Fertilizing indoor flowers: how to fertilize plants at home
There are probably living plants in pots in your house, apartment, office - then they require proper regular care. Even the most unpretentious need attention so that they do not lose their beauty, splendor, develop well and bloom beautifully. You need to know how, when and what to feed indoor flowers at home so that feeding brings maximum benefit.
From this article you will learn about the types of fertilizers, their compositions and form of manufacture. Experts will give recommendations on how to choose and use store-bought and folk remedies for feeding.
The content of the article
Organic fertilizers for feeding indoor flowers
Mineral fertilizers for feeding indoor plants
Popular folk remedies for feeding house plants
What folk remedies are not advisable to use?
When and how to feed flowers correctly
Organic fertilizers for feeding indoor flowers
Organics are elements of natural origin. They contain substances necessary for plants, nourishing the soil, stimulating the processes of growth and development. Thanks to compost, rotted manure, bird droppings, peat, and ash, the soil in pots and flowerpots becomes loose. This allows the root system to receive sufficient water and oxygen and absorb beneficial micro and macroelements.
The products that you can purchase in specialized stores are classified depending on a number of factors.
Types of fertilizers:
dry;
liquid;
semi-liquid;
foliar for spraying on leaves;
root for application to the soil.
Organic matter contains a large amount of nitrogen, which is necessary for the growth of green mass. If you use homemade fertilizer, you need to fry it over an open fire and leave it for a month so that the composition is restored.
Mullein, compost, humus
Payments are made once a month. Dilute one tablespoon per liter of water. Before application, water the plants with warm, clean water. This composition is perfect for large and fast-growing specimens: palm trees, pelargoniums, vines, citrus fruits, indoor roses. Cannot be used to fertilize bulbous, corm, and variegated ornamental deciduous plants.
Bird droppings
You can feed indoor flowers no more than once every 5-6 weeks. Dilute a teaspoon of litter in a liter of settled water. It can be applied during watering or added together with peat when replanting. Ferns, primroses, aroids, and palm trees feel great after such feeding.
Ash
Charcoal and ash can be both beneficial and harmful. It is better to purchase it in a store or collect it after burning birch firewood mixed with dry grass. Burnt remains of coniferous trees should not be used due to the high content of insoluble resins.
Add 2-3 tbsp to 1 liter of water for irrigation. ash. Pelargonium, fuchsia, and begonia are very fond of it. Saintpaulias, orchids, azaleas, hydrangeas, and conifers absolutely cannot tolerate such feeding.
Ready-made store-bought preparations
If a self-prepared organic fertilizer for indoor plants is not your option, you can purchase products with a balanced composition. Before purchasing, read the instructions for use. Flowers respond well to the introduction of modern preparations.
List of popular organic fertilizers:
Vermix
Drop of life
Living force
Biohumate
Vermistim
Humisol
Mineral fertilizers for feeding indoor plants
This group is represented by fossil substances or industrially produced elements with nutritious mineral salts in their composition. They provide soil fertility, improving the health and appearance of plants. They are chosen taking into account the needs of domestic flora representatives.
Mineral fertilizers are divided into:
nitrogen;
magnesium;
phosphorus;
potash;
microfertilizers – manganese, boron, zinc;
sulfur-containing;
complex.
Mineral formulations in liquid form
The advantages of such drugs: they are easy to dilute, they quickly begin to act. For example, Agricola Aqua, Bona Forte and Pokon can be used for root and foliar feeding, improve plant immunity, strengthen inflorescences, ensure accelerated growth, and prolong flowering.
Powdered and granular preparations
Powders and granules are economical to use and require less consumption. Fertika Lux, an entire Etisso line, is produced in this form. They have a comprehensive healing and strengthening effect.
Succinic acid is the best fertilizer for orchids; it improves leaf turgor and stimulates flowering. It is the main component of the granular product “Fasco”. "Fitosporin" is used for preventive purposes, to protect against diseases, and during transplantation.
Solid fertilizers
This feeding option is well suited for busy or forgetful gardeners. Drugs released in the form of tablets, rods, and plates have a long shelf life. With Agricola sticks, simply insert the soil between the wall of the flowerpot and the stem. When watering, it will gradually dissolve, feeding and supporting the green friend.
