the black ants are ok, just dunk the pot into a bucket of water for a few minutes. they'll leave.

its recommended that you remove the stakes unless its a freshly grafted tree.

i'd go half strength about every 2 weeks on the fert. until it greens up again.

What is the recommended dose and interval on the fertilizer package?

Josh

Hey Josh, The regular instructions are "Sprinkle 3 cups of jobes evenly for every inch of trunk diameter (measured at one foot above soil surface) or 1 1/2 cups for every 3 ft. of height, under the drip line, which are the farthest reaching branches"
but i don't know how much i should use for a 16" container.

houston-Thank you for the ant advice i'll try it.

I don't know, either.
Hmmm, is the fertilizer intended for container use? Is there mention of use both in-ground and container? I'd be tempted to find a different fertilizer.

Josh