Dear Mary Sue and Everyone: Here in the Sierra Foothills of California, even our amended soils are generally starved for nutrition and I have not seen any harm in using dry fertilizers applied to the soil surface with nitrogen components as high as 10. I apply once after fall planting and the first good soaking rain and once in March. Most of my bulbs are lilies but this seems to work for daffodils, alliums and iris. After the bulbs emerge in spring, I switch to liquid fertilizers such as generic "Miracle Grow" and use only on the foliage with minimum soaking of the ground with the mixture. Faciation and burning are pretty much eliminated with the liquid fertilizers, even though they advertise nitrogen contents as high as 15. Potted bulbs receive half strength (per directions) every two weeks and in-ground bulbs full strength about once a month until they are completely dormant. Regular watering schedules seems to be as important as the fertilizing as one day of wilt, especially for freshly fertilized plants, can cause more "sudden death syndrome" than fertilizing in combination with regular watering schedules. By the way, my tomatoes receive a dose of epsom salts (~1/4 cup) at planting and the above liquid regimen every two weeks, full strenth. John Longanecker Zone 7 banana belt, 2240' Placerville, CA