I would go ahead and sprinkle as you are used to doing.

Fertilizer can be added to a compost pile to make the pile heat up. A couple of inches of mulch (you didn't say what kind) is not a compost pile and I don't think you'll see any adverse effect.

Some people who utilize slow-release organic fertilizers do what you describe. They remove the mulch from under the plant, they water, they apply fertilizer, water again and finally, they re-apply mulch. The reason is that organic fertilizers need bacteria to break them down and, being under the mulch, in a moist environment, would decompose the fertilizer faster than by just throwing it on top of the mulch.

Besides, some organic meals tend to pile up and form a 'cake' if thrown on top of mulch that does not get watered often. Like in the case of drip irrigation users. For example, drip irrigation users who grow lots of roses and who fertilize with organic ammendments, would probably benefit from this procedure since those shrubs are heavy feeders and drip irrigation does not water the mulch.

I tried this method before. One plus was that it was easy to notice when mulch had decomposed & when more mulch was needed. A big minus was that it has too many steps and it took a long time to do. My solution was to modify the process to do the same step on all bushes in the house, then do the next step on all the bushes and so forth until done.

But really, as long as you provide the amount of fertilizer needed by the plant, with either method you should be fine. Just remember to water, fertilize and then water again.

Luis

Thanks for the information. My church is considering putting in drip irrigation. So I really appreciate knowing this about the change in fertilizer practice.

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