You know that nitrogen fertilizer is what makes plants grow. The more you put on the lawn, the more mowing you will have to do; and the more you put on shrubs, the faster they will grow. Up to a certain point, encouraging vigorous plant growth is a good thing. But if plants are still being pushed when hot dry weather gets here in the summer, the plants will need an adequate water supply to maintain that lush growth.
That does not necessarily mean that we should not fertilize the landscape or lawn. What it does mean is that we should avoid using excess amounts of fertilizer (which costs us more money, too) and we should try not to have a lot of nitrogen available to the plants in mid-summer.
If you fertilize at all, do so sparingly. Apply the slow-release nitrogen to the lawn by the first of March so it will run out by early summer. Fertilize shrubs in February or March. Flower and vegetable gardens are an exception because the summer months are generally when you need the plants to be growing. Of course, the vegetable garden needs to have about one inch of water each week anyway.
For more information, contact Buncombe County Cooperative Extension at 255-5522. |
