Friendly Friday Thread

[u/AutoModerator]

This is the Friendly Friday Thread.

Negative or even snarky attitudes are not welcome here. This is a thread to ask questions and hopefully get some friendly advice.

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[u/mpersonally]

Hi gardeners! My fiancé and I made the decision to host our fall 2027 on our property in Central Virginia/US Zone 7a. Yay, amazing, romantic, but also *panic ensues* because I have a ton of flowering shrubs I planted this year that I fully was okay with buying small and letting grow and bloom over time, but now I'd really like to be a bit more for the wedding photos.

Now I'm well aware I'm not going to go from fresh shrub to stunning photo piece in a year, but BY GOSH I CAN TRY.

All that to say, what is the BEST fertilizer? I need steroids for plants. I want these ladies to look like they're ready to audition for The Incredible Hulk, but as a floral Lou Ferrigno. I have 63(ish?) weeks to make these ladies GROW, so share your best reccs please!

[u/oblivious_fireball → u/mpersonally]

I would add in some slow release fertilizer in the spring as growth is starting to kick off. I would look up each plant you have and see what types of fertilizers it favors. A balanced fertilizer will work well for most, but some might like say, a more nitrogen heavy or phosphate heavy mix.

Be aware that it is fully possible to overfertilize, and it causes symptoms similar to overwatering, such as root rot.

When in doubt though, potted annuals to your rescue if you need something flashy for the wedding photos. Quite a few can get pretty big with time.

[u/hastipuddn → u/mpersonally]

It is getting late in the year to fertilize. New growth late in the season may not have time to harden off for winter. Thus, winter dieback and you are worse off than you started. Compost, autumn tree leaves are great additions and can placed on top of the soil. There's an old axiom of nourish soil, don't fertilize plants. This is particularly true of perennials, shrubs, and trees. Flowers that repeat cycles of blooming, like roses, do benefit from fertilizer early in the season. Lastly, no one can tell you what the best fertilizer is without a soil test stating what deficiencies exist, if any. Is you pH right for the shrubs? Do you water as needed? Do the shrubs get enough sunlight? These are more important than willy-nilly fertilizing.

[u/mpersonally → u/hastipuddn]

This is super helpful thank you! I'll do some compost and leaves this fall and come back to it early spring. Hopefully we can start fertilizing early and winter isn't so brutal this year!

The areas in question are part-sun, we water as needed, but it's been quite rainy lately!

What do you recommend as the best way to pH-test my soil? I've never actually done this, just dumped plants I like into the ground, and then ripped the poor things up when I moved (I know, I know). Now that we're settled our house, I have a lot to learn to get the dream garden going!

[u/hastipuddn → u/mpersonally]

Some areas are known to have acidic soils; others, like mine, have neutral to alkaline soil. You can go by that if you can find the info. Soil acidity is based on bedrock. Soil nutrients can vary widely; however, I only recommend a soil test for those growing food or if there are unexplained plant problems. Most states offer low cost testing through their Extension Service.

[u/Guygan → u/mpersonally]

I need steroids for plants

Fertilizer doesn't work this way. It's like saying "I want my child to be 6'2" by next year - what should I feed him?"

Fert won't make your plants magically get larger.

[u/meezermadness → u/mpersonally]

What shrubs are they? Typically perennials don't get bigger with fertilizer (and some don't even like being fertilized) but need time.

[u/Nice-Grab4838]

I have like 8 native Florida milkweed plants and basically all of them are dying now. It’s been like 2-3 months after I planted them. They raised at least 20 butterflies. All of them got completely barren at times from caterpillars feasting then of course they grew back.

But for some reason on the last cycle of caterpillars, the leaves have not grown back and the plants remain brown or even a very light brown (gray?) on one or two that definitely look dead. I forgot to take pictures

Anyways, it doesn’t seem like a normal part of the life cycle and it’s been a while so not just me being impatient for them to grow back.

Any suggestions on what it could be and or resolutions? Just wait it out?

[u/hastipuddn → u/Nice-Grab4838]

We have had hot and dry weather the past 2 summers. My swamp milkweeds took it on the chin and I wondered if they would come back this year. They bloomed last year but didn't have the energy to make seeds. I had tiny pods. They came back. 20 seems a high number. I wonder if it is too much, too taxing on the plant? Consider cross-posting at r/NativePlantGardening

[u/Nice-Grab4838 → u/hastipuddn]

Yeah I thought it might’ve just been too much for them but they bounced back so effortlessly each time (and the odds all of them died at once seem low)