Clusia Fertilizers. What type of fertilizer can I use for my clusia hedge? Gardeners who don't wish to fertilize Clusia hedges with artificial chemicals can select from a range of organic fertilizers. Organic or natural fertilizers include well-rotted manure, sewage sludge, compost. Organic fertilizers offer the benefit of being slow-release, so are less likely to burn clusia hedge plant roots or leach into ground water, but plant response may be slow and some products don't give nutrient analyses. Weed suppression and soil moisture conservation are two side benefits of bulky organic fertilizers such as well-rotted manure. To fertilize clusia hedges with compost, spread a 3/4-inch layer within the drip line but avoiding the shrubs' stems, in early spring for better adsorption by the clusia plant rooting system.