Fertilisation of orchards and plantations
The fertilisation strategy for horticultural plants is based on knowledge of the nutritional requirements of the individual plant species, a visual assessment of the plants, and the results of soil and plant tests. According to the above diagnostic criteria, a rational (controlled) fertiliser application effectively increases plant productivity and does not pose a significant threat to the environment. For fertilisation to meet production expectations while not excessively burdening the environment, fertilisers (both mineral and organic/natural) must be applied following specific rules.
Fertilisation with phosphorus, potassium and magnesium according to soil analysis
Fertilisation with the abovementioned nutrients is based on comparing soil analysis results with the P, K, and Mg limit values (table 1). The decision on fertilisation accuracy and application rate is based on the classification of a soil nutrient content into a low, medium, or high fertility class.
| Specification | Class of abundance | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| low | medium | high | |
| Phosphorus content (mg P kg1) | |||
| For all soils | |||
| - topsoil | < 20 | 20-40 | > 40 |
| - subsoil | < 15 | 15-30 | > 30 |
| Fertilisation | Phosphorus rate (kg P2O5 h-1) | ||
| - before setting up the orchard | 300 | 100-200 | - |
| - before setting up the plantation | 100 | 100 | - |
| Potassium content (mg k kg1) | |||
| Topsoil | |||
| < 20% of soil clay content | < 50 | 50-80 | > 80 |
| 20-35% of soil clay content | < 80 | 80-130 | > 130 |
| < 35% of soil clay content | < 130 | 130-210 | > 210 |
| Subsoil | |||
| < 20% of soil clay content | < 30 | 30-50 | > 50 |
| 20 - 35% of soil clay content | < 50 | 50-80 | > 80 |
| > 35% of soil clay content | < 80 | 80-130 | > 130 |
| Fertilisation | Pottasium rate (kg k2O ha-1) | ||
| - before setting up an orchard or a currant or gooseberry plantation | 150-300 | 100-200 | - |
| - before setting up raspberry and strawberry plantations | 100-180 | 60-120 | - |
| - in a fruiting orchard or plantation | 80-120 | 50-80 | - |
| For both soil layers | Magnesium content (mg Mg kg-1) | ||
| < 20% of soil clay content | < 25 | 25-40 | > 40 |
| ≧ 20% of soil clay content | < 40 | 40-60 | > 60 |
| Fertilisation | Magnesium rate (g MgO m-2) | ||
| - before setting up the orchard or plantation | Resulting from liming needs | - | |
| - in a fruiting orchard or plantation | 12 | 6 | - |
| Ratio K : Mg | |||
| For all soils, regardless of soil layer | very high | high | valid |
| > 6 | 3.6 - 6.0 | 3.5 |
Nitrogen fertilisation by soil analysis
The orchards/plantations nitrogen (N) fertilisation needs can be estimated from the soil organic matter content (Table 2). The N rates given should be regarded as indicative, verifying them with the strength of plant growth and/or the N content of the leaves.
| Soil organic matter content in (%) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Orchard/plantation | 0,5-1,5 | 1,5-2,5 | 2,6-3,5 |
| Annual nitrogen application rate | |||
| First 2 years of orchard management | 15-20* | 10-15* | 5-10* |
| First 2 years of currant and gooseberry plantations management | 20-25* | 15-20* | 10-15* |
| First 2 years of raspberry plantation management | 10-12* | 8-10* | 6-8* |
| First year of strawberry plantation management | |||
| - autumn or spring planting | 50-60** | 40-50** | 20-30** |
| - early summer planting | 30-40** | 20-30** | 10-20** |
| Orchards older than 2 years | 60-80** | 40-60** | 20-40** |
| Currant and gooseberry plantations older than 2 years | 100-120** | 80-100** | 60-80** |
| Raspberry plantations older than 2 years | |||
| - fruiting on two-year stems | 60-80** | 40-60** | 20-40** |
| - fruiting on one-year old stems | 80-100** | 60-80** | 40-60** |
| Strawberry plantations in 2nd and 3rd year | 40-50** | 30-40** | 20-30** |
| * N rates in g m-2 of fertilised area | |||
| ** N rates in kg ha-1 of fertilised area |
Liming by soil analysis
The assessment of the lime requirements and the lime rate depend on the pH and soil agronomic category, as well as on the duration of the lime application (Table 3)
| Soil pH | Soil agronomic category | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Average | Heavy | |
| CaO rate (kg ha-1) | |||
| < 4.5 | 1500 | 2000 | 2500 |
| 4.5-5.5 | 750 | 1500 | 2000 |
| 5.6-6.0 | 500 | 750 | 1500 |
Note: Detailed rules for fertilisation of orchards and plantations are given in the following study.
References: – “Zrównoważone nawożenie roślin ogrodniczych ” – A collective study edited by Dr. Paweł Wójcik – link to the publication – pdf