in my world.. its a waste of money ...

after that.. one might argue that annual growth is genetic .. and more food isnt going to change that ... of course.. just like steroids ... you can force things to grow more... but that can lead to problems...like having to prune them more.. lol ...

also ... for most of us... such are planted either in the lawn .. or right next to it.. and if you fert your lawn [another waste of money on some level] .. and sooner or later the plant will put its roots under the lawn ...

all that said.. if you already have some .... a balanced fert like 12-12-12 ... not a lawn 30-3-3 ... and i makes you feel good ... throw a tablespoon in a 3 foot circle around the plant ... yes. that little imo ... and make the plant work for it.. not near the crown or trunk ...

just keep in mind.. they are not children that need to be fed ... thats all in your head ...

ken

kens right, if you soil is good and you know that, you don't need to add anything.

Out where I used to live, the soil was very sandy and really low in organic matter, so that even the native trees and shrubs didn't perform as one would expect. So all my thinking about fertilizer stems from dealing with that. Hence the soil test suggestion.

When I planted flowers or perenials in the old yard, I would start by going to a part of my land where the ground was more of a clay loam that had nice black organic matter and would haul loads of that to amend the planting areas. Made all the difference.

To the original question, moderate fertilization, early in the season, at least in the sandy loam soil where I live now, makes a visible difference in the health and vigor of the plants that I grow, mostly flowers and trees.

Soil nutrients, especially nitrogen, can become depleted over time so advice to "never fertilize" can be misleading and unhelpful. Routine mulching with organic matter - compost, wood chips, leaves, etc. - is one way around that, provided your soil addressed all the nutrient (and pH) requirements prior to planting. Otherwise, monitor plant growth and health and foliage color and address with fertilizer as needed.

Best practice would be to do a soil test to see what if anything is needed. IME adding a mulch of organic matter in a large area around a woody plant is probably the most useful. It will release nutrients at a rate that plants can use them and has the added benefit of evening out soil moisture and temperature. If you are going to use rapidly releasing soluble fertilizers, as Bill and Ken suggested use quite small amounts early in the season. It is possible to overfertilize, and an imbalance of nutrients can interfere with nutrient uptake or cause excessive late season growth that doesn't harden off before cold weather and so is susceptible to damage. Also, some nutrients when applied in excess will simply wash away into ground water and surface water, leading to problems in waterways. Lake Erie, Chesapeake Bay, and areas of the Gulf of Mexico have all had issues caused by excessive nutrient loads.

It isn't just the soil that needs to be taking into consideration; different species have varying nutrient requirements for growth. Our soil is sandy with low organic matter. Some plants in my yard never need fertilizer to thrive; Metrosideros, Senna, Acacia, Grewia, Agonis, Sweet Bay. Some need just added nitrogen: some of the Australian natives. Most of the rest get a balanced fertilizer, but plus additional magnesium is needed by the Pink Trumpet Tree/Handroanthus, or the leaves will begin to show deficiency symptoms. I only fertilize once or twice per year. That is not sufficient for the daylilies. The daylilies shrink from thriving plants to a few struggling leaves over the course of 3-4 years. I'd probably have to put them on a regular 6 week fertilizing schedule to get them to thrive.

So the answer could range from no difference to vast difference, depending upon the plant species, your soil and the fertilizer analysis.

In general, use no fertilizer for trees and shrubs. Of course, in the event of a soil deficiency fertilizer may be necessary.