Why
Incorporate Phosphorus?
Phosphorus
is very immobile in the soils commonly found in the mountains of North Carolina.
When applied to the soil surface, phosphorus from fertilizer only moves down
a fraction of an inch each year. The graph at the right illustrates this phenomenon,
which is called phosphorus stratification. The result of this is that phosphorus
remains localized near the surface, above the active root system of the trees.
Many soils
used for Fraser fir are naturally low in phosphorus. New-ground sites usually
have little or no plant available phosphorus. Incorporating phosphorus into
the root zone before planting aids in tree phosphorus uptake and may greatly
reduce the need for large surface applications during the rotation.
Return
to the main phosphorus page
Phosphorus
is very immobile in the soils commonly found in the mountains of North Carolina.
When applied to the soil surface, phosphorus from fertilizer only moves down
a fraction of an inch each year. The graph at the right illustrates this phenomenon,
which is called phosphorus stratification. The result of this is that phosphorus
remains localized near the surface, above the active root system of the trees.