Fertilizer – Burning Garden

Q: I broadcasted 13-13-13 granular fertilizer on some of my perennial beds and have made a mess. My monardas, mums, oriental lilies, hostas, hydrangeas, and black – eyed Susans are all showing signs of burn. Will the flowers survive or have I destroyed them? What should I do?

A: You can’t do much once the fertilizer has been applied and watered in. If you want to do some work, you can dig up the plants, wash off the dirt from the roots, remove 3 inches of the bed soil, replace with good planting soil and replant the plants. If you don’t want to work you could try scraping the dirt from around each plant. Right now, only time can tell whether or not the plants will survive.