Improve soil for healthy fruit trees

In this article, an expert looked at ways to improve the soil’s ability to supply more water and nutrients to fruit trees.

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Since the absorption of water and nutrients by fruit trees is vital to their maintaining a productive and healthy life above ground, fruit growers must ensure they alleviate the factors in soil that impair such absorption.

“The larger the root system, the larger is the store from which trees can absorb and utilise water and nutrients,” says Jan Lambrechts, a senior soil-science lecturer at Stellenbosch University.

ESTABLISH SIZE OF ROOT SYSTEM

There are several soil factors that are important in determining the size of a root system. “Most of the limiting factors can be improved to ensure a larger and more effective root system,” he says.

How successful you are at alleviating limiting soil factors depends on the permanency of the improvement, the ability to manipulate land or orchard practices after the improvement in order to prevent the problem from redeveloping, and the sensitivity or adaptability of the specific plant to the limitation.