Richard's Plant Care Tips: Fertilizers

Fertilizing tips – feed your plants!

With the hot summer sun out in full force many plants are growing fast or flowering. It’s a great time to consider how you are feeding your plant friends. Here are some tips to help you on your way:

Your plants should be getting many of their required nutrients already. If you are practicing good plant care, using the correct size pot and good quality soil, repot every 1-2 years and water properly, most plants will perform quite well without added fertilizers. It can still be a good idea to fertilize if your soil is getting older, or if you want to push your already healthy plant into new levels or growth or flowering.

If your plant is not in good health, look for the cause of the problem. Most popular houseplants that are in good soil and being cared for properly will not show any serious signs of problems due to insufficient fertilization. Typically when we troubleshoot issues with plants, the issue is more commonly related to basics such as incorrect lighting, watering, soil, or pests. It is a mistake to think of fertilizing as a magic cure for whatever is ailing your plant. More likely, it is something else.

Follow the fertilizing instructions for your plant, and for the type of fertilizer you are using. Plants vary significantly in their feeding needs, and each type of fertilizer has different concentrations.

More frequent, less concentrated feeding is safer and often yields better results than less frequent, heavier feedings. When in doubt, err on the side of using less fertilizer. Over fertilizing can quickly and very seriously damage or kill your plant. If a plant responds well to initial fertilizing, you can always increase the amount or frequency of fertilization in the future.

Choose a fertilizer that best suits your needs. Time release pellets can be mixed into the soil and will slowly release to your plant over several months, which can be great for those that want to limit the amount of time they spend on plant care. Foliar sprays provide the most immediate absorption and seem to work especially well for flowering plants. Powder fertilizers that are mixed with water are also very common, as are top dressing fertilizers that are spread on top of soil and are absorbed by the plant as they break down in the soil. We have used each of these types of fertilizers over the years, and all have shown themselves to be effective.

We notice the results of fertilizing the most with our flowering plants. Producing flowers or fruits takes a lot of plant energy. These plants often need added fertilizer to start to flower, or to produce more and better flowers. If your plants aren’t producing the flowers you were hoping for, consider putting your plants on a fertilizing program.

Wishing you all the best with your plants! Plant some happiness !

Richard

Plant Revolution Costa Rica