Properly Timing Foliar-applied Fertilizers Increases Efficacy: A Review and Update on Timing Foliar Nutrient Applications to Citrus and Avocado
Foliar fertilization efficiently meets the nutrient demand of tree fruit crops during periods when soil conditions (low or high temperatures, low or excess soil moisture, pH, salinity) render soil-applied fertilizers ineffective, when nutrients (e.g., phosphate, potassium, and trace elements) become fixed in the soil, and when tree nutrient demand is high. Applying nutrients directly to leaves ensures that the metabolic machinery of the tree is not compromised by low availability of an essential nutrient. It should be noted that phloem mobile nutrients applied to the foliage are translocated to all tree parts, even feeder roots.
