Granular and Organic Topical Fertilizers
Granular and organic fertilizers containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (N-P-K) and possibly other macro and/or micronutrients are the most commonly applied broadcast fertilizers in Hawaii coffee orchards. These fertilizers are applied to the soil surface where rainfall or irrigation moves the nutrients through the soil, is taken up by roots hairs, and then utilized by the plant to promote and support shoot and leaf growth and berry productivity. But, actual fertilizer assimilation or the process by which inorganic fertilizers such as nitrogen, are taken up from the soil and converted to compounds used for growth and development, is quite complex. This document will not go into detail about this, but additional information about Hawaii soils, their composition, mineralogy, and their influences on assimilation can be found in CTAHR extension publications [161,164, 165].
Formulations similar to 10-5-20 and 14-7-28 have been created for coffee farming in Hawaii to address the basic nutritional needs of coffee trees prior to and during the coffee harvest. All-purpose, organic fertilizers (8-5-5, 4-6-4, etc.) plus bloodmeal (12-0-0) and sulfate of potash (0-0-22) can be used to supply coffee with N-P-K during berry development and ripening as well. Organic fertilizers can attract rodents so manage their population if they become a problem.
To avoid leaf loss and overbearing dieback, high yielding trees can benefit from additional nitrogen and potassium such as 21-0-32, potassium nitrate, or bloodmeal plus potash during young berry development and through the ripening phase (typically in the spring to late-summer months) [74] when the draw of nitrogen and potassium from leaf to berry is greatest.
Depending on soil and leaf tissue analysis results, calcium or calcium/magnesium-based fertilizers can be applied topically to amend soil pH over time.
Formulations similar to 10-5-20 and 14-7-28 have been created for coffee farming in Hawaii to address the basic nutritional needs of coffee trees prior to and during the coffee harvest. All-purpose, organic fertilizers (8-5-5, 4-6-4, etc.) plus bloodmeal (12-0-0) and sulfate of potash (0-0-22) can be used to supply coffee with N-P-K during berry development and ripening as well. Organic fertilizers can attract rodents so manage their population if they become a problem.
To avoid leaf loss and overbearing dieback, high yielding trees can benefit from additional nitrogen and potassium such as 21-0-32, potassium nitrate, or bloodmeal plus potash during young berry development and through the ripening phase (typically in the spring to late-summer months) [74] when the draw of nitrogen and potassium from leaf to berry is greatest.
Depending on soil and leaf tissue analysis results, calcium or calcium/magnesium-based fertilizers can be applied topically to amend soil pH over time.