Fertilizing

Question

I live on the Texas gulf coast. I have two ”tulip” trees that are 8 years old.
They put out massive amounts of flowers in May.
When and what should I fertilize them with?
Thanks

Answer 1

If your tree is doing well then it doesn’t need fertilizer according to Texas A&M Horticulture Extension. If you fertilize your lawn, then some of this is being picked up by your tulip poplar. Excessive fertilizer, particularly nitrogen, results in fast but weak growth. Forest soil is often very rich from decades of decomposing leaves and wood, natural compost. If you wish, you can use a spreader to apply compost to the lawn. Remember that tree roots extend beyond the drip line by about 50%. That means if it is 10 feet from the trunk out to the edge of the branch tips, tree roots extend 15 feet from the trunk. (This is also important to know when watering.) Allowing grass clippings to remain on the lawn to decompose is another way to slowly add fertilizer. If your tree were doing poorly, I would suggest a soil test to determine what, if any, nutrients are deficient. Fertilization of a healthy tree is not necessary. There are products specifically labeled for trees
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tulip-tree/growing-tulip-trees.htm
https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/earthkind/landscape/fertilizing-woody-ornamentals/