Why are you digging up actively growing conifers? Fertilizer won't help that.

probably because he has 300 plants in a yard big enough for 100.. and figured out.. he might get more by using cement surfaces for pots.. lol ....

are you cutting roots ... or moving babes ...

i would never apply fert to freshly cut roots ...

on the other hand.. i would never fert a new transplant ...

personally ... i would not fert until next spring ... if you can get them to live thru winter.. in pots ... in my MI.. pots can not go into winter over-fert'd or the plant may not slow down and harden off for pot/ground freeze ... and thats a big problem ... but i am positive your z7 is not the same..

trees just arent heavy feedings like annuals/perennials ... and you really shouldnt be watering as heavily... so as to be washing ferts out the bottom ...

and besides ... you arent trying to grow them giant for quick sale.. so dont go overboard with such ...

there is a container forum.. but i dont know if those peeps are as nice as us ... lol

ken

Thanks. I'm making room for other plants. Will the tree continue putting out it's new growth this year or is that it till next year.

As someone who grows a great many trees - including conifers - in containers on a permanent basis, let me make a couple of comments :-)

Yes, you do want to fertilize but maybe not immediately. Anything grown in a container will need routine fertilization regardless of what kind of plant it is. That is just the nature of container culture. There is no way for containerized plants to access any nutrients other than those supplied by the grower.

I'd wait until the tree has stabilized from any transplant shock and then use a dilute liquid fertilizer every couple of weeks. Save the Osmocote for application early next spring.

And yes, you do want to water thoroughly when you do, until the water flushes through ALL the media and runs freely from the bottom of the container. As experienced container gardeners know, this flushes any salts build-up out and makes sure all the media - and therefore plant roots - are adequately hydrated. And the need for watering containerized plants is much greater than those planted in the ground. Even in my very mild summer climate and with large containers, I water thoroughly several times a week in summer. In a hotter summer area or with smaller sized pots, that could bump up to a daily need for watering. And any watering, even regular rainfall, will wash nutrients out of the soil mix and those will need to be replaced.

"Thanks. I'm making room for other plants. Will the tree continue putting out it's new growth this year or is that it till next year."

I'm betting further growth will stop and the new stuff may harden off by end of season. Of coarse all this depends on the amount of roots that are lost in the transition. I've seen new growth turn brown on conifers that were moved at the wrong time of year, then set new buds for next year. But that may not be the case with dwarfs and minnies where more of the root system can be spared. idk.