Daily gardening tip · Northern hemisphere · Monday 31 August 2026 · late summer
Stop Fertilizing Woody Shrubs
Feeding your shrubs late in the season can actually harm them when winter arrives.
10 minuteseasyfeeding
Check the labels of your garden fertilizers to identify any that are high in nitrogen.
Put these high-nitrogen products away in storage for the rest of the year.
Identify the woody shrubs in your yard, such as roses, boxwoods, or hydrangeas.
Withhold all nitrogen-rich fertilizers from these shrubs from now until winter.
Water the soil around the shrubs deeply instead to keep them hydrated.
Why it works
Nitrogen encourages plants to produce fresh green leaves and stems. In late summer, woody shrubs need to stop growing and allow their existing branches to harden and mature. If you feed them now, they will grow tender new shoots that will freeze and die during the first winter frosts, which weakens the whole plant.
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