|
| Is it good time to fertilize the plants and shrubs (Arborvitae/boxwood and other outdoor plants). I was in the homedepot this weekend and I was told by one of the garden associate to fertilize in fall… I thought we need to stop their growth for winters as they go dormant.
Any recommendations on the fertilization schedule and the dormant oil application schedule? If yes am I too late now? what kind of fertilizer I should be using for these? Thanks in advance |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 27, 09 at 15:06
| first... why are you getting suggestions from a hardware store??? of course he wants to sell you stuff.. FROM THE HARDWARE STORE ... arbs are CONIFERS ... conifers NEVER need fertilizing.. unless a soil test indicates something is lacking in your soil ... boxwood are shrubs.. and i have no idea why you would fert them.. do you want to trim them more often .. the big difference between FLOWERING SHRUBS.. and conifers.. is how you prune them ... but you didnt ask about that ... always keep in mind... your garden is NOT your children.. or grandchildren ... plants need.. sun.. water.. and soil .... THEY NEVER NEED FOOD ... nor changing.. nor bathing... educating .. etc ... if you feel you must improve your soil.. add some compost.. and let the worms and ma nature improve your soil ... good luck ken |
|
| Unless you have some reason to believe they need fertilizing, I'd suggest forgetting that. If you want to add some compost, they'd probably appreciate that. Be sure your trees and shrubs are properly mulched. Mulch is a very important addition and can benefit your plants in many ways. |
|
| Thanks Ken abd Brandon for your feedback. Glad I asked it here and did not take a direct advice from the HW store. Brandon: When you say mulch. I suppose bark fall under the same category? Should I specifically get the mulch or the fine bark do the same thing? |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 27, 09 at 18:41
| mulch is a surface covering that moderates evaporation of water.. moderates the soil temps.... and reduces weeds ... IT CAN BE JUST ABOUT ANYTHING NATURAL .... and .. being natural .. will eventually turn to compost ... which will 'feed' your soil ... wood chips whatever product you can get at a price that pleases you.. should be just fine.. IMHO though.. please god.. dont buy colored stuff ... black mulch is bad [can get too hot in full sun] .. and red makes me puke ... good luck ken |
|
- Posted by gardengal48 PNW zone 8 (My Page) on Thu, Aug 27, 09 at 19:15
| IF it is appropriate to fertilize (and that can only be determined by a soil test or the plants indicating an obvious need), then the fall is an excellent time to do so, especially with hardy woody plants. Roots are in a period of active growth at that time and it has been documented that they are more able to access and metabolize nutrients then than at most other times of the growing season. You just want to avoid a high nitrogen fertilizer -- pretty much anything organic would work. Although I would never say NEVER (ken, ken, ken!!), established trees and shrubs seldom require supplemental fertilizing unless soil pH is marginal and chlorotic conditions develop. Anything applied to the top of the soil surface can be considered a 'mulch', although organic mulches like bark OR compost (or leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, etc.) are preferred and compost will provide an excellent, well-rounded, low grade nutrient source. If you mulch with compost regularly, you may NEVER (and I qualified that with a "may", ken!!) need to fertilize :-) |
|
| Under-fertilized trees, shrubs and other plants are very common in local plantings. Usually what they need more of here is nitrogen. The earlier extra hot weather appeared to have the effect of causing various specimens I see frequently to green up markedly, presumably due to an increase in nitrogen availability in the well-warmed soils. |
|
| I agree with what Ken and Gardengal said, and, to add to Ken's list of hated mulch, I hate white rocks. Hey Ken, if you ever get tired of the color of your mulch, I hear they have mulch paint, including a nice golden yellow color. LOL |
|
| Thanks you very much all of you for the wonderful advice... Really appreciate your help!! |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Shrubs Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.