To find out how much to use, figure out roughly how many square feet your tree or shrub covers. See Water Wisely.Ī spruce that measures 10 feet across covers 100 square feet.įertilizer recommendations are usually given in pounds per thousand square feet. little to no rainfall), be sure to water your evergreens regularly through late fall. If conditions continue to be dry after you've fertilized (e.g.Never fertilize drought-stressed plants as fertilizer can burn stressed tree roots or push the plant to put on new growth when it does not have the energy.This can help evergreens tolerate winter and emerge healthier in the spring. If a plant is nutrient-stressed, a slow or timed-release fertilizer can be applied in late summer up until late fall.See Protecting trees and shrubs from winter damage. New growth is much more likely to suffer winter injury and dieback.This new growth may not have time to “harden off” (become acclimated to colder temperatures).Don’t apply fertilizer later than mid-July as this will stimulate new growth late in the season.The best time to fertilize your evergreens is before new growth expands, around early April in Minnesota, up to about mid-July. Generally, evergreens grow better when soil pH is acidic many nutrients may be unavailable to the plant when soil is too alkaline.ĭepending on rainfall, water evergreens through late fall. The soil pH can affect whether certain minerals can be accessed by plants for healthy growth. Test results will also provide information about your soil's pH (7.0 is neutral, less than 7.0 is acidic, and higher than 7.0 is alkaline). It is always best to submit a soil sample to the University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory before purchasing and applying fertilizer, as most soil already has sufficient amounts of phosphorus. Nitrogen is a mobile nutrient that leaches through soil and needs to be replenished most often. Usually the percent of nitrogen content (N) will be the highest number.A fertilizer analysis of 10-8-15 means the fertilizer has 10 percent nitrogen, 8 percent phosphorous, and 15 percent potassium.The three numbers on the fertilizer bag represent the percentage of N-P-K.A “complete” fertilizer - one that supplies the macronutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) - is often recommended.Fertilizer packages will include an analysis of the percentage of various nutrients and minerals that are included in the bag.
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