Boxwood is easy to grow Evergreen plants. It requires a little care & fertilizer. However, when the leaves tarns to yellow or marked yellow edges or in the spring it can show symptoms of nitrogen deficiency- It will require fertilizers. Here, we have reviewed the best boxwood fertilizers for greater growth.
Remember Richie Rich from Cartoon Network where the Rich Mansion had a big dollar shaped design made entirely of boxwood? Even if you don’t want to decorate your house with a giant dollar sign, you can use boxwood to decorate a heavenly entrance to your garden.
With the lush foliage of boxwood, you can even add structural pathways in your garden, divide rooms and even design a massive labyrinth.
However you decide to use boxwood for landscaping activities, you will be needing the best fertilizer for boxwood to grow them not only looks good but is also resilient.
What Types of Fertilizer is Best for Boxwood?
Fertilizers come in three different forms. Each form has a unique application and functionality. Depending on your growing needs and the type of plant that you are considering to grow, fertilizer will vary. The forms are-
Liquid Fertilizers:
Most of the time, liquid fertilizers are made of inorganic substances industrially. They are liquefied with water and can be applied as simple as watering your plants. We don’t suggest using too much liquid fertilizer for your boxwood as it can burn the shrub and leave it discolored. It is also likely to damage the foliage and ruin your entire landscape.
Powder Fertilizers:
Unlike the liquid state, powder fertilizers are dry in form. Powder fertilizers show a remarkable result that is sustainable in the long run. Powder fertilizers hold both organic and inorganic substances in its blend. You will see powder fertilizers mostly used for acid-loving plants.
Granular Fertilizers:
These small pallet shaped fertilizers are dry and can be applied on top of the soil. By applying water, later on, the fertilizer gets absorbed slowly over time. These are the best fertilizers for a plant that needs long term nutrition supplements. Granular fertilizers are mostly organic but they are available in synthetic form as well.
Among these three types, the best fertilizer for boxwood is the granular ones. Liquid fertilizer is likely to burn your boxwood and ruin its color. Messing up your entire landscape in the process. While powder fertilizers are decent organic fertilizers, they are highly appropriate for acid-loving plants more than shrubs. Leaving us with slow-release granular fertilizers that not only is completely organic but also keeps your boxwood healthy for a longer period.
Best Boxwood Fertilizers Review
While shopping for fertilizer, fix the purpose and look for one that performs accordingly regardless of the price.
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Boxwood Restore & Protect Mix – Stops and Prevents Box Blight – 10 Tablets/1000ft2
Did you know that boxwood blight doesn’t show any sign of development in the early stages of the plant? You might order boxwood in a nursery and don’t even know whether it is affected by blight or not. Which might cause you a lot of money and effort in the long run.
Thankfully, TOPBUXUS has come up with an amazing solution with this fertilizer. This fertilizer will not only prevent blight from spreading but also will cure the ones that are already affected. Saving you a lot of time and trouble.
The fertilizer comes in small tablets and you will find applying them quite effortlessly. Each box of fertilizer contains 10 tablets and will cover most of your boxwood.
The fertilizer is completely chemical-free. All-natural ingredients within this fertilizer will help you to mimic the natural soil environment where you can let your boxwood to grow and thrive.
Key Features
- The best solution for curing and protecting boxwood against blight.
- Effervescent tablet fertilizer that is easy to apply.
- Contains no chemical and is completely natural.
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PT18 Plant Tone, 18-Pound by Espoma
Boxwoods can be grown for a variety of reasons. You can grow them for landscaping, create an entryway or a formal hedge. Whatever you decide to work on, this all-purpose premium blend by Espoma will assist you greatly.
The blend features biotone formula which promotes bigger growth for your boxwood. The blend also enables your plant to bloom brightly. With the help of this all-natural fertilizer, your landscaping game will thrive.
Will the fertilizer last though? You bet it will! As it is slow-release fertilizer in type, you will find this fertilizer effective for a longer period. Forget about fertilizing too often as you emphasize more on the landscaping part.
Another great thing about this fertilizer is its multipurpose use. As the bag contains 18 pounds of it, you can use the excess amount to grow other plants such as vegetables, flowers, and shrubs to add diversity in your landscaping.
Key Features
- Features biotone formula for bigger growth of boxwoods.
- Slow-release fertilizer that lasts for quite a long time.
- All-purpose fertilizer which can be used to grow a variety of plants.
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(13-3-4) Evergreen Fertilizer Spikes, 15 by Jobe’s- For Spring
A splendid fertilizer that gets the job done by nourishing the root of your boxwood. The root is a vital part of any plant as it is responsible for carrying processes like photosynthesis. And this evergreen fertilizer does a great job of taking care of the root.
