Well, IÂll give you my opinion. First off, no, you need not, should not be fertilizing your trees every month. It will not help the trees at all, and if they do grow faster from the excessive fertilizing, the growth will be very weak and unhealthy. Of course Moon Valley says you should use Moon Dust every month, theyÂre the ones selling the product. They would love for you to use a bag of Moon Dust a month and keep coming back for more.

However, I donÂt want to make this a discussion about Moon Valley. So hereÂs my advice on fertilizing. First, you need to know whether the fertilizer youÂre using is a quick release fertilizer or a slow release fertilizer. IÂm not a fan of quick release fertilizer. If used incorrectly, or too often, it will burn the roots of your plants (especially young plants). If you use a slow release fertilizer, you should only be fertilizing three times per year in order to achieve months of healthy growth. Fertilize once in early spring, again in early summer, and one last time in early fall. Whether you use a quick or slow release fertilizer, be sure to use only the recommend amount. With fertilizer, more is not better  itÂs worse.

I should also mention that IÂm a huge fan of organic gardening. This is one reason for my personal bias against Moon Dust and all other chemical fertilizer. If youÂre not in love with Moon Dust, and would like to give your trees the best care available, I highly recommend going completely organic. Organic fertilizers have never been more readily available. ScottÂs Miracle Grow brand is now offering a fairly extensive line of organic products called, Organic Choice which are available through your local LoweÂs store. In my opinion, Organic Choice is not the best organic product on the market, but it may be the only one available locally; most of the other organic products must be ordered online. For your trees, you could check out Miracle Grow Organic Choice All Purpose Plant Food. It a 7-1-2 slow release completely organic fertilizer.

IÂm having good success with my organic program, and IÂm in the process of trying Organic Choice products on my own trees. You can find more information on organic gardening and tree care at www.dirtdoctor.com

Dave

I would agree with what Dave said. I also am trying to use more organic products in my yard. How much you fertilize depends on the plant. Most plant recoommened it twice a year spring and fall Others require it more frequently such as roses. I'm having really good luck with manure.I put about 2 inches of it into the existing soil and blend it in. Granted it smells quite ripe in my yard the day I put out the manure but it seems to be working very well. Don't forget to water well before and after applying whatever fertilizer you do use. I really like a couple of books as references and those are Arizona Gardening by Mary Irish and Extreme Gardening How to grow Organic in the hostile Deserts by Dave Owens.
I would be very careful with miracle grow and some other fertilizers.Over fertilizing has ruined severl of my plants in the past. Another good organic fertilizer is Fish Emulsion oil.