TIPS ON PRUNING AND FERTILIZING
While the olive harvest is very advanced, even finished in many cases, there are partners who are already thinking about the next tasks to be carried out in the olive groves. These could well be pruning and fertilizing.
Regarding PRUNING, it should be remembered that it must be carried out adapting it to the state of the olive grove, being more intense and spaced in adult olive trees and vice versa in new plantations.
Regarding the SUBSCRIBER, it should be noted that it is still advisable to wait a while to consider any option, because being in winter standstill the olive tree does not take the nutrients that are provided with the fertilizer. This is especially important in the case of nitrogen., since it is a very soluble element in water, so it can be lost very easily with rainwater if the olive tree is not active to take it. This has two negative consequences: one that we are unable to make profitable the cost of fertilizers and another that areas of accumulation of these waters such as swamps or aquifers are contaminated. For these reasons, current regulations prohibit the application of nitrogen fertilizers., like urea, in the months of December and January.
To properly fertilize our olive trees you have to wait for the end of winter, starting a first application around the end of February or the beginning of March, according to weather conditions. In this, amino acid-based products should be applied through the leaf. Later, when the temperatures start to rise, both soil and leaf can be fertilized with a complex fertilizer, that has various types of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium; or a mixture of simple fertilizers such as urea with others that complement it. Usually the first option is usually better, since it is easier to handle and apply in the field. It is also a good solution to use compost, that in addition to being a fertilizer provides organic matter that improves the characteristics of the earth.
Always keep in mind that it is not better to add more kilos of compost, but what is provided is what the olive tree needs at the right time.
To delve into this and other matters or resolve any questions, go to the technical services of the Cooperative.