The amazing thing about this fertilizer is that it is completely smell-proof and won’t give out any kind of smell while applying. Also, applying the fertilizer is quite minimalistic and won’t create any messy situation.
You should know that boxwood root, the portion above the surface level always active and growing. By tending to this part, you can enhance its growth rate and will be able to grow a healthy-looking boxwood.
With the help of this fertilizer, you can continuously supply needed nutrients to this root level.
The fertilizer utilizes slow release formula which will be durable for most of the seasons. They are easy to insert and perform effectively.
Key Features
- Enhanced root nourishment for growing durable boxwoods.
- The minimalistic application creates no mess
- Smell-proof and won’t create any hazard.
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Shake ‘N Feed Flowering Trees and Shrubs Plant Food, 8 lb.by Miracle-Gro
Did you know that microbes play a vital role in improving the nutrition count of minerals in soil? In a natural environment, these microorganisms receive their food naturally through the eco-system. However, growing boxwood is a slightly different scenario.
Surprisingly, Shake ‘N Feed Flowering Trees and Shrubs Plant Food by Miracle-Gro does an amazing job in feeding the microbes in the soil as the fertilizer contains natural ingredients.
Shrubs like boxwood enjoy acidic nutrients compared to other plants. These acid-loving plants need a good amount of dosage to boost their growth and keep themselves adaptive to the external environment. And with the help of this fertilizer, you can do just that and more as you can use it to grow a wide variety of acid-loving plants.
This continuous release fertilizer will supply your boxwood with much-needed nutrients. You can expect the fertilizer to last for about 3 months. Which is enough to care for your precious shrub all season long.
Key Features
- Continuous release fertilizer that covers an entire season.
- Quality fertilizer that is appropriate to grow acid-loving plants.
- Contains organic nutrients to feed microbes.
- Helps to develop colorful bloom for your boxwood.
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701700 12 Month Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Granules, 4-Pound by BioAdvanced
What’s the point of growing boxwood if it doesn’t give out the desired color you want? The entire point of landscaping and growing boxwood is to decorate your property with an elegant looking plant.
If that is the case, the 701700 12 Month Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Granules will be glad to help by promoting vibrant color for your boxwood.
With countless natural ingredients, this fertilizer will be promoting lush foliage for your boxwood. This further enhances your landscape’s visual elegancy and helps to decorate your property with healthy-looking boxwood.
The fertilizer is quite efficient to use as adding it once per season will be more than enough. An ideal time to apply will be between late fall and the start of spring. One dosage is enough and you will see the fertilizer yielding remarkable results.
Key Features
- High-performance fertilizer that promotes vibrant color.
- Includes natural ingredients that provide necessary nutrients supplement.
- Diverse fertilizer that can be used to grow acid-loving plants too.
- Effortless to use and promotes strong root development
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Natural Epsom Salt (Original) 16oz by HEALTH SMART
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Epsom salts are known to grow shrubs that have enhanced green color. They also help plants like boxwood to grow bushier. And the magnesium sulfate within them promotes plants to grow healthier. This Natural Epsom Salt by HEALTH SMART is an all in one package that offers everything you need to grow boxwood.
Using Epsom salt is a price-efficient method to develop the growth of your boxwood. If your budget is tight and you need an alternative to fertilizer, this might be your best choice. Why waste money on expensive fertilizers when you can use Epsom salt instead?
The salt can also be used for a variety of purposes. Growing flowers full of fragrance and tending to the lawn will be easier than ever with the help of this Epsom salt.
Key Features
- Helps to grow bushier and greener boxwood.
- A price-efficient solution that yields good results.
- Has multipurpose use.
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VPG Inc BAC421 20Lb Tree & Shrub Food by VPG
If not applied correctly, fertilizer may result in harm without even putting any positive effect. One environmental problem associated with fertilizer is that it may result in contamination of the water when it mixes with phosphates and nitrates.
Thankfully, this scientifically formulated fertilizer has a penetration system. What this does is helps the fertilizer to flow directly towards the feeder roots. Resulting in a clean application where all of the fertilizer gets absorbed.
You won’t even need to dig any holes while applying this fertilizer. As digging holes around the root to apply fertilizer may sometimes damage the root, you can kiss this risk goodbye.
Now boxwood is quite fragile while in necessary and in growing seasons and with the help of this fertilizer, you can efficiently take care of them.
Key Features
- Scientifically formulated fertilizer that works remarkably well to grow boxwood.
- Has an auto penetration system where fertilizer reaches directly for the root.
- Doesn’t require any hole to be applied.
