Q: Now that I own a business and have a three-year old daughter, it is tough for me to remember when to fertilize what. What are your views on the slow release fertilizers applied every 3-4 months? Most have a high nitrogen content.

A: Osmocote, Dynamite and others are excellent slow-release fertilizers. They cost a bit more, but they allow you to fertilize once per year and then forget about it. The nitrogen number is higher because plants need more nitrogen than anything else. The percent of nitrogen in each granule is very high, but is released slowly as water and bacterial action dissolve the chemical into the soil.