Q.Can Lawn Fertiliser Be Used On Plants?
My husband has put lawn fertiliser on my viburnum hedge and it appears to be dying. This may not be the cause but it seems like a heck of a coincidence.
It is hard to predict the outcome of your husband fertiiizer application on the viburnum. Although the actual numbers can vary considerably, lawn food usually has a NPK ratio of around 32-0–10. That means the fertilizer boasts of an active dose of nitrogen and potassium. An overdose can make levels of nitrogen and salts increase but it is hard to forecast what will happen accurately as there are too many factors to consider. A typical application to the lawn will obviously result in grass roots growing stronger and deeper.
Viburnums, on the other hand, can do without fertilizing unless there is a deficiency in the soil it is planted in. Too much nitrogen in the soil can result in a lot of vegetative growth and very few blooms. Applying even more fertilizer than that to a viburnum in dry soil can cause fertilizer burn. Fertilizer burn is the result of over fertilizing plants or applying fertilizer to wet foliage. Fertilizers contain salts, which draw moisture out of the viburnum. When you apply excessive amounts of fertilizer to plants, the result is yellow or brown discoloration and maybe root damage.
At this time of the year, it is hard to diagnose. In some locations, viburnums may be putting as fall foliage in preparation for winter. Fertilizer burn yellowing would occur about 1-2 days afterwards. You can manually remove the excess fertilizer and then try to dilute it with deep watering. More info:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/what-is-fertilizer-burn.htm