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Citrus & Avocado Food 10-6-4 4lb by Lilly Mille-Best Fertilizer for Spring
Lilly Miller’s Citrus & Avocado Food is an amazing solution to your boxwood’s growth and prosperity. Boxwood is prone to a variety of weather conditions such as winter boozing. The only thing you can do to ensure the survivability of your plant is to provide it with natural ingredients.
As this fertilizer contains all-natural nutrients, you will find taking care of your boxwood a lot easier.
Boxwood needs essential minerals to grow healthy and protect itself from external harm. Absent of minerals such as iron makes boxwood leaves to grow yellowish. While Japanese boxwoods are spider mite resistant, most boxwood needs protection against these mites.
Citrus & Avocado Food contains most needed boxwood minerals to give your boxwood a fighting chance against these issues.
This fertilizer comes in three shapes and sizes. Pick the 4lb one which is estimated to last for at least a season. The 6lb is the ideal choice while 10lb one should be picked up when you don’t want to shop for fertilizers too often.
Don’t worry about the durability. As the fertilizer will be effective for quite the time regardless of the size of the bag. Which reduces wastage and keeps you ready to take care of your boxwood whenever necessary.
Key Features
- Contains essential minerals that are much needed for boxwood to grow healthy.
- Comes in a variety of bag sizes to give you more option.
- All-natural fertilizer that creates a healthy environment for your plants.
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Multi-Purpose (6-2-4) Professional Grade Granular Organic Fertilizer for All Plants, 7 LBS
Now this fertilizer by MicroLife SJES packs a hell of a punch inside of it. This extremely powerful fertilizer contains amino acid for enhanced photosynthesis, vitamins for root development, carbon for plant growth and so much more. It surely is a bang for the buck.
Whether you are a professional or completely new in the boxwood growing scenario, you will find this fertilizer user friendly. This fertilizer promotes stronger and larger root development. It also gives your boxwood improved water conservation while enabling them to withstand a variety of environmental stress.
Being a slow-release fertilizer, you will find this one to last for a longer period. Once applied, it will be enough to provide your plant with necessary supplements for at least three to four months.
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701910 12 Months Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Granules
While growing boxwood might not be that tough of a job, keeping one safe from insects sure is tougher. The 701910 Tree and Shrub Protect and Feed Granules do a remarkable job in keeping your boxwood safe from attacks of insects. Surprisingly, it will prevent further infestation and will continue to do so for up to 12 months.
In larvae state, Japanese beetles remain underground and feed on garden plants and their roots. Then there are emerald ash borers who also in the larvae state damages plant’s ability to absorb nutrients and water.
Other insects that are likely to harm boxwoods include leaf miners, adelgids, and fall webworms.
Thankfully, this fertilizer kills every insect mentioned above, and more too keep your boxwood safe.
The fertilizer also features rainproof protection which comes in handy during the winter season. Boxwoods are quite expensive to replace. Protecting them should be your top priority if you want to avoid additional costs. Boxwood is likely to get winter burn if it goes through temperature fluctuation quite often.
Key Features
- Keeps boxwood insect proof.
- Has rainproof protection for added defense against varying weather conditions.
- Comes with a built-in measuring cup.
- Applicable for potted plants.
Key Features
- Extremely powerful fertilizer that ensures peak performance.
- Filled with billions of microorganisms and rich minerals, your boxwood will grow and thrive.
- Slow-release fertilizer that ensures constant nutrition supplement.
- Multi-purpose fertilizer that can be used to grow almost anything.
When & Why to Fertilize Boxwood?
The best time to grow boxwood is between mid-spring and late fall. While growing boxwood during spring, you will enjoy the increased growth rate of your plant. And during fall, the boxwood will develop stronger roots so that they can sustain environmental stress without taking much damage.
Now that you know the ideal time to fertilize boxwood, you should also know that it is a terrible idea to fertilize them during summer or winter. Avoid fertilizing in summer as the excessive heat will reduce the effectiveness of your fertilizer.
A similar scenario is likely to happen during winter has the environmental stress is at its peak during this time.
And why won’t you apply fertilizer? There are thousands of reasons your boxwood will benefit from fertilizer. Fertilizers promote stronger root development, helps fight boxwood to fight diseases such as blight, protect them from the wrath of winter, and keep bugs away from harming them.
Growing boxwood is not an easy task and requires a lot of care. While they look graceful as landscaping plants, with the help of fertilizer, you will be able to boost up the growth while minimizing the risk involved in growing boxwood.
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What Feed is for Boxwood – Fertilizer Requirements?
What are some must need features that fertilizer should have for boxwood? While finding the answer to this question, we have to consider some factors.
Lush Foliage:
Fertilizer needs to have lush foliage growing capability. Being a shrub for landscaping, boxwood needs to have lavish growth. You can later trim it as you see fit to better decorate your house or garden. The more abounding the growth is, the better you can trim it to fit your preference.
