Anyone Planning to Fertilize Shrubs After this Freeze?

March is a good time to fertilize shrubs in the Deep South - we are almost there. Guy was likely applying a slow/delayed release fertilizer formulated for shrubs/trees which releases nutrients slowly over several months - in contrast to rapid release vegetable fertilizers like 8-8-8, 13-13-13.

You can certainly wait until you see new growth beginning to emerge if you want but I plan to fertilize shrubs (BR) by mid-March. I also use delayed/slow release fertilizer.

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You certainly wait until you see new growth beginning to emerge if you want but I plan to fertilize shrubs (BR) by mid-March. I also use delayed/slow release fertilizer.

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What should u use for general bed fertilizer? I have azaleas, gardenias, hawthornes, lorapetalums, etc.

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What should u use for general bed fertilizer? I have azaleas, gardenias, hawthornes, lorapetalums, etc

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I personally use Lesco 14-14-14 general purpose fertilizer which is a slow/delayed release fertilizer - much, not all, of the nitrogen (urea) is coated with sulfur and sulfur oxidizing bacteria break down the sulfur coating over time and nitrogen is released - hence the slow release. I have a Site One Landscape Supply I can buy this at. These speciality shrub/tree fertilizers also have a good amount of micro nutrients.

That said, Ferilome Gardeners Special (11-15-11) is a good shrub fertilizer and it is carried by numerous retail garden centers, hardware stores, but not the big box stores. Honestly, any slow/delayed release shrub/tree fertilizer by any manufacturer should work fine. I personally wouldn’t get hung up on brand name.

Gardenias, in particular, are acid soil loving plants, and to a lesser extent azaleas. If you have a basic soil (pH > 7) addition of a little elemental sulfur to the beds can assist in lowering the soil pH over time.

Thanks I’ll check the site one by me. We planted all new beds...transplanted some....and want them to get a head start this spring.

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Jumping in with a different shrub related freeze question... for some that are showing freeze damage is it better to shake off dead leaves and prune now, or wait for a little bit for it to warm up some before pruning?

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I think you can go either way if you are indeed sure a branch is obviously dead - the cambium layer under the bark when you scratch it back gently is brown (=dead) vs green (alive). If it’s obvious to me a branch or part of it is dead, I remove that section then and there. Just be aware certain plants, citrus being a good example, that sections branches may continue to die back from the freeze damage over a couple/few months. So you may have to go back and remove more dead tissue.

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Ferilome Gardeners Special (11-15-11) is a good shrub fertilizer and it is carried by numerous retail garden centers

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Is that the little pellets that you sprinkle around the base? That’s what I have.