How to Measure the Number of Fruit Spikes to Put Around Your Apple Tree

Apple trees require routine fertilization for good growth habits and fruit production. Fruit spikes are compacted fertilizer for all citrus and apple trees (Malus spp.). The bottom of a fruit spike is pointy and the top is flat to facilitate driving the spike in the ground at the root zone for effective fertilizing. Measure your apple tree to determine the correct number of spikes to use, and apply the spikes in spring and mid-fall to provide year-round fertilization. Apple trees are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9, depending on the variety.

Cloth measuring tape
Garden rake (optional)
Garden hose (optional)
Hammer

Instructions

- 1
  Place the tip of a cloth measuring tape on the ground next to your apple tree's trunk. Stretch the measuring tape upward to find a place on the trunk that is 1 foot above ground level.
- 2
  Hold the tip of the cloth measuring tape on the tree trunk at the place that is 1 foot from ground level. Stretch the measuring tape horizontally to the opposite side of the trunk. Read the diameter of the trunk in inches on the measuring tape. Round up the measurement to the nearest whole inch if necessary, such rounding up to 5 inches if the trunk's diameter is 4 1/2 inches.
- 3
  Plan to install two fruit spikes if the trunk is 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Plan to use one fruit spike for each 1 inch of diameter more than 2 inches. For example, an apple tree with a 4-inch diameter trunk requires four fruit spikes.
- 4
  Lay the fruit spikes an equal distance apart on the ground around the circumference of the apple tree but at the tree's drip line. The drip line is below the outermost edge of the tree's canopy, where water from above naturally drips to the ground.
- 5
  Remove mulch, if mulch is present, from each drip line spot where you want to insert a fruit spike. Use a garden rake to remove just enough mulch so the ground is visible in those spots.
- 6
  Irrigate the cleared ground with water from a garden hose for a few minutes if the ground is very hard or dry.
- 7
  Place the pointed end of one fruit spike against the ground where you want to insert the spike along the drip line. Hold the fruit spike in place with one hand. Set the plastic cap that came with the fruit spike so it is on the top of the fruit spike. Strike the plastic cap with a hammer, inserting the fruit spike into the ground until its flat top is level with the surrounding soil. Remove the cap, and use the hammer to drive the fruit spike until its flat top is about 2 inches underground. Replace the mulch you removed from that fruit spike's location.
- 8
  Apply each additional fruit spike in the same manner you inserted the first fruit spike.

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