Minerals:
Boxwood needs mineral to grow strong and healthy. Minerals such as iron maintain the color of your boxwood. Without it, your plant is likely to suffer damage while the leaves might turn green in most cases. Fertilizers that offer a variety of minerals should always be preferable.
Insect Repellent:
Boxwood is prone to insect attacks. Larvae of various bugs will latch with the root of your boxwood and absorb much-needed nutrients. Leading your boxwood to grow weak and ultimately death due to environmental stress. While shopping for fertilizer for your boxwood, look for the one that offers insect repellent.
Winter Protection:
Boxwood suffers the most during the winter season. If no tended correctly, they will get burnt and go through severe damage. As leaves start to lose moisture, roots find it hard to replace the moisture due to the soil getting frozen. To ensure that doesn’t happen, go for a slow-release fertilizer that will supply your boxwood with needed moisture constantly.
Blight Protection:
Boxwood blight is a disease caused by Calonectria pseudonaviculata fungus which is contagious. If you don’t take action earlier, it will spread and ruin your entire landscape. As blights are hard to identify during the early days, your only hope is a fertilizer that ensures blight protection.
Some fertilizers are proved to cure boxwood blight and prevent it from spreading further.
Durability
Boxwood takes time and patience to grow. Even after you completely grow it, you need to take care of it from time to time to ensure it visually remains the same. A slow-release fertilizer will always help as it provides necessary supplements to your boxwood for a longer period.
Price Vs Performance
As countless fertilizers are available online, it is hard to find the one that fits your purpose best. Expensive ones don’t always offer the necessary performance you are looking for from a fertilizer. While there are plenty of budget-friendly ones that will give you the performance that you are looking for.
How to Apply Fertilizer to Boxwood?
Boxwood needs fertilizer even if it’s fully-grown. Although different stages require different amounts and procedures of fertilizer application, with a little knowledge and care, you will find the process effortless.
Appling Plant Food in Growth Stage
This stage resembles when the boxwood is being planted. Simply prepare up a zone for your boxwood (they grow best in 6-8 zones), dig a wide hole that is twice in size compared to the root ball, and check the soil’s acidity (Ideal pH level is between 6 to7).
If everything is perfect, it time to position the boxwood inside the hole. Be cautious and don’t disturb the root. Once the boxwood is placed, fill 1/3 of the soil with compost. Add garden soil to cover up the rest of the hole and apply your granular fertilizer above it.
Lightly water the plant for now and keep watering every week during summer and spring.
The fertilizer will dissolve with the water and slowly release nutrients which will then be absorbed by the root of your boxwood for maximum effect.
Appling Plant Food in the Mature Stage
Applying fertilizer during the mature stage of your boxwood is comparably easier. When you feel that your precious boxwood needs fertilizer, using a tape measure, find out the width of your boxwood. A general rule of thumb is, for each foot of width, you need to apply about 1 cup of fertilizer.
Simply sprinkle granular fertilizer around the drip line and water it gently. This is pretty much about fertilizing your boxwood in the mature stage.
Fertilization Tips on Spring
If you are a newbie and want to grow boxwood to decorate your household better, here are some pro tips that you might find useful.
- The best time to apply fertilizer to your boxwood is during late fall.
- Granular fertilizer is the most ideal form of fertilizer applicable for boxwood.
- Applying fertilizer near the drip line will yield the maximum result.
- Using too much fertilizer will result in a burn and will mess up the color of your boxwood.
- Thoroughly irrigate your planting area, apply mulch, and then apply fertilizer for better results.
FAQ
- What is the best boxwood for landscaping?
A: Golden Dream, Northern Emerald, Green beauty, and Franklin’s Gem are the best boxwood for landscaping. - How to prevent blight from contaminating boxwood?
A: Applying fertilizer during the nursery stage of boxwood will protect it from blight. - When to know my boxwood needs fertilizer?
A: Upon testing your soil, you can figure out whether your boxwood needs fertilizer or not. - What type of fertilizer is best for boxwood?
A: Granular fertilizer is the best among other forms of fertilizer for boxwood. - What is the ideal pH level of soil for boxwood?
A: Soil pH level between 6 to 7 is enough for growing boxwood.
Final Words
Landscaping with boxwood can be quite fun if you are well aware of what you are doing. By now, you might have enough knowledge to grow boxwood on your own. All you need is the best fertilizer for boxwood that suits your purpose of landscaping the best.
Don’t forget to consider the underlying factors before picking up a fertilizer online. As countless products might overwhelm you, the best one will be that which fits your landscaping purpose best. This will make your landscaping journey quite comfortable.
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