilize Fuji Apple Trees

Fuji apples are easily grown in the home garden.

All apple trees thrive with a regular schedule of fertilizing, pruning and disease prevention. Fuji apples are a good choice for home gardens in USDA planting zones 5 to 8. It is a medium-size apple with sweet-smelling yellowish flesh and pink to red-blushed, striped skin. Fujis require 100 to 400 chill hours to set blossoms and fruit in spring. They bloom mid- to late spring and produce 8 to 12 bushels of fruit per tree at harvest time. The yearly cycle of Fuji apple tree care begins in late winter.

Winter

Fuji and other apple tree varieties are best planted in winter when they can be purchased bare-root. Fuji apple trees are available at local garden centers or online organic heirloom fruit tree sources. Apple trees require cross-pollination from another variety that blooms at the same time and produces abundant, viable pollen. Whitney Crab, Gala and Gold Rush are well-suited pollinators for Fuji apple trees. Wintertime pruning of 15 to 20 percent of last year's growth lets in the light necessary to support blossom-set in mid-spring. Spray trees with dormant oil to help control scale, mites and aphids.

Spring

The first fertilization of the growing season is in early spring. Nitrogen is mobile in soil and must be replenished regularly through applications of nitrogen-rich fertilizer. Mature compost with nitrogen sources such as kelp meal, bat guano and fish bone meal is high in the nitrogen needed by Fuji apple trees. Other essential nutrients available in compost include phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, manganese and calcium. First-year apple trees need 1 lb. of compost spread in diameter 1 foot from the tree base in early spring. Increase the fertilizer amount yearly until the tree reaches maturity at 4 to 5 years.

Summer

Give the tree a lighter application of compost fertilizer in June to support the tree's production of apples. It is not necessary to repeat applications of fertilizer throughout the growing season when compost is used. It provides slow release of nutrients as needed by tree growth and fruit set. The microorganism population in soil enriched with compost forms nutrients from the decomposing plant and animal materials in soil. Earthworms, beneficial bacteria, nematodes, fungi and protozoa become more active in warm summer months, increasing their production of nutrients for the apple tree.

Fall

Fuji apples come to harvest in 160 days. A heavy application of fertilizer at this time may delay the dormancy cycle of the tree. A shovelful of mature compost sprinkled around the dripline of the tree is enough to replace nutrients lost to summer's growing season. Compost is easily made in a backyard compost bin or open pit and is a practical way to dispose of yard debris and kitchen scraps. It decomposes into mature compost in 3 to 6 months, depending on the type of pile and bin. Organic compost fertilizer is also available at garden centers and online organic gardening supply sources.

References

• UC Davis; The California Backyard Orchard; Apple
• University of Vermont; Mineral Nutrition of Fruit trees in Vermont; Terance Bradshaw
• University of North Carolina; Growing Apples in the Home Garden; Michael L. Parker; 1995
• Gurney Seeds: Fuji
• University of Missouri Extension; Pollinating Fruit Crops; Michelle R. Warmund

Resources

• Washington State University; Compost Benefits & Uses
• Ohio State University; Growing Apples in the Home Orchard; Gary Gao