If you have incorporated recommended
fertilizers and
pH adjustments into the soil during
preparation, you should not need to add fertilizers at
planting time. Actually, you can do more harm than good by
doing so.
Often fertilizers mixed in with plants at the time
of planting will
come into direct contact with the roots and
"burn" them i.e. the salts will pull the moisture from the
roots and kill them. The main immediate concern of the
recent transplants is adequate water to contribute to new
root growth and not nutrients.
There are now packets of slow release fertilizers which are
recommended for inclusion in the planting hole of trees and
shrubs. These are meant to release their nutrients over time
so as to avoid burning the roots.
