If you used a Miracle Gro soil that contains fertilizer (and I believe all of them do), then you do not need to add more this season. What's already included is treated to be slow release - like the Osmocote - and should last for the full growing season or about 6 months.

FWIW, I use Osmocote in all my permanent containers - trees and shrubs, etc. - but only once a season, applied in early spring. Applied too late in the season - like now - will encourage growth that has insufficient time to harden off adequately before cold weather. At most, these may get a bit additional when I use a liquid fert on my other, single season plantings. I consider it more of an either-or situation but not necessarily both :-)

The phosphorus level in 'balanced' fertilizer (14-14-14 or anything that has the same numbers for all three) is much too high. P is just going to flow out of the bottom of the pot and build up in your soil.

Thank you so very much for your responses# Why do you suppose they make so many like that? Its seems like such a waste of product for one thi g.

Anneelena

For the same reason they make bloom boosters with insane levels of P, people buy them. Garden writers have been telling people that they need them for ages and the companies make a lot more money off people that are convinced that they need one fertilizer for vegetative growth, another for blooming, yet another for orchids, a completely different on for vegetables, succulents yep that's another formulation. It's marketing BS.