Hello, I've got a question about fertilizing plants that are in trouble and have dropped their leaves. I know that you're supposed to be careful with watering distressed plants because without leaves the plant has nothing to use the water on. But why aren't you supposed to fertilize? To me it seems counterintuitive to stop fertilizing because the plant would need all the nitrogen it could get to grow new leaves. I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain the rationale behind this to me.
There is no gain from feeding a leafless plant. If it is not making sugar in it's leaves, it is not using the fertilizer. This also leads to worries about the plant's roots being burned by the fertilizer.
