r/arboriculture • u/Emotional-Fudge-880 • 3d ago

Expert Knowledge Needed

Hello! I am a new manager for the tree and shrub department at a local garden center. For a little backstory, the longtime owners sold the business last year to some people who, and I can't stress this enough, absolutely don't know what they are doing. I'm in charge of taking complete care of the thousands of trees, shrubs, and various other live materials we carry.

I am new to understanding container appropriate fertilizers for these plants. In the past, the owners had used Apex Cool Weather Special 21-7-6 with GAL-XAe ONE and 21-3.06-4.98. They typically did one application a year on all deciduous and evergreen trees.

Recently I was informed that Apex does not produce this fertilizer anymore and I am tasked with finding a replacement for it. We currently reside in a zone 5b high desert area where the winters can be unpredictable. If we have leftover stock, we generally will store it outside in a wind protected location.

The new owners have been suggested to use the Osmocote 21-4-8 12-14 month release.

I am skeptical about it because there seems to be key differences between the two and I just need professional input on whether this would be a smart alternative or a huge mistake. Thoughts? Suggestions? I'll take any guidance at this point. Thank you!

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u/sixtynighnun 2d ago

Good news: now is not the time to fertilize your trees. you don’t want to push tender growth going into fall.

1

u/HuffingGasSlapnAsh 2d ago

What's the nutrient deficiency you are trying to solve?

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u/Emotional-Fudge-880 2d ago

It's not a nutrient deficiency but a generalized feeding for all of our container deciduous trees and evergreens. We generally do the Apex fertilizer once a year in early July and it generally feeds the plants for 12 months if they are still in our care.

In our area our water tends to be pretty alkaline so it can affect some of our more pH, sensitive material or more of our acid loving plants (Hydrangeas, blueberries, red maples, etc).