A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer.
When plants start looking unhealthy, it’s tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious signs of a nutrient deficiency—but fertilizing should be one of the last steps, not the first. Taking an “order of operations” approach can save you time, money, and unnecessary fertilizer applications while helping you identify the real problem.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Watering
Start by evaluating your watering practices. Both too much and too little water can cause symptoms that look remarkably similar to nutrient deficiencies. Overwatered plants may develop yellow leaves, while underwatered plants often wilt, scorch, or stop growing. Before assuming your plants need nutrients, make sure they’re receiving the right amount of water for their species, soil type, and the current weather conditions.
You can also help your landscape make the most of every watering by maintaining a 2–3-inch layer of organic mulch around plants (keeping it a few inches away from trunks and stems). Mulch helps conserve soil moisture, moderates soil temperature, and reduces evaporation, meaning your plants stay hydrated longer between irrigation events. And don’t forget to follow your local watering restrictions when irrigating your landscape.
Step 2: Test your Soil pH
Next, test your soil pH. Soil pH plays a major role in nutrient availability. Even when essential nutrients are present in the soil, plants may not be able to absorb them if the pH is too high (alkaline) or too low (acidic). In other words, adding more fertilizer won’t solve the problem if the nutrients are effectively inaccessible. A simple pH test can reveal whether adjusting the soil chemistry is the best next step.
UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County conducts pH testing every Friday morning. Contact your local Extension office to learn about the testing services available in your area. If you need a more detailed analysis, you can also submit a sample to the UF/IFAS Extension Soil Testing Laboratory. Learn more about collecting samples and our testing services here: Soil Testing at UF/IFAS Hillsborough County Extension
Step 3: Fertilize—If Needed
Once you’ve confirmed that your watering is appropriate and soil soil pH is in the proper range, you can consider fertilizing. Before applying fertilizers, be sure you understand any local fertilizer ordinances or seasonal restrictions. In Hillsborough County, the application of nitrogen- or phosphorus-containing fertilizers is prohibited from June 1 through September 30. If you live elsewhere, check your local Florida Fertilizer Ordinances before applying nutrients to your landscape.
When fertilizer is appropriate, choose the right product, apply it according to the label directions, and only use it when it’s truly needed. Compost is another valuable tool for building healthy soil. Adding compost to planting beds improves soil structure, increases organic matter, and supports beneficial soil organisms. You can even recycle leaves and yard debris back into your landscape through composting or a “chop and drop” approach.
A Healthier Landscape Starts Here
The next time your landscape looks like it needs a boost, don’t let fertilizer be your first instinct. Remember the landscape order of operations: water, test, fertilize—if needed. Following that simple sequence is the first step toward healthier plants, healthier soils, and a healthier Florida landscape.
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