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Conifer fertiliser or general feed

Updated: October 2026

You already own a tub of Growmore, a Miracle-Gro jug, or an ericaceous box, and you are asking do conifers need special fertiliser before you spend again. They do not, as a rule. The Royal Horticultural Society names a general-purpose granule in late winter if you feed at all. A labelled conifer bag is a shopping convenience and, sometimes, a printed evergreen recipe, not a legal requirement. The [conifer fertiliser comparison](/hub/fertiliser-soil-and-bark-mulch/conifer-fertiliser) keeps specialist titles only. Growmore and Miracle-Gro all-purpose liquid were deleted as the wrong product type for that table. The Products Compared editorial team read the eight kept listings on 21 October 2026. We did not trial a shed tub against a specialist bag.

You already own a tub of Growmore, a Miracle-Gro jug, or an ericaceous box, and you are asking do conifers need special fertiliser before you spend again. They do not, as a rule.

Our top picks

Empathy Empathy After Plant Evergreen, 1 L

Best overall

Empathy Empathy After Plant Evergreen, 1 L
8.8/10about £9.46
View offer
CULTIVERS Cultivers organic liquid for conifers and hedges, 5 L

Rank 2

CULTIVERS Cultivers organic liquid for conifers and hedges, 5 L
8.8/10about £35.29
View offer
Vitax Ltd Vitax Conifer & Shrub 2.5 kg, twin pack

Alternative

Vitax Ltd Vitax Conifer & Shrub 2.5 kg, twin pack
0.0/10about £35.03
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the RHS actually says
  2. 2.When a specialist pack is worth it
  3. 3.Growmore, all-purpose liquids, and ericaceous overlap
  4. 4.When to keep the tub, when to buy a bag

What the RHS actually says

The RHS conifer growing guide and the conifer-care PDF treat feed as optional. A general-purpose granular fertiliser in late winter, then a 5–8 cm mulch on damp ground with a gap at the bark, is enough if the tree is established and even-coloured. Pots still need liquid. Compost in a container is the exception, from early spring to late summer. That exception is about the pot, not about a conifer-only analysis. A specialist After Plant bottle is a measured extra, not a statute. The RHS fertilisers page uses Growmore as a general-purpose example, with an NPK around 7–3.1–5.8. That is why a leylandii hedge can live on a balanced granule you already own. If you still need the form and pack-size rules, use the conifer fertiliser buying guide. How you spread whichever tub you keep is on how to use conifer fertiliser.

When a specialist pack is worth it

A specialist wins when the packet is in English, names the plants you have, and gives a rate you can follow. Empathy After Plant Evergreen is that case for pots and new plantings: a 1 L UK liquid at £9.46, 4.4 from 753, with United Kingdom texts. Vitax Conifer & Shrub is that case for a UK pellet, if you check the twin-pack fields and accept a missing star line. A specialist is not worth the extra money when the tree is established, the colour is even, and you already have a balanced granule with an English rate. It is also a poor buy when the only UK review says the instructions are not in English, which is Altea's line in this file.
Empathy Empathy After Plant Evergreen, 1 L

Testsieger

Empathy Empathy After Plant Evergreen, 1 L
8.8/10about £9.46
View offer

Growmore, all-purpose liquids, and ericaceous overlap

Growmore-style granules are a late-winter option for a leylandii or yew hedge if the packet rate is in English and the soil is moist. They stay off our comparison table because this category is specialist titles. Using the shed tub is a versus decision, not a reason to put Growmore back on the cards. Ericaceous feed is the overlap that actually sits on a kept card. Vitax Conifer & Shrub's first bullet also names azalea and rhododendron. Garden World treats that box as a dual-use pellet and warns about a light rate on acid-loving plants after planting. A separate ericaceous tub in the shed can go on camellias and rhododendrons; it is not automatically the right rate for a thuja hedge. Read the packet. Do not assume every conifer wants an acid mix. Follow the RHS calendar and the packet, not a chloride feed from another climate.

When to keep the tub, when to buy a bag

Buy a specialist pack when you have pots on a weekly drench, you want an After Plant routine with a published capful, you want a UK pellet with a conifer title you can follow, or you need a readable sack for many trees and the shed tub will not cover the run. Keep the shed tub for an even, in-ground hedge; buy a labelled pack for pots and for the first two years after planting. If you want a named pick from the eight cards, that list is on best conifer fertiliser.

Common questions

Do conifers need a special fertiliser?
No, not as a requirement. The RHS names an optional late-winter general-purpose granule. A specialist bag is a convenience and a printed recipe, not a legal duty. Pots still need liquid through the growing season.
Can I use Growmore on a leylandii hedge?
Yes, if the packet is in English, the soil is moist, and you treat it as a late-winter pass then mulch. Growmore stays off our specialist table. It does not become a card because it can feed a hedge.
Is ericaceous feed all right on conifers?
Sometimes, at the rate on that packet, not at a camellia rate guessed onto a hedge. Vitax in this set is sold for conifers and for azalea and rhododendron. A dedicated ericaceous tub is for acid-loving shrubs unless the label also names conifers.
When is a specialist bag worth the extra money?
When you want an English evergreen label, a pot liquid with a published dose, or a UK pellet you can follow. It is not worth it when the tree is established and you already have a balanced granule.
Is Miracle-Gro all-purpose a conifer feed?
Not in this category. It is an all-purpose liquid we deleted as the wrong product type. It may still feed a pot if the label allows it. We will not put it back on the comparison grid.
Does Vitax count as general or specialist?
Specialist on our table: the title is Conifer & Shrub. The first bullet also names azalea and rhododendron, so the same box is a dual-use pellet. Check the twin-pack fields. There is no star line on this raw card.
Will a general feed burn conifers?
Any feed can scorch if you apply it on dry ground, against the stem, or after September. The risk is the method and the rate, not the word "general" on the tub. Water first and keep a gap at the bark.

Related pages

Conifer fertiliser comparison

Conifer fertiliser buying guide

How to use conifer fertiliser

Best conifer fertiliser

Conifer going brown: what to do before you feed the hedge

Sources

Public UK and maker sources used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the eight amazon.co.uk listings in the stored product file. A mixing-ratio field is not a laboratory analysis. An organic or pet-safe line is the listing's claim. This is not a laboratory test.

  1. RHS, How to grow conifers (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  2. RHS, Conifer care (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  3. RHS, Conifers with brown patches (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  4. RHS, How to feed plants (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  5. Fertilisers Regulations 1991 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  6. Agriculture Act 1970, section 68 (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  7. Empathy After Plant Evergreen (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  8. Vitax Conifer & Shrub label (retrieved 23 October 2026)
  9. Gardeners' World, Feeding plants (retrieved 23 October 2026)