Expert: nick mccann - 12/14/2009

Question
I Have A Couple Of Fruit Trees That I Wanted To Put On Bigger Pots And My Question Was Can I Mix In Steer Manure In The Bigger Pot. I Seen The Steer Manure At My Local Hardware Store It Is A 1 Cubic Foot Bag And Was Thinking Mixing It With Another Cubic Foot Of All Purpose Soil. Will That Be Ok For The Fruit Tree Or Is It Bad For It?

Answer
Hi Oscar, I wouldn't put it in a container, for it will eventually begin to cause the soil to compact in the pot and you will run into drainage problems; a container with a fruit tree needs to be a potting (not topsoil..) mix that will drain evenly and allow water to reach all parts of the root system. Manure provides Nitrogen for the most part, and this can be obtained through proper fertilizing. Nick