FEEDING
Feeding a tree through the year
Order matters more than quantity. Lime first, manure two weeks later, chemical fertiliser two weeks after that. Pile it all on together and most of it is wasted.
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Lime in May, before anything else
Broadcast a liming agent around the base as the south-west monsoon approaches. It corrects the sourness the rain has caused, so everything you add next actually reaches the roots.
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Cattle manure in June
Two weeks after the lime, work in well-rotted farmyard manure — about 5 kg for a first-year tree, 10 kg in the second, rising to 20 kg and beyond as it matures. Never on the same day as the lime.
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Then the compound fertiliser
Another two weeks on, spread NPK around the drip line — roughly 200 g for a young tree, 250 g in the second year, more as it grows. Never against the stem.
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Micronutrients around September
A small dose of water-soluble micronutrients, given to the soil and sprayed on the leaves, fixes the pale, patchy leaves that manure alone will not.
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Feed again after the harvest
Once fruiting and pruning are done, repeat the whole sequence. That feed builds next season’s crop, not this one — skipping it is why some trees bear heavily one year and barely at all the next.
Not sure how this applies to your land?
Ask our nursery team