Fertilize a Holly: How, When and How Much? – Sow100
Nothing more beautiful than enjoying a beautiful vigorous holly plant with its very green leaves every season.
This is one of those plants that fills us with pride to see at the end of each year with its red fruits signaling that the most beautiful time of the year has arrived.
It is a species that hardly requires care and, on the contrary, becomes capable of adapting to almost all types of soil.
But if you want it to stay even better, the necessary care for this is to apply a good holly fertilizer system and we will tell you about the correct way to do it below.
Why is it important to fertilize holly trees?
The most striking feature of holly trees is evidenced by the wonderful contrast between their dark green leaves and red berries.Fertilizations help their colors remain vibrant, since many of the nutrients are involved in the formation of chlorophyll.
The correct application of the fertilizers also contributes to the growth of the seedlings being carried out correctly, vigorously and uniformly. And we cannot lose sight of the fact that a well-nourished holly will also be able to deal with any attack by pests or diseases.
How often should we pay the hollies?
Being a plant that is not very demanding at a nutritional level, it will be enough to apply a fertilization every year with some compound that is of balanced levels.
And this can be in the case of poor soils, because for fertile soils sometimes it will not be necessary, so you can ignore it.
Around the time of year, the range of time in which you can apply it is wide, since it accepts it well in autumn or spring. Here the only thing that is important is to ensure that it is done before the holly begins to sprout so that it starts it with all the necessary energy.
What Nutrients Do Hollies Need?
The main nutrient that it lacks is nitrogen, especially due to the loss that the soil usually has in times of sunshine. However, the use of a balanced fertilizer will be the best alternative to provide you with everything you need for life in general.
What type of fertilizers do holly trees need?
The ideal is to apply organic matter that is well fermented so that it occupies an excellent level of nutrients.But in addition to that, organic matter with these characteristics will also positively influence the number of microorganisms in the soil.
This will be beneficial in several aspects, such as the possibility of planting other species in nearby areas or improving water retention. Either way, there are some targeted fertilizer options for boxwood and holly species that you could also take advantage of.
Of course, since they are for commercial sale and have a certain chemical formula, you will have to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the letter. The good thing about these fertilizers is that you can choose slow release so that they are maintained throughout the year providing nutrients.
An excess of fertilization can be as or more harmful than a deficit. Don’t forget that with holly or any other species.
How do we prepare compost for holly trees?
The ideal fertilizer for holly trees can be based on well – fermented organic matter that is rich in nitrogen, as is the case with manure.
In this case, organic matter such as fresh manure is a material very rich in nitrogen, but its direct use on the holly is not recommended because it is a little unbalanced in the other nutrients.
In addition, if the animal from which it is taken has a health problem, this could affect the plant. The most advisable thing is to work it by compost preparing it so that it is decomposed anaerobically.
The procedure is quite simple. You will have to choose a space of the size you want and that is in the shade and free of moisture. Dig a hole and introduce a certain amount of manure into it, sealing it later with the earth that is left over when you open the hole.
It is important that this space is free of humidity because this reduces the operative capacities of the microorganisms and will slow down the process. After a month or so, you should be able to reopen the hole and find the manure in a state of fermentation suitable for your holly trees.
If in any way you want to save all this process, there is already the commercial sale of fermented manure in bags.
How do we detect if the holly trees need fertilizer?
The manifestation of symptoms due to nutrient deficiency in holly trees will be evident first in the leaves. These, which are usually a very pronounced green, could start to look pale and even yellowish.
On the other hand, when the holly frequently aborts its fruits, it may also be due to a lack of nutrients. In this situation, you should review the period in which you applied the last fertilization and assess if it is within the planning that you should.
If not, and if you don’t see any other signs of damage, such as when pests or diseases attack, it’s time to supply some compost. In very certain cases, it would be necessary to check the conditions of the substrate with a soil test to detect deficits, if necessary.
The holly is one of the least demanding plant species in this matter, but at the same time it is worth having them very well cared for to enjoy their beauty.
In the areas where they are found naturally, it is very unlikely that they will suffer from a nutrient deficit, since they are in optimal conditions for their growth. However, by adapting them to conditions like the ones you have at home, it may be necessary to help them a little with the food they require.
In the end, it is not an everyday job or something that you have to do very often, so you will be very capable of fulfilling it according to the recommendations that we gave you above, or not?
Bibliographic references
- Ilex aquifolium L. Family Aquifoliaceae, GM Galego – Micolucus – smlucus.org
- Ilex aquifolium L, R.Y. Cavero-Remon – 2018 – dadun.unav.edu
- Conservation of plants of forest interest, A Troncoso de Arce, M Cantos, J Liñán Benjumea… – 2010 – digital.csic.es
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