Bob, have no idea why this caution was presented on the fert bag. Commercial landscapers here in Atlanta metro will soon be ripping out their summer beds and replacing with pansies, as they have year after year. I'm sure those beds number in the thousands. That wouldn't be happening if the fert advice was sound.

Twenty flats must put on quite a show!

Rest easy, IMO, Rosie

Thanks, Rosie. That was what I thought. I've never bought this particular fertilizer before. The man at the nursery where I bought the pansies was pushing it because it's especially for pansies. Normally I use an ordinary 10-10-10 or Osmocote.

Thanks again.

Bob

Everything you ever wanted to know about caring for pansies from UGA Cooperative Extension Service:
http://www.caes.uga.edu/publications/pubDetail.cfm?pk_id=7840

"Avoid using fertilizers containing high amounts of slow-release ammoniacal nitrogen."

The bulletin tells how to prepare the bed; then how to maintain it.

It seems that the diseases may be worse during warm weather, so dig up and replace with other bedding plants before warm weather in the spring to avoid the fungus among us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Success with Pansies in the Winter Landscape: A Guide for Landscape Professionals