We carry fertilizers for lawns, indoor plants, outdoor plants and aquatic plants. They come in either liquid or granular forms. Our team of plant specialists has also developed our own line of fertilizers specifically formulated for the plants and conditions in our Northern Virginia Area: Merrifield Tree and Shrub Food and Merrifield Flowering Plant Food. Here are some of our favorite fertilizers by application. For all fertilizer products, always follow the application instructions on the back of the bag.
Lawns are heavy feeders and should be fed two to four times per year in our area, typically once in the spring and twice in and fall. This will strengthen their root systems and keep them healthy, thick and green.
To achieve the optimal fertilizer recommendations while seeding, follow these guidelines:
For detailed lawn care calendars, see our Guide to Year Round Lawn Care.
Working with the research conducted by Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, Merrifield Garden Center has developed lawn foods that are unique to our conditions in the mid-Atlantic area. Merrifield Select 14-18-14 seed starting fertilizer is designed to use when seeding or installing sod. It provides a balanced feed for overall lawn growth with an emphasis on root development to get your new lawn established. Order your Merrifield Select seed starting lawn food for delivery today here.
Developed in conjunction with our Merrifield Select seed starting lawn food, Merrifield Premium fertilizer is ideal for established lawns as it contains long lasting, slow-release nitrogen for a thick, healthy, dark green lawn, and sulfate of potash for drought resistance and turf vigor. Order your Merrifield Premium lawn food for delivery today here.
Milorganite is a fertilizer that is made from heat-dried microbes (bugs) that have digested nutrients found in wastewater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is slow-release and organic, containing 6% nitrogen, 4% phosphorus, 2.5% iron and less than 1% potassium. It is wonderful to use when fertilizing lawns due to its slow release properties (up to 8 to 10 weeks of feeding) and rich iron content that will help maintain your lawn’s green coloring. We carry milorganite by the 32lb bag at our two locations.
See our other lawn care products.
Merrifield Garden Center’s custom blended Merrifield Tree and Shrub Food is ideal for use on trees and shrubs, such as arborvitae, boxwoods, dogwoods and Japanese Maples. It is made with 75% long lasting, slow-release nitrogen to encourage steady vegetative growth and rich, vibrant color. It also contains micronutrients for balanced nutrition. We recommend feeding trees and shrubs with Merrifield Tree and Shrub Food in the spring. Order your Merrifield Tree and Shrub Food for delivery today here.
Merrifield Garden Center’s custom blended Merrifield Flowering Plant Food is ideal for use on flowering annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs. It is formulated with 50% slow-release nitrogen, is high in phosphorus and contains micronutrients for strong growth and beautiful blooms. We recommend feeding annuals, perennials and roses two to three times per year. We recommend feeding flowering trees and shrubs with Merrifield Flowering Plant Food in the fall. Merrifield Flowering Plant Food can also be applied to non flowering plants to help woody plants harden off before winter. Order your Merrifield Flowering Plant Food for delivery today here.
Osmocote fertilizer comes in two different granular formulas: Osmocote Flower & Vegetable and Osmocote Outdoor & Indoor. The former is wonderful to use on annuals and vegetables. It has a four month release rate, so you will only have to apply the granular pellets once in a growing season. The latter has a six month release rate and would work well for indoor plants or perennials that have a longer growing season than the annuals and vegetables. Follow the instructions on the bottle to determine how many pellets will be necessary. These formulas are very good options for containers specifically. If you wish to fertilize your garden bed plants, we suggest one of our other fertilizers as it will be more cost effective. We carry Osmocote products at our two locations.
Neptune’s Harvest is a collection of OMRI-certified organic, liquid fertilizers made from hydrolyzed fish and seaweed. The series of products is beloved by organic gardeners and can be used on flowering plants, vegetables, fruits, trees and shrubs. We carry Neptune’s Harvest products at our two locations.
We carry Espoma products that are organic and wonderful for use all around the garden. Espoma offers a variety of different products for different tasks, such as Plant Tone, Holly Tone, Tomato Tone, Berry Tone, Rose Tone and more. The Espoma Tones are known for their coarse texture, which helps to improve porosity in the soil, leading to improved drainage and nutrition for your plants. Epsoma also carries products geared toward increasing specific nutrients, such as Blood Meal to boost nitrogen, Bone Meal to increase phosphorus and Potash to increase sulfate of potash. We carry Espoma products at our two locations.
Our favorite option for fertilizing starter plants is Espoma’s BioTone starter plus. It is a granular product and can be used by mixing a small amount of it into the planting soil. The presence of mycorrhizae will help your new plant grow deeper roots and the added nutrients will assist in the development of bigger blooms. This product is 100% organic and includes beneficial ingredients such as humates and mycorrhizae.
Our favorite brand for fertilizing indoor and flowering tropical plants is Jack’s Classic. Jack’s Classic Blossom Booster, Jack’s Classic Houseplant Special and Jack’s All Purpose 20-20-20 all come in water-soluble powder form that can be added to a watering can. Follow the instructions on the bottle to see how much fertilizer your plant will need and how often to feed your houseplants. We carry Jack’s Classic products at our two locations.
Our favorite product for fertilizing aquatic plants is Api Pond Aquatic Plant Food. This product is in tablet form to conveniently drop down into the plant’s soil in your water features. They contain iron to help plants grow healthy and green. Follow the back of the bag for specific instructions.
Lime is made from ground up limestone and is primarily used to increase the soil pH in lawns, vegetable gardens and planting beds. It also provides plants with essential nutrients like calcium and magnesium.
We carry pelletized, granular, pulverized, hydrated and fast-acting lime. The type of lime you choose for your project mostly depends on form preference, budget and your preferred product speed. Pelletized lime tends to be the most popular type of lime because of its denser, pellet form that is easy to apply with a spreader. Hydrated lime tends to be the fastest working lime product. It has a fine, baking powder consistency but must be handled with care to avoid the risk of chemical burns to you and your plants. If you haven’t worked with lime before, check in with our Plant Clinic team on your project needs and we can recommend the best form for your use. Order your lime products for delivery here.
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