When I was planting young olive trees back home, I was told to use 1kg of 0-20-0 superphosphate in the planting hole to help the root system open up quicker. I covered the phosphorous with a thin layer of soil then put the plant in the hole. Is this a good practice to use?....some say yes, some say no. Can one burn the tree with this method? Maybe a liquid transplant fertilizer is better....what do you think?
Sample your soil and have it tested. DO NOT apply a high dose of phosphorus in particular without a soil test showing a need for it. Excess phosphorus inhibits plant growth and cannot effectively be corrected without excavating and replacing the soil.
Remember that area I told you about where the apple tree died... and right next to it there was no problem with it growing? That problem area was shown in the soil test to have VERY HIGH levels of phosphorous.
"Back home" may have been low in Phosphorous We add lots of phosphorous [super phosphate]to the soils here but that is because they are very deplete. I think the whole centre of Naru is on Australian farm land. That is why if you are growing Australian native plants do not use ferilizers with phosphate in them. I always use blood and bone (bone meal) or natural manures. Liz
Yes it is! It is a red soil...Very Low in Phosphorous......Very Low in Magnesium & Manganese...Very High in Calcium
