Which zone 9? 9a (North Florida) or 9b (Central Florida)? In both zones, this is winter. Plants will lose leaves (even in warmer 9b), go dormant, look a little puny. Plants in Florida, just like plants in other climates, need a rest period. Fertilizing this time of year can force out new growth will be damaged when there is a cold snap, and there WILL BE cold snaps.

I personally don't fertilize anything planted in the ground or houseplants from October 1 to March 1. If I plant veggies in January, I add plenty of compost to the soil to feed them through until March. Since plants don't grow that much in cooler weather, they don't use that much fertilizer.

Interesting, I live in 9 b and plants still have leaves, are growing and blooming. I have summer squash and green tomatoes. I have read what you say, but if the leaves and soil show deficiency? And, compost is not that easy to obtain.

My particular zone 9 is a mild section of USDA zone 9b in Central Florida. I'm assuming that is the case for you as well, but feel free to correct me if I am wrong.

Most years, I follow a similar rule to dirtygardener and don't fertilize during the dry season. I have made exceptions over the last 3 years for plants I obtained in the summer since our fall weather over the last few years has been relatively mild almost right up to January, this year not included. I primarily grow palms and tropical fruit. I don't grow typical garden crops such as squash and tomatoes. It's a different ballgame.

If you do fertilize, it's best to use slow release and know that a plant in active growth will be more susceptible to cold injury during our arctic outbreaks. January and February are often the months where we get our worst cold.

Thanks for the reply - very helpful. Would you tell me the name of the fertilizer you are using.

I custom blend Florikan fertilizers.

If your area had as much rain as we did, it could have washed away a lot of the nutrients.

It sounds like I'm with Steve. Ive had a palm and cycad nursery for 32 years in central Florida. Palms want fertilizer release all the time. I'm using 360 day Nutricote on most everything. On the cycads I don't use Nutricote on, I'm using a Cycad Special. The winter rate is half the amount as the summer rate. You give the plant energy during the winter, which all these plants want, but without forcing new leaves out.

Really helpful answers. Plantsman - what is a Cycad Special? I am sort of at mercy of big box stores, but did see Amazon sells Nutricote for around $5 a pound. Is that a reasonable price or is there a better place to get it if I buy large amount? And, I seriously need something better fit the sagos So again, what is the Cycad Special?

I can get a 50 pound bag of Nutricote for $65. $5 a pound is too much. The 18-6-8 I use but in a 180 day formula is relabled and packaged as Dynamite and is sold at HD. Last time I saw it, the tubes they sell go for about $3 a pound.

This is an article on using fertilizers on cycads and at the bottom has a page that explains more about cycad special in particular.

http://cycadjungle.mysite.com/cycadjungle/fertilizer.html

Bought the 180 Nutricote but no instructions were on bag as to how much to use. would instructions the Dynamite product be comporable to o es for Nutricote? I have 4 sago that are 7 - 8 feet tall with 11” dia.trunks and 3 more that are 4 - 5’.

It should be the same, since they are the same product. The application rate is usually dealing with containers. It sounds like your's are in the ground. I use it at 1 tablespoon per gallon. You do not top dress this fertilizer, it has to be incorporated, or placed just below the surface. When calculating container size to in ground plants you have to figure the area you are covering and how big a container would be if it is the same size.

25 gallon containers are 24 inches across. 45 gallon container are 30 inches across. 65 gallon containers are 36 inches aacross. Sagos with a foot of stem is equal to a 25 gallon sized plant. 2-3 foot stems are like a 45 gallon plant. Above 4-5 foot stems are like a 65. So, given all this, for example, if your plant is the size of a 45 like I mention, you uniformly spread 45 tablespoons in a 30 inch circle and lightly cover with more soil, or sweep away a little dirt first and then put back over the prills of fertilizer. Does that all make sense? It does not help to use 65 tablespoons in a 30 inch diameter, and if you used 25 tablespoons in that 30 inch area, you would not be using enough.

Thanks Plantsman 56 for such a complete explaination and responding so quickly - much needed at this time. Just to clarify my understanding though- a stem would be measured from ground to where leaves begin and if you are figuring gallon size of in ground plant is this based on where you think the root would be spread, or the spread of the canapy, or perhaps figure it out from diameter of trunk?

I live south of San Antonio tx in zone 9 what does zone 9b