Can anyone tell me how to stimulate the production of buds tor spring catkins? Someone suggested I use a fertilizer of 5-10-5. I'd really appreciate any suggestions I work withmany trees. Regards. SASK49
The only technique I'm aware of to stimulate the production of catkins is to prune the tree hard -- all the way down to the ground if you want to create a shrubby plant -- in late spring or early summer, after the tree has finished its flowering cycle. Catkins are formed on young branches (the previous summer's growth), so you need to give the plant time to send up vigorous new shoots in the current growing season to max out on catkins next spring. I don't know how fertilizing affects all this, but common sense would suggest that something like a 5-10-5 formula, given at the start of active new growth, would help the plant make strong shoots for flowering next year.
