Nutrient Management - Growing Organic Orchard Fruits - page 411

60 pounds of N per acre ÷ 0.12 = 500 pounds of blood meal fertil-
izer per acre
67 kilograms per hectare ÷ 0.12 = 558 kilograms of blood meal
fertilizer per hectare
In this example, we decide to split the fertilization into two applications in
order to reduce the amount of nutrients that are lost from the soil by leach-
ing and volatilization. We will make the first application as the buds begin
swelling and the second 1 month later. It is common practice to split the
application of rapidly available fertilizer materials, such as blood meal. For
materials that are available to plants at moderate or slow rates, the entire
amount of fertilizer is usually applied at once, allowing plenty of time for it
to become available to the crop.
Amount of fertilizer for less than one acre. To calculate the amount of fer-
tilizer needed for orchards smaller than one acre, you can easily convert the
rate per acre to the rate per 1,000 square feet or the rate per tree.
One acre contains 43,560 square feet. Tocalculatetheamountofnitrogen
per 1,000 square feet (an area 10 feet wide by 100 feet long), divide the re-
commended rate per acre by 43.56.
500 ÷ 43.56 = 11.5 pounds of blood meal per 1,000 square feet
(11.5 lbs per 1,000 ft 2
To calculate a per-tree rate , divide the number of trees per acre, based on
your planting density. Say, for example, that your apple trees are 6 feet apart
in rows 12 feet apart.
6 feet in rows × 12 feet between rows = 72 square feet per tree
43,560 square feet per acre ÷ 72 square feet per tree = 605 trees
per acre