The way to stop this abuse is to understand the fertilizer components and how they affect plant growth when used in excess or if deficient. Every bag of fertilizer will tell you what it contains. We really should only add fertilizer if the plant needs a specific nutrient, and the only way to know what nutrients are available is to conduct a soil test. Nitrogen is the first element to consider. It is primarily associated with top growth of the plant.
Excessive nitrogen can result in succulent growth with dark green color and weak spindly stems.
It also can reduce flowering and fruiting. When associated with high temperatures, excessive nitrogen also produces brittle growth in plants like garden mums and poinsettias. Nitrogen deficiency symptoms may include slow growth, yellowing leaves beginning in older growth and a reduction in branching. Nitrogen is mobile in the plant, and it readily leaches from the soil in the form of nitrates. Applying excessive nitrogen at one time can result in nitrate runoff that will likely contaminate local bays and estuaries.