Intro to Fertilizer
Those 3 numbers on the front of your fertilizer are the ratios of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. 3 things your houseplants need to thrive. Most houseplants are ok with balanced numbers like 10-15-10 on Schultz All purpose plant food but some plants need much more of one element.
The most important thing to remember is to fertilize your plants during the growing season. Start in the Spring, and stop around early to mid fall. With a few exceptions it doesn’t even matter what type of fertilizer you use, as long as you do it.
If you’ve never fertilized before and you don’t want to spend a lot of time fussing over your plants, I recommend one of these styles.
If you’re new to houseplants or just fertilizing I have a few recommendations. These slow release granules might be a great choice for two reasons. The instructions of how much to put around your plants are pretty clear on the container and this feeds for 3 months. So if you are able to start in the spring you could use this 3 times before the fertilizer naturally runs out as winter approaches.
Do not let these granules come close to the stem of your plant as it might cause it to burn. Plants in 6” pots only require 1 ¼ tsp so these bottles should last quite a long time. Work these into the soil slightly and water to begin feeding.
I also recommend liquid fertilizers. They come with droppers that instruct you to add a certain amount of drops if you want to fertilize every time you water or if you want to fertilize once or twice a month.
This may lead you to explore other fertilizer types that cater to specific plants. You can find fertilizer tailored for Cactus, succulents, and aloe. Fertilizers for orchids, or fertilizers for African violets.
If you want something quick and easy you could use this pump style fertilizer. Pots under 6” get one squirt, and over 6” get 2 squirts.
You should use this pump right before watering directly onto the soil. Or you can squirt 4 pumps into a 1L watering can. Instructions are to use this every watering, but I usually opt for every 2nd or 3rd depending on the plant.
If you want to start messing around with organic fertilizers I suggest a Fish related fertilizer. There are lots of choices from Seaweed and kelp to fish emulsion. That’s basically ground up fish.
Mix 1 tablespoon into 1 gallon of water and use it to water every 2-3 weeks. This will make your home smell like a bootleg seaworld, so use with caution. This works wonders on making Monstera’s root faster in water propagations. You can check out the propagation video I made on that.
Whatever you style you choose, remember to follow the instructions on the container. Its best practice to fertilize