Most fertilizer packages have instructions that give the amount and frequency of application. You can either follow those directions or feed half as much as directed but twice as often. After adding any fertilizer to the soil, be sure to water thoroughly to dissolve and dilute it to keep salts in the fertilizer from harming your plants.

Dry chemical fertilizers are usually the most economical buy. Slow-release forms save the most time. Foliar feeding gives the quickest response and ensures that all the nutrients are absorbed. Liquids or soluble powders can be added to the irrigation water. Organic fertilizers add organic matter as well as nutrients.

There are several effective ways to apply fertilizers:

Broadcasting. This method is best for spreading large amounts of fertilizer over a large area. You can fertilize lawns, trees, vegetable gardens and flowerbeds this way. You can spread granular fertilizers and bulk organic materials by hand or with a spreader device, such as a lawn spreader or crank-type hand-held spreader.

Banding. Banding is often used for rows of vegetables or flowers, especially to get plants started. Place the fertilizer in a furrow 2 inches to the side of, and 2 inches deeper than, the seed furrow. Placement of the band of fertilizer must be coordinated with the watering plan. For furrow irrigation, place the band in a furrow between the seed furrow and the irrigation furrow. With overhead sprinkling, place bands on both sides of the seed furrow. With drip systems, place the fertilizer under the emitter.

Side dressing. Side dressing is the placement of fertilizer alongside a plant or row of plants, usually midway through the growing period. It is often used to supplement the fertilizer applied at the time of planting.

Watering with fertilizer solution. Some fertilizers, clearly marked on the package as completely water soluble, are ideal for applying when you water. You can use this method with drip irrigation and sprinkler systems and for houseplant watering.

Dissolve a small sample of the fertilizer to see if it leaves any residue that could plug up your system. If it does, you have to strain the liquid or pour the dissolved portion into another container, leaving the residue behind.

For liquid fertilizers that do not dissolve cleanly, such as fish emulsion, apply the fertilizer with a watering can or injection device in a hose to avoid plugging filtered systems.

Soil injection is a specialized method of applying fertilizer solution that is sometimes used with trees. A root irrigator is inserted into the root ball, and water pressure forces the fertilizer into the root area.

Foliar feeding. Spraying plants with water containing fertilizer is known as foliar feeding. The leaves readily absorbed the nutrients, which can rapidly improve in the plant's condition. This method is often used to overcome deficiencies of micronutrients or to provide nutrients unavailable to the plant through the soil, such as iron and zinc.

Using slow-release fertilizers. Slow-release fertilizers last from several months to a couple of years in the soil. They are more expensive than soluble types, but are valuable where low maintenance is a goal. Select one that matches the crop you are growing. For example, when you're planting your annual flowerbed, select a pelleted fertilizer that lasts for four months. All slow-release fertilizers depend on dampness to release their nutrients; bury them in the soil or dig them into the surface. Don't leave them on the surface, or they will be less effective. When used with drip irrigation, place the fertilizer within the "onion" of damp soil.

That they encourage a rapid turnaround time between sowing and seeding and that they increase production yields but that they deplete soil fertility and promote polluted runoff are advantages and disadvantages of using fertilizers in the field.

Specifically, fertilizers give plants what plants needs as well as where and how they need it. Major field concerns about timing and yields get the cultivator's attention. But fertilizers in the field can require quite a bit of time and money spent on dealing with fertilizer side effects. For example, fertilizer applications often are accompanied by problems that must be addressed regarding soil food web population decline, soil fertility depletion and polluted nutrient runoff.

Yes, egg shells help trees grow.

Specifically, egg shells can be included in the compost pile. They break down in nutrient rich sources of calcium and phosphorus for tree roots. The compost is applied as a fertilizer or mulch, either way releasing calcium and phosphorus from the egg shells into the soil for intake by tree roots.

During the growing season is the time to fertilize camellias.

Specifically, camellias tend to grow between April 1st and September 1st. Generally, the time period is divided into three more or less equal feeding periods of six to eight weeks each. The second feeding period tends to begin between the middle and end of May and the third between the beginning and middle of July.

As a Camellia sets it's flower buds in August (in the Northern Hemisphere) a high Potash feed applied at that time will ensure prolific flowering the next Spring.

'Lilas' is a French equivalent of 'lilac' [Syringaspp].

The masculine noun 'lilas' means 'lilac'. Its singular definite article is 'le' ['the'], and its singular indefinite article 'un' ['a, one']. It's pronounced 'lee-lah'.

Fast acting and results oriented are advantages of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

Specifically, chemical fertilizers act nutrients quickly into the soil and into the plant's roots and circulatory system. Immediate results are seen in the growth of roots and shoots and the development of flowers, fruits and seeds. The same instant gratification can be achieved when chemical pesticides are used. Chemical pesticides kill the pest in question.

A balanced fertilizer is a good fertilizer for English privet (Ligustrum spp).

Specifically, a balanced fertilizer has an equal ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. An English privet has no need for greater amounts of any one of the three major nutrients that promote healthy plants and soils. In fact, more than important than yearly fertilizer treatments is the regular scheduling of pruning since the hedge grows quickly.

Three to four times per year is how often fertilizer is applied to mango trees (Mangigera indica L).

Specifically, fertilizer assists fruiting in mango trees. It therefore has to be applied just before the flushes of new growth. The last application is mid-summer since fall and winter fertilizer applications promote vegetative growth.