they are plants.. not children.. why do you need to feed them??

unless a soil test says something is lacking in your soil ... we usually recommend you not bother ...

and i seem to recall.. from your pix.. it doesnt seem like your garden is otherwise barren and in need of such ...

that said.. a LITTLE of this or that probably wont hurt .. some general balanced fert ... say a tablespoon or so scattered around ...

in my z5 .. i want things slowing down and going dormant ... if they go into freeze time .... .and ground freeze ..... in heavy lush green growth.. all that might be lost due to getting hit by freeze temps ...

but i suspect you wont be dealing with that extreme in your z8 ...

imo... it really is a waste of time and money ,... fertilizing plants in pots is where its really an issue .. because as you water.. it can wash out the bottom ..

ken

btw: if you plant near a lawn . and you fert your lawn ... sooner or later.. the plants will reach out under the lawn and get what little.. if any.. they need ..

I think it is a little late in the year less you encourage new October growth

Of course you can fertilize.........the question is whether or not you need to. Have you ever had your soil tested? That is the really the first step in deciding if fertilizing is even necessary. As ken alluded to above, fertilizing plants established in the ground is seldom required unless the plant growth (or lack of it) or a soil test indicates a nutrient need.

If you determine they do need some fertilization, September is not a great time to do so. Early spring, as they are pushing new growth, is ideal. Or wait until late fall, as the shrubs enter dormancy. And skip the "tablespoon or so scattered around" :-) One of the benefits of having a soil test done is that it will tell you exactly what you need to apply and in what concentrations.

This fact sheet may help : Fertilizing Trees and Shrubs

ok great, I knew that perennials you wont need to fertilize late in summer/fall but i didn't know with evergreens if you still could fertilize or leave it be until the spring. I did some tests on other areas, ill run a test on this area and put up the results so we can see if it is needed or not.

MY only reason for asking is because with the sandy sandy soil i am concerned i am not getting enough nutrients and everything washes away quicker. I may be completely inaccurate in my thoughts, but that was why i asked.

That IS a valid reason for wanting/needing to fertilize :-) Sandy soils often do not contain necessary nutrients in adequate levels, N being the primary lacking element. However, using a good organic mulch at a decent depth can often offset that need. And if N is the missing element, it is best to wait until spring to apply a N based fert.

I'd caution against using a home soil testing kit. They are notoriously inaccurate and will not tell you what you need to supplement with and how much and so essentially just a waste of $$. Spend the money and effort to have a professional soil test done and find a lab that actually tests for N......many do not.

gardengal, i just looked and my kit only tests the ph so i will need to get something else for this. Here is a kit by the same people who make my ph kit, would you say that might be somewhat accurate ? http://www.lusterleaf.com/nav/soil_test.html

and Ken.. they ARE my children ! haha

Nope - only the tests done by professional soil labs are accurate and will provide you with recommendations for appropriate supplementation. If you can buy the test at a garden center or big box store, it's not worth the money you spend on it!

For the general planting recommendations including approach to fertilization of an innovator and researcher with 50 years of experience click on Establishment of Container Grown Plants in the column on the right.

https://rootmaker.com/knowledge-center

Spring-like full flush of tender new growth due merely to fertilization quite unlikely. What could be a problem is if this species happens to be one that keeps growing late whether fertilized in fall or not, as do crape myrtles for instance. With fall fertilization having an undesirable effect on hardening off of late growth that is already present anyway. Otherwise fertilization at planting or within the first year after planting - including in fall - has significant benefits (see page accessed through site linked to above). Even crape myrtles should be fertilized from the start - if a soil test shows a need for it - just not in fall.

'However, Ken's broken record admonition that trees and shrubs are not children and should never be fertilized is bad advice. It depends entirely on your soils, climate, rainfall, and other factors.'

Not that ken needs any defense and can handle things on his own, I will say that I can understand him giving that advice. Since the dawn of time, trees have grown just fine with no one giving them anything. And with many inexperienced people believing that fertilizer is some kind of "fairly dust" that will fix anything and always give 'jack in the beanstalk' results. Well that just not true.

That said, there are plenty of things that a tree does not need, yet we do them, to enhance growth and make what we do to grow things more efficient. Fertilizer is just another tool in our tool box and if used properly as Embo points out, will yield improved results not realized without it.

But I can agree as in the case of a person that's entry level in tree care, there is so much more to learn about useful methods and remedies for successful growing than the exciting thoughts of possibly some increased growth without even knowing if it will help or harm the plant.

A tree usually won't die without fert but I've seen where the tree has died with it.