Fertilizer Spikes - Feeding Trees in May 2020

Just a couple of days past a year ago, I posted about how I was feeding our columnar Frans Fontaine Hornbeams with Jobe's fertilizer spikes and included a photo of PART of the trees after they had been fed.  This year, I bought three boxes of the spikes for deciduous trees and one box for evergreens.

In that post, I mentioned that I put the spikes in the ground on May 1st in 2019.  And despite this post being dated May 23rd, I have just gotten around to posting this - as I put the spikes in the ground on May 12th.  12 days behind 2019.

Here's how the trees look below - from a similar view - as last year.  You can see how the gap between the trees that are right outside the screened porch is closing down below the fenceline.

The trees haven't totally filled in for the year, but they're already doing well to provide some screening as they green-up and out this Spring.

Hoping the fertilizer spikes will help keep them growing on their current trajectory.  2020 finds them in their 'leap' as part of the sleep/creep/leap.