Billy wrote:

Get some fish emulsion and use it at full strength and throw your
10-10-10 away. If you can't do that, then use it with your fish emulsion
at a quarter strength. Chemical fertilizers kill soil organisms that
will feed your plants. If you grow soil, the soil will grow your plants.


I agree with your conclusion, mostly, but not how you get there.
Commercial balanced fertilizers are mostly made with urea, ammonium
phosphate, and potassium chloride. None of them are particularly
harmful to soil organisms *if used lightly*. OTOH, if you pour on the
ammonium sulfate to make your lawn look like a golf green, you will ruin
the soil.

When you first start feeding the soil, it will sometimes compete with
your plants for nutrients, especially nitrogen. Feeding the plants will
help. The problem is when you feed the plants while ignoring the soil.

Bob