Dear Friends,

We had a very fine work session on the Rose Hill school paddock fruit trees on Wednesday. My records indicate that all the trees were fertilised, all can be seen to have been well weeded – and that was a tough job – and as far as I could see all were watered.  All three objectives met. Everybody contributed, young and old – a very collaborative afternoon.
Two low-carbon thrusts were pursued. Tree growth was encouraged that will hopefully go on fixing carbon from the air for many years. Secondly fruit for the school will be provided with zero food-miles. No fossil fuel for delivery, and fresh. 
Some new to gardening, particularly fruit growing, may have picked up new insights, some perhaps even following suit in their own gardens. The following paragraphs are for them.

Weeding is important particularly in the fruit tree’s early years which otherwise will grow more slowly. Older trees are better able to compete, though fruit yields will be improved if weeds are kept small: they compete for water and nutrients.

Watering is essential for young fruit trees after planting and in spring and summer. Grafted fruit trees as we are using produce fruit much sooner, from the 2^nd year, than those grown from seed, but, depending on the rootstock used, are often more dependent on watering. 

Inorganic fertilizers supply nutrients which are essential to plant life. The main ones, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, called the macronutrients, are needed by fruit trees in amounts not usually available in the soil. They can also be supplied by compost – decomposing vegetative material dug into the soil before planting, and/or laid as a mulch over the soil after planting from where earthworms can gradually take it down into the soil if not too dry. We have used both methods, fertiliser and top mulch, in the Rose Hill orchards trees planted in Feb 2021. 

Fertilisers act more quickly and can be adjusted to suit the fertility of the soil as shown in soil analyses.  Such analysis on the Rose Hill orchards soils in 2021 showed low levels of phosphorus, and also of magnesium, and a more alkaline soil than fruit trees generally prefer, which can be remedied to an extent by the application of sulphur chips.  Our application yesterday included these three, plus maintenance levels of nitrogen and potassium.

Fertilizers are best applied in the spring for uptake by the fruit trees; those remaining in the soil in the winter are likely to be leached down the soil profile and away by the rain, except phosphorus which is retained in the soil for years. It would be great if we could get Julian to give us another load of compost to lay on top.

On Wednesday Jenny & Katharine also watered all the trees of the school playing field. We still need to apply fertilizer there.

Kind regards,

Richard
Rose Hill and Iffley Low Carbon