I never fertilize. Maybe because I am on septic or maybe because I have a 60 year old house that has top soil. My friends who bought new houses in neighborhoods have a heck of a time getting anything to grow on that compacted top soilless mess that is left behind. Maybe they need fertilizer.

Regardless if you must fertilize do a soil test first so you can do the right thing and I agree not to fertilize in the fall or winter.

Number-one job of new transplant=create a new root system. Studies have shown that roots respond to low-nitrogen environment. Therefore, little to no fertilizer in early going is indicated, since regrowing of root system is most important factor in plant survival.

Now, here is where it gets sticky: Fertilizing will indeed boost top growth-not what we want according to previous paragraph, but hold on: New growth, specifically new growing tips, send auxins, a type of plant growth hormone down to the roots to initiate root growth. So in this indirect fashion, higher fertility resulting in higher top growth will, in time, increase root growth. Capiche so far?

So why not just lay on the fertilizer, like all the guys that sell the stuff want you to do? First of all, fertilizers are primarily salts. Salts cause root dessication which is the last thing you want happening down there in the ground.

Tor mentions another key factoid-the type of soil you're planting into. If it's rich topsoil, there is hardly any chance that the plant will suffer for lack of this or that nutrient. If on the other hand, it is stripped out subdivision soil, ie. mostly subsoil, there may indeed be a host of nutrients in short supply. And remember this point too-nitrogen, the most important element in fertilizers, can nearly always be said to be in "short supply" in soils, simply because it is unstable in the soil, and furthermore, adding it to most any system will yield a growth response. But we're not looking for bushels per acre here. We just want reasonably happy, healthy plants, with reasonably decent rates of growth, etc. So in very, very many cases, no fertilizer will ever be needed. And that admonition you found somewhere to fertilize heavily the first year or whatever it said...........is almost pure bunk.

+oM

i NEVER fert trees.. shrubs.. nor conifers ..

start with a soil test... from your state Ag college ... usually the one with STATE in its name ...

and act accordingly.. if any amendments are required .. which i doubt ...

i am on glacial sand ... almost no humus... and i dont amend.. nor fert ...

look around you.. are there any old.. big trees.. who fed them for the last few decades.. no one.. as they dont need it ...

i suppose the website that claimed requisite heavy feeding.. also offered to sell it to you .. if so.. that should tell you all you need to know.. about their vested interest ...

ken

I've never seen a Little Gem that looked like that, lol. I totally agree that fertilization is not the way to achieve that.

Never fertilize heavily without specific indications this is called for. And use the specific formulation that will meet the specific need.

What everybody else has already said, but I would also ad that that other website you mentioned is probably a bad source for any further guidance. If they really made the recommendation you suggest, they just ain't real bright.