Thinking about fertilizing your trees, turf, or garden for Memorial Day? Hold off until you read this first.

In the Phoenix area’s challenging desert climate, fertilizing without proper knowledge can actually damage your landscape. Overuse or mistimed applications can burn roots, stress plants, and waste money. Here's what you need to know:

🌵 Arizona Soil Is Unique

Desert soils are naturally alkaline, low in organic matter, and often high in salts. That means nutrients behave differently—and fertilizers that work elsewhere may backfire here.

🚫 More Fertilizer Isn’t Better

Too much nitrogen promotes weak, rapid growth that’s vulnerable to sunburn, pests, and drought stress. This kind of growth depletes plant energy and invites disease.

⚠️ Symptoms Can Be Deceptive

Yellowing leaves, poor flowering, or stunted growth don’t always mean nutrient deficiency. Problems like root compaction, poor drainage, or pathogens often mimic nutrient issues—and fertilizer won’t solve them.

🧪 Test Before You Treat

At Dendrology Consulting, we use on-site soil, root, and tissue testing to diagnose the true cause of your plant issues. We don’t guess—we test. Our mobile lab brings science-based solutions straight to your landscape.

"Fertilizer is a treatment—not a cure-all. Know what your plants need before you feed."