Hello, does anyone feed their established perennials & if so, what products do you like? I have mostly xeric: columbine, valerian, lavender, agastache, yarrow, coral bells, salvia, etc. Also I would like to know if I should feed any of my native grasses. Thank you!
What Do You Feed Perennials?
valygirlgj
Apr 07, 2015
Xeric plants are used to growing in environments that lack nutrients. I do not feed my xeric garden, nor did I use Biotone when planting them and I always use Biotone when planting anything. As for the rest of my perennial beds, I use Espoma's Plant Tone. It's a slow release fertilizer that's organic. I like to feed, some people don't, it's all a matter of preference.
I mulch mine and that's pretty much it. I have been known to hit mine with a fish emulsion/seaweed combination but that's pretty much if I'm bored and have nothing else to do (grin).
I have so many tree roots in my garden that I think most of the fertilizer is sucked up as if by a straw! I have a friend who feeds with Miracle-Gro weekly. Her impatiens are huge and floriferous. There is one Miracle-Gro that doesn't have the huge nitrogen ratio, and I occasionally use it as a picker-upper; mostly I use Espoma Plant-tone organic to dress the bulbs after flowering and encourage greedy eaters like peonies.
Mostly compost, seaweed and fish emulsion, although I do use Osmocote at planting since it is time released and not effective until 70 degrees here.