jennie,
Do you even know that your trees need fertilizer? Most don't.
Nobody is toting fertilizer to the billions of 'em growing in the forest. Most in residential setting get plenty more than they'd get in 'nature' from the homeowners' applications to the lawn.
Your best bet would be to have a soil test done to determine if there's any particular mineral/nutrient that is lacking and then supplement that.

Thanks..........

Have something going on with 1 of our new planted (2 yrs.) JM's & hoping it will pull out of it. This is the 2nd (different species) JM planted in this area. They do good for a few yrs. & then die ! The bark on this one don't all look normal & the arborist claims it has disease areas on it. Says to fertilize it & hope.

Had an arborist here yesterday & he says, we need to fertilize all trees with a good fertilizer !

We have many new planted trees I planted when we built on this lot. They have been planted about 3 yrs. & some are new with in the last yr. ! Some are just lacking in the leaf size & not doing as well as the others of the same species. Not sure ? I know out of 5 hemlocks, 2 look normal & good. They are all mulched.

Was looking for a pellet type fertilizer for plants, shrubs, trees, etc in our beds b/c I do the the yard trees to something from the grass fertilizer, but not 100% b/c some of the yard trees don't look great........hemlocks & forest pansy redbuds !

Have some trees that have bark damage & hoped some fertilizer might help.

Just wondered ???

Thanks

trees dont need fertilizer .... and that snake oil salesman is just trying to take your money ....

have a soil test done .. and amend your soil if necessary ... that does NOT mean fertilizer ...

if the trees are in or near a lawn that is fertilized.. they will get more than enough nutrients from that ...

are your plants deeply and properly watered???? if not.. no amount of fert is going to help them ...

ken

Sounds like Ken would be happy to come over the next time the arborist visits and kick his rear for you. LOL

I say use organic fertilizer... whatever you use on the lawn will feed trees as well... alfalfa pellets that you buy from animal feed store is great. Every few months will help with growth. To say that trees in the forest grow without fertilization is pretty dumb statement. Totally different environment than trees on lawns. MASSIVE nutrient cycling in the forest. Not so much on the lawn... that's the key.

naw.. no but kicking ....

silent mocking... requests for the basis of said opinions.. lots of eye rolling ..... giggling .. chortling... lol

bottom line.. a little of this or that... balanced 12-12-12.. 40 pounds for 10 bucks at wallyworld.. is just fine...

NEVER WASTE MONEY ON TIME RELEASE .... it engineered for potted stock in the nursery industry ... they will gladly sell you 40 pounds for 120$ ... thats $110 more than the other ...

yeah yeah lou .... let me be more specific ... trees in forest dont need MAN MADE FERTILIZERS ... mulch your lawn clippings.. and your trees are well on their way to cycling all that free fert ...

and if you fert the lawn.. any self respecting tree will get what it needs ...

if there really is a problem with your trees ... other than the simple need to love them to death ... then have a soil sample done.. and amend you soil accordingly .... no tree needs fertilizer ... build the soil.. and the trees will build themselves ...

and any alleged professional that willy nilly recommends fertilizer without first recommending a soil test... is a snake charmer ....

send me the money he wants to charge you.. and in 10 years.. your trees will be the same as if you give him the money ....

ken

Unless displaying obvious signs of nutrient deficiencies, plants established in the landscape do not have high nutrient demands and rarely need fertilizing. Often, just the periodic reapplication of an organic mulch is all that is necessary to maintain sufficient nutrient levels - afterall, the layering of organic matter is exactly what occurs in nature by way of nutrient replenishment. That not all your plants are necessarily perfoming up to your expectations may have a lot to do - and generally does - with reasons other than fertilization or the lack of it. Root condition at planting, prior care at the nursery before purchase,current soil conditions, watering levels and even the amount of relative sun/shade can have variable effects on performance.

Also, it is a pretty widely accepted convention that one never fertilizes a plant under stress or ailing in any manner. Not sure where your arborist is coming from, but he's off base with that comment. And fertilizer will do absolutely nothing for bark damage :-)) Remember, the purpose behind applying fertilizers is not to "feed" the plants - they manufacture their own food through the process of photosynthesis - but rather to "feed" the soil or the vast numbers of microbes that actually provide plant nutrients. A good, nutrient rich soil is generally all the fertilizer you will ever require. When in doubt, test your soil and then provide specific nutrients according to the test results.