fertilizing companies recommend feeding in both spring and fall

==>> did you expect anything else ????

have a soil test done.. amend pH ..no guessing here ... [contact your county extension office for tests]

and if you have an otherwise healthy soil.. the thing will probably never 'NEED" anything ... though a little this or that wont hurt ....

dont guess.. and dont think they are children that need to be FED ....

acid loving plants.. need an acidic soil.. NOT FOOD!!! .. do you see the dichotomy????

make sense ...

ken

ps: i bet you wont find an acid soil company.. lol ....

Thanks ken.
Yeah, I had followed the recommendations of the fertilizing companies for years. But after hearing, year after year, the complaints other gardeners have had with the products, I realized that I needed help from knowledgeable people instead of the guy at the garden store!!
Had the soil tested last summer at Virginia Tech's Soil Testing Lab. Came back with what they call slightly acidic (6.2, I think) soil. I decided to go with the 'Red Sprite', since that seemed to be the pH they liked. Ok, so no food unless their ribs start showing!
Thanks again for the help.
gary

If you have deer, there may be another reason to avoid fertilizing where it is not needed. The deer left my Red Sprtes and Jim Dandy alone for several seasons until I used fertilizer (Holly Tone). Searching online I found sources that indicated that the salt in fertilizer makes plants attractive and even irresistable to deer.

Lower the pH of your soil a bit more and improve the nutrients with coffee grounds as a top-dressing mulch.

split rock, thanks for your comment about salts. I just read that organic hollytone does not have fertilizer salts. Hope this helps.