Fall Fertilization: The Secret to a Stunning Spring Landscape

Fall is just around the corner, and while we’re still enjoying the warm weather and sunshine, it’s the perfect time to start planning for the beautiful season ahead. As the days grow shorter and the nights get cooler, your trees and shrubs are quietly preparing for winter. To help ensure a vibrant and healthy landscape next spring, it’s important to give your plants the nourishment they need, now.  The best way to do that is with fall fertilization.

Key Takeaways:

• Urban trees and shrubs often require fertilization due to compacted soil, nutrient-poor subsoil, and depleted soil from lack of organic matter.

• Fall is the ideal time to fertilize trees and shrubs to ensure strong growth in the spring.

• The best type of fertilizer for trees and shrubs is a balanced fertilizer with a higher nitrogen content, such as 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio.

• The amount of fertilizer needed depends on the size of your plants and the strength of the fertilizer.

Do My Trees and Shrubs Need to Be Fertilized?

Not all trees and shrubs require fertilization, but it can be beneficial in certain situations. If your trees or shrubs are showing signs of stress, such as yellowing leaves or stunted growth, or you’re planning on doing some heavy pruning this fall, fertilization can help provide the necessary nutrients to boost their health, support the plant’s recovery, and promote new growth.

While trees in forests and woodlands can rely on the nutrient-rich soil they naturally grow in, trees in urban and suburban areas often face challenges due to:

• Compacted soil: This makes it difficult for tree roots to penetrate the ground, leading to waterlogging and nutrient deficiency.
• Subsoil instead of topsoil: Many urban and suburban areas in the Great Lakes Bay region use subsoil as landscape soil, which is often nutrient-poor and unable to support healthy plant growth.
• Depleted soil: Unlike forests, where fallen leaves and twigs provide a natural source of nutrients, urban areas often rake up this organic matter, leaving the soil depleted.

Why Is Fall the Best Time to Fertilize Your Trees and Shrubs?

While many people think of spring as the ideal time to fertilize, fall is actually the optimal season for nourishing your trees and shrubs. That’s because of something known as predetermined growth. Plants plan ahead for their next season’s growth based on the energy they stored up the previous year. Fertilizing in the fall helps them build those energy reserves, leading to a stronger, healthier plant come springtime.

What’s the Best Type of Fertilizer for My Landscape?

The numbers on a fertilizer bag represent the percentages of three essential nutrients:

• Nitrogen (N): Promotes healthy green growth.
• Phosphorus (P): Enhances root development.
• Potassium (K): Supports overall plant health and disease resistance.

For example, a fertilizer labeled “10-10-10” contains 10% nitrogen, 10% phosphorus, and 10% potassium. However, the specific numbers on a fertilizer bag aren’t as important as the overall ratio. While a 1-1-1 ratio fertilizer like this can be used, it’s generally not ideal for trees and shrubs.

Instead, opt for a fertilizer with higher nitrogen content, like one with a ratio of 4-1-2 or 3-1-2. All of these fertilizers are granular, meaning they come in a solid form and are not designed to be mixed with water.

How Much Fertilizer Do I Need?

The amount of fertilizer you’ll need depends on two things:

1. Size of your plants: Larger trees and shrubs require more fertilizer than smaller ones.
2. Fertilizer ratio: The numbers on the fertilizer bag indicate its strength. Higher numbers mean a stronger fertilizer, so you’ll need less than a weaker fertilizer.

As a rule of thumb, we recommend ¼ pound of fertilizer for shrubs up to 4 feet tall and ½ pound of fertilizer for shrubs 4-8 feet tall. For trees, use ½ pound of fertilizer for every inch of trunk diameter.

Keep in mind, the stronger the fertilizer the less you need. Always follow the specific application instructions on the fertilizer packaging for the most accurate dosage.

How to Fertilize Trees and Shrubs

Ready to give your landscape a boost? Fertilizing your trees and shrubs is a simple yet essential step to ensure their health and vitality. In fact, it’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Determine the amount of fertilizer: Use the guidelines we discussed earlier to calculate the appropriate amount of fertilizer for your plants.
2. Apply the fertilizer: Sprinkle the fertilizer evenly around the base of your plants. For shrubs, apply it just below their foliage. For trees, create a circle about 3-4 feet out from the trunk (known as the drip line).
3. Let nature do its thing: There’s no need to rake the fertilizer into the soil or mulch. Simply allow rain and natural processes to distribute the nutrients to the roots.

Give Your Trees and Shrubs a Head Start with Fall Fertilization

Fall fertilization helps ensure that your landscape remains healthy and vibrant throughout the year and it’s an investment that pays off in the form of beautiful, thriving plants.

If you’d rather take the guesswork out of fertilizing trees and shrubs and leave it to the professionals, Bay Landscaping is here to help. Our comprehensive landscape maintenance services include expert fertilization.

Call us today at 989-893-0000 to schedule a consultation and let us help your trees and shrubs flourish.