Forsythias are real all-rounders. They grow in almost any garden soil and tolerate sun and shade equally. Additional fertilizer applications are not necessary. At best, an occasional fertilizer application can be useful for forsythia in the pot.
Should you fertilize forsythia?
Forsythias generally do not require any additional fertilizer as they are undemanding and thrive in almost any garden soil. If you have forsythia in a pot, occasional fertilizer can be useful. Mulching the soil in spring with natural materials is also helpful.
Forsythia are undemanding
Forsythias do not place any special demands on the soil. They also thrive when the planting substrate is poor.
To ensure the nutrient supply, you should prepare the planting hole properly before planting.
Prepare planting hole
Dig a hole twice the size of the forsythia root. Loosen the soil and mix in some mature compost or horn shavings. Nothing more is necessary to enable the plant to grow well.
Fertilize forsythia in the bucket
The roots of forsythia that are kept in a pot cannot spread and absorb nutrients from deeper soil layers. An occasional dose of commercially available fertilizer (€27.00 on Amazon) can't do any harm in this case.
However, it is even better if you simply transplant the plant in spring and place it in new soil.
More important than fertilizer: avoid waterlogging and drought
While the nutrient content of the soil does not play a major role, waterlogging and drought can severely damage the Forsythe.
Make sure that the Forsythe is not too wet. Too much moisture not only causes the roots to rot, but also promotes the development of fungal diseases. A drainage layer helps with very dense soils. It prevents waterlogging from forming in the root area.
If it is very dry, you should water the forsythia. You can tell that the plant needs water by the drooping leaves.
Mulching soil in spring
It is very useful to mulch the soil under the forsythia in spring. To do this, a layer of natural materials is spread.
The following is suitable as mulching material:
- Bark mulch
- Grass clippings (without flowers!)
- Sawdust
- Straw
- Chopped branches
- Leaves
Mulching eliminates the risk of drying out. The materials also provide additional nutrients in the soil.
Tips & Tricks
If the soil is already very depleted, you can rake some ripe compost into the soil in the spring after cutting. Even occasional fertilization with nettle manure does not harm the forsythia.