Shrub Fertilization

Fertilizers provide essential nutrients that allow plants to achieve their intended purposes. Properly applied fertilizer helps our trees and shrubs reward us with seasonal color, shade, wildlife habitats, and an improved home appearance and value. Either synthetic or natural fertilizers can be used to provide nutrients needed for plant growth.

Moyer Indoor | Outdoor attempts to balance the nutrients in your shrubs, not to over fertilize them. Excessive vigor, which is evident by lush, dark green leaves and long shoot growth, is often undesirable. Shrubs growing like this are more susceptible to cold injury, are more likely to be broken during wind and ice storms, and usually, require more pruning than plants having moderate growth.

Plants require 17 nutrients for normal growth. They draw carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen from the air and water. They absorb nitrogen, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, and sulfur from the soil. These last six elements are used in relatively large amounts by the plant and are called macronutrients.

Poor growth symptoms may be caused by inadequate soil aeration or moisture, adverse climatic conditions, improper pH, nutrient toxicity or deficiencies, or disease. Recently transplanted trees and shrubs often will not resume a normal growth rate until their root systems become established.

Moyer normally waits until spring to fertilize fall-planted trees and shrubs, and 6 to 8 weeks to fertilize plants installed in the spring.

Be sure to contact a Moyer Shrub Expert for more information and to start a plan for maintenance, growth, and beauty throughout the seasons and for many years to come.