Don't Waste Money Using a One-Size-Fits-All Fertilizer — Here's What I Buy Instead for All My Spring Fertilizing

Applying spring fertilizer is the best way to give some love to all of your outdoor plants. From cool-season grass to potted pansies and everything in between, spring is a great time for fertilizer applications. Plants are waking up and beginning to expend some major energy as they grow, bloom, and produce. Give them a helping hand!

Applying fertilizer can be a little bit of a balancing act. Too much can burn your plants, and waiting too late in the year can harm them, too. Fertilizing Kentucky bluegrass in July can result in disaster. And if you don’t know what your soil is lacking, you could end up wasting your money on unnecessary fertilizer. (We recommend this comprehensive soil test from Amazon to help you determine nutrient needs.)

It can be tempting to use an all-purpose fertilizer for everything, but different types of plants need different things from fertilizers. I’ve compiled a list of go-to fertilizers for all your plants, so let’s dig in!

Understanding the Bag

Reading the back of a fertilizer bag can feel like trying to decode the Rosetta stone. Fertilizer numbers, or N-P-K numbers, are listed in various amounts and suit different types of plant needs. Firstly, the N is for nitrogen, P is for phosphorus, and K is for potassium. So if a bag shows 10-5-5, then that fertilizer contains 10% nitrogen, 5% phosphorus, and 5% potassium. The rest of the weight comes from filler, generally sand or ground limestone, and sometimes micronutrients.

These nutrients are critical for healthy plant growth. If your soil is lacking one or more of them, it can negatively impact plants. On the other hand, overapplication of fertilizer can burn or damage plants. It is a delicate balance and it is always advised to test your soil before buying any fertilizer, and to go low and slow once you know what you need.

Nitrogen (N) is responsible for the rapid growth of green leaves. Phosphorus (P) benefits root growth, flower, and fruit development. And potassium (K) helps the plant's overall function and vitality. Synthetic fertilizers work quickly and effectively, but they only feed the plant, not the soil. If you want to increase your soil’s health long term and all its beneficial microbes, organic fertilizers like compost, bone meal, fish emulsion, and other organic mixes are great options.

Best Spring Lawn Fertilizer

Lawns need some tender care after a long winter, especially if you didn’t fertilize last fall. As your lawn leaves its dormancy period, reintroducing nutrients will aid its spring green-up. Generally, Nitrogen is the nutrient that will be doing most of the work for spring lawns, especially for cool-season grasses. However, it is always advisable to check what your soil test says is missing. Not all soil is the same.

Cool-season grasses slow their growth as the weather gets hot, so it is critical to apply a slow release fertilizer in the spring so they don’t have excessive growth now which will deplete them during the summer. A gentle, slow-release nitrogen fertilizer from Milorganite can be found at the Home Depot. It is an organic fertilizer that improves the soil as it also feeds your grass. A broadcast spreader, which can be found at Amazon, will ensure an even application of fertilizer.

Best Spring Fertilizer for Acid-Loving Shrubs

Acid-loving shrubs like hydrangeas, camellias, azaleas, hollies, blueberries, and rhododendrons need a fertilizer that will keep that soil acidic and delicious (for them). Acidic soil has a pH lower than 6.5 with 5.5 being classified as ‘very acidic’. Most plants like a neutral soil (pH of around 7), but acid-loving plants won’t thrive in neutral soil. Feed your acidic shrubs with a nice organic fertilizer like Espoma Holly-Tone from Ace Hardware or your preferred garden center. It provides sulfur, bone meal, and beneficial microbes for your soil and is slow release so it won’t burn plants.

Not sure what your soil pH is? A simple pH test like this one from Amazon is a quick and easy way to determine how much work you need to do.

Best Spring Fertilizer for Vegetable Gardens

Vegetable gardens are a delicious addition to any yard. You can even grow a container vegetable garden on a balcony or patio! All those veggies need phosphorus to grow strong roots, productive flowers, and tasty fruits. Espoma Garden-Tone, available from Walmart, will give your vegetables and herbs the boost they need to get them through the growing season. It is gentle, organic and feeds the microbes in your soil.

Best Spring Fertilizer for Containers & Annuals

I love potting up a container of pansies as soon as the garden center puts them out. While snow is still occasionally in the forecast, it reminds me warmer days are ahead. Give your spring container plantings and a nice boost with a water soluble fertilizer. They are already established and growing, but can benefit from some extra nutrition in their new home. Miracle-Gro liquid plant food, available from Home Depot, is easy to mix into your watering can and is best applied every 2 weeks to keep those flowers popping all spring!

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