Do not fertilize elderberry for the first year so as not to damage roots

Question

I am a homeowner without botany experience or knowledge. I try to use logical "common sense" when/if/where I can be sensible.

I want to grow more elderberries (I have one adult elderberry bush only).

Googling how to propagate elderberry bushes I find this quote: "Do not fertilize for the first year so as not to damage roots."

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If fertilizing is good for plants how can fertilizing in the first year be damaging to the plants?

They didn't say "too much" fertilizer. They said not to fertilize transplanted plants (in the first year). And yet they said to put compost into the hole (isn't that fertilizer?).

Does that specific fertilizer advice from that site make any sense to you? If so, can you explain the logic to me?

Pavel314 · Accepted Answer

My guess is that if you don't fertilize, the roots will be forced to grow deeper to get the nutrients the plant needs, establishing a good root system in the first year after transplantation. Paul

John Robertson · Answer

This is very interesting!Thank you for that observation.Elderberry, from what I've read, DO have shallow roots!So this need to go deeper may be critical for Elderberries!"Transplanting elderberry is easy since its roots are fairly shallow.""Elderberries have relatively shallow root systems that colonize areas.""The root system is shallow, but take a wide area around it."

Pavel314 · Answer

For several years, we had many elderberry bushes which grew wild on our property. I made a lot of elderberry wine and elderberry flavored mead. Then, for no apparent reason, they all died out! Now we have no elderberry bushes on the property. One of my wife's friends says she has a lot of bushes at her place and we're welcome to come harvest them up there. Maybe I'll make a few more gallons this year.

Paul

Do not fertilize elderberry for the first year so as not to damage roots

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