I am often asked what brand of fertilizer I like best, and the answer is “it depends.” It depends on what I’m fertilizing!
For container gardens of annual flowers, which are heavy feeders, I always sprinkle in a slow-release fertilizer granule when planting and I prefer Osmocote Plus “Outdoor & Indoor.” Four to six weeks later, I like to use a water-soluble fertilizer for my containers and my preferred brand is Fertilome “Rooting and Blooming Solution.” If your irrigation system includes a fertilizer canister, just add 4 Tbsp. of water soluble fertilizer to the canister and your flowers will be fed a little bit each time they are watered for the next week or so.
For my perennial flowers, raspberries, and the shrubs in my yard, my preferred method of fertilizing is to scratch some compost into the top of the soil early in the spring. Since this involves moving the mulch out of the way, scratching in the compost with a hand rake, and then moving the mulch back, I’m not good about doing it every single year, but I do try to fertilize my flower beds every 2 to 3 years.
Tomato plants are also heavy feeders and although I do try to sprinkle fertilizer around them every month or so, I don’t have a brand I really love for the tomatoes. If you have a tomato fertilizer you love, let me know and I’ll give it a try!
