The ideal is to plan more long-term for fertilization. As you saw, manure’s
benefit was not realized the first season. Bulky organic fertilizers, such as
some manures and compost (which is so low in nutrients that it cannot legally
be termed “fertilizer”), have long-term nutrient benefits. I would suggest
using those and applying them as mulches.
As far as spring vs fall, fall fertilization is fine if it’s applied late
enough, in mid fall or later, depending on the local climate. Plant growth
won’t be stimulated, no matter what, once a plant has experienced sufficient
cold and short days. If a fall-applied fertilizer is organic, with nutrients
locked up in organic compounds, those nutrients anyway won’t become available
until microbes take action the following spring.
Poor growth is not only attributable to insufficient nutrition. Your sandy
soil dries out quickly. Nutrients cannot do anything if the soil is too dry.
Lee Reich, PhD
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