Granular fertilizer

Aurora products recommend using granular products as top dress. My first application i will use oregonism xl which i am cutting there recommendation in 1/2" so 1 tsp. my question is that i just sprinkle this on top of soil?? They also recommend using coco fiber for a mulch. How important is this and are there any good alternative recommendations? Do i remover mulch prior to granular feeding if i have mulch? Thx

I have used granule fert on my plant.. seems to be going well.
But I only use a pinch and I shake it up in a bottle of water and sea sol and pour it on.

Mix it with some water so to prevent hot spots on the roots incase of improper watering my friend. Dilluting it is the best bet