Fertilize shrubs in fall - Ask Extension
Should shrubs be fertilized in the fall? Is a 10 10 10 fertilizer a good choice? How do you know how much to apply?
Knowledgebase
Fertilize shrubs in fall #889437
Asked November 06, 2024, 1:44 PM EST
Should shrubs be fertilized in the fall? Is a 10 10 10 fertilizer a good choice? How do you know how much to apply?
Lake County Ohio
Expert Response
Victoria,
If fertilizer is needed, the best time to apply is late April or early May. It is too late now because plants will be going dormant soon and the nutrients will leach away over winter.
The best way to determine if fertilizer is needed is to do a soil test. This link explains how to obtain and use a test kit in Lake County, if you are interested:
https://lake.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/soil-testing
Most established plants do not need fertilizer unless they are showing signs of nutrient deficiency. These two factsheets do a good job explaining what, when and how much fertilizer should be used:
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/fertilizing-trees-shrubs/
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pdf/a-gardeners-guide-to-fertilizing/2014-09-29/a-gardeners-guide-to-fertilizing-trees-and-shrubs.pdf
Please let me know if you have further questions.
If fertilizer is needed, the best time to apply is late April or early May. It is too late now because plants will be going dormant soon and the nutrients will leach away over winter.
The best way to determine if fertilizer is needed is to do a soil test. This link explains how to obtain and use a test kit in Lake County, if you are interested:
https://lake.osu.edu/program-areas/agriculture-and-natural-resources/soil-testing
Most established plants do not need fertilizer unless they are showing signs of nutrient deficiency. These two factsheets do a good job explaining what, when and how much fertilizer should be used:
https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/fertilizing-trees-shrubs/
https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/pdf/a-gardeners-guide-to-fertilizing/2014-09-29/a-gardeners-guide-to-fertilizing-trees-and-shrubs.pdf
Please let me know if you have further questions.
Thank you so much for the reply!!! Nice to be able to get information from a trusted source.
On Nov 7, 2024, at 7:56 PM, Ask Extension wrote:
