Should I Remove Wood Chip Mulch Before Fertilizing?

Q: Is it absolutely necessary to remove the wood chip mulch from my shrubs before I apply granular fertilizer? 

A: It is not necessary. The fertilizer will gradually be dissolved and washed down to the roots of your shrubs. On the way down, some of the nutrients will be captured by the wood chips as they break down. But as the process of decomposition goes on those nutrients will be gradually released.