10-10-10 vs. Peat Moss: What Each Does (and Doesn't Do) for a New Shrub Bed

Different Jobs, Both Needed

Best Practice for New Bed

1. Incorporate 2–3 inches peat moss or compost into top 8–12 inches of native soil. This creates a root-friendly environment.
2. Broadcast 10-10-10 at 2–3 lbs/100 sq ft and till in simultaneously.
3. Plant, mulch, water deeply.

Why Not Either Alone?

• Fertilizer alone → plants starve in compacted, poorly drained soil.
• Peat alone → great soil, no nutrients → slow, deficient growth.

Both are affordable and complementary. Do both at planting time.