When it comes to your trees and shrubs, early spring is the time for fertilization.
Before you fertilize, make sure your landscape problems can be cured by fertilization. Your plants only need to be fertilized if they are lacking nutrients. Many people mistakenly think fertilization heals all problems. It doesn't.
Sometimes a plant's problem could be something more obvious, like the lack of sufficient sunlight or water. But there are many other things that can cause problems that fertilizers will not cure, such as damaged roots, diseases and crowded root conditions caused by over planting or planting too near to concrete. It is best to have a situation evaluated by your landscaper before spending money on fertilization.
However, if you do need fertilizer, make sure it is applied properly for best results, particularly when fertilizing trees and shrubs. There are nutrients that are essential to plant growth. Finding out which nutrients are deficient is a key to best fertilization. Too high of a level of some nutrients can be detrimental to your plants.
Get the appropriate nutrient in a fertilizer. If you are replanting trees, fertilizer can help reestablish any loss of their root systems. If you are installing trees that have been potted, fertilizer can also help in reestablishing their root systems, although potted trees will not have as much root loss.
Also, by applying mulch around trees and shrubs that have already been fertilized, you can maintain the nutrient level longer, which will cut down on future fertilization.
| Iron | Carbon |
| Calcium | Hydrogen |
| Sulfur | Molybdenum |
| Zinc | Phosphorus |
| Manganese | Chlorine |
| Oxygen | Magnesium |
| Copper | Potassium |
| Boron | Nitrogen |
This is the time of year when soil problems can be readily identified. Before adding fertilizer and pesticides to plants that look unhealthy, have your soil tested for its pH level. You could have a dangerously high or low level of acidity or alkalinity in your soil.
If you do not know the ph level of your soil, a simple soil test can reveal any problems. Samples should be taken from various places in your landscape. Soils with either too much alkalinity or acidity can hinder the effect of pesticides and fertilizers.
The nutrients that are found in soil, such as iron and manganese are also greatly affected by pH levels. Nutrient levels can increase or decrease in soils with extreme pH levels, causing nutritional problems in your plants.
If test reveals either too much acid or alkalinity, it can be corrected by applications of lime or sulfur. These applications are easiest and most effective if done before installation of new plants this spring. Once your soil is set, you are ready to watch your landscape bloom.
Your plants need nitrogen more than any other nutrient and most soils do not provide adequate amounts. Not only that, but nitrogen, when present, must be in a form that the plant can use. It is not beneficial to plants until it goes through a release process.
When selecting fertilizers, you can choose from many brands and types of nitrogen. The two basic groups available are slow- and fast-release nitrogen. We recommend the slow-release because it provides long-term results and is not as harsh on your landscape as fast-release.
Here at some of the advantages of slow-release nitrogen:
 | More nitrogen is retained in the soil than with fast-release applications |
| Minimizes ground water leaching |
| Offers constant, steady plant growth throughout the entire growing season instead of the 4 to 6 weeks offered by quick-release sources |
| Protects turf from turf burn |
There are many choices of fertilizers within the slow-release category. Some of them contain both fast- and slow-release of nitrogen. Check out your choices before making a decision. A landscaper can tell you the advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds available.
"The green earth sends her incense up
From many a mountain shrine
From folded leaf and dewey cup
She pours her sacred wine."
-- John Greenleaf Whittier
This information is provided as a public
service by Alan Horticultural Enterprises, a full-service landscape management company.
Although we've been in business 20 years and service over 80 multifamily properties, we
maintain personal, one-on-one relationships with all of our clients to ensure customer
satisfaction. We are an environmentally conscious company, using EPA-approved products to
maintain healthy lawns that are beneficial for humans, pets and wildlife. If we can help
you with your lawn needs or questions, please call us at 630-739-0205.
ALAN HORTICULTURAL ENTERPRISES, INC.