Mineral-organic complexes
Universal formulations with organic matter and many essential minerals allow you to fully cover the nutritional needs of plants. This is the optimal fertilizer for indoor flowers at home. Among such preparations, flower growers call FlorGumat, Organavit and Arganiq the most popular and effective.
Sometimes, when you ask yourself the question: how can you feed indoor plants at home, just look around. In most cases, simple products that are always at hand are enough.
Popular folk remedies for feeding house plants
Use onion skins. It contains phytoncides that have antibacterial properties. Boil a handful of clean husks in one liter of water at low boil for about 10-15 minutes. Leave to infuse for 3-4 hours, strain, spray the leaves every 15-30 days from spring to autumn.
Nettle infusion. Fill a thermos with a liter of water, 100 g of fresh water or 3 tbsp. dried nettles. Let it steep for 24 hours in a sealed container. Then you need to drain the broth and dilute it with water 1:10. This fertilizer contains a large amount of macro- and microelements that will restore depleted soil.
Aspirin. Stimulates budding and flowering, relieves the plant from stress after transplantation, and prevents the development of fungus. One tablet is diluted in 0.5 liters of warm water. Spray the leaves every 15-20 days.
Banana peel. This is a source of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron. It can be dried, ground and poured onto a drainage layer when replanting flowers.
Yeast. Due to the content of B vitamins and phytohormones, they accelerate the growth of green mass and improve soil microflora. Recipe for preparing the infusion: dissolve 5 g of yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 500 ml of warm water, leave for a couple of hours, dilute with water 1:5. Water every 10-15 days, except in the autumn-winter period.
Castor oil. A good fertilizer for flowering specimens. It provides lush, long-lasting flowering. You can feed at the root or at the leaves once, during the formation of buds. Dissolve half a teaspoon of castor oil in 1/2 liter of water and whisk into an emulsion.
What folk remedies are not advisable to use?
Not all homemade fertilizer recipes posted on the Internet need to be used. Often among them there are dubious, harmful and even dangerous recommendations. You should not feed flowers with vegetable decoctions and meat broths. This is fraught with the appearance of microbes, fungi, mold, and midges. What's the smell worth?
Aquarium water as a fertilizer is also a big question. If fish or aquatic vegetation gets sick, there is a chance that potted specimens will become infected. The use of coffee grounds causes an increase in the acidity of the soil in the flowerpot. Lovers of neutral and alkaline substrates cannot tolerate acidification and may suffer serious harm.
Draining tea from teapots, cups and bags is absolutely not a good idea. If the soil is moist enough, springtails and midges will immediately appear in the wet tea leaves, which will be very difficult to fight. You can dry the used tea and add it to the soil mixture when replanting - its looseness will increase slightly.
Some gardeners feed the inhabitants of their window sills with crushed eggshells, which contain only 35% calcium. This microelement is not of particular importance as a fertilizer; it is sufficient in special substrates. The calcium carbonate that makes up the shell is practically insoluble in water, even with abundant watering.
When and how to feed flowers correctly
Now you know what fertilizer is needed for indoor flowers, and we will give you recommendations on the correct application of fertilizers. At what time and with what frequency should I feed? All types and varieties of plants have their own requirements. Some need increased nutrition during the spring-summer period, others - autumn-winter. If the plant is in a dormant period, feeding it is not recommended.
How to apply fertilizing correctly:
Infected and diseased specimens do not need fertilizer.
Capricious species are fed 30-31 days after transplantation, hardy species - after two to three months.
Apply fertilizers in the quantity strictly specified by the manufacturer. If there is an excess amount, you will notice burns on the leaf blades, falling leaves, yellowing of the shoots;
All preparations are applied the next day after abundant watering.
Create a fertilizer application schedule to avoid mistakes.
Liquid preparations must be diluted with water.
If the flower is in the open sun, it should not be fed.
A lack of important nutrients is indicated by slow growth, wilting, and falling leaves. Apply complex fertilizers according to the scheme specified by the manufacturer of the product. If you replant a flower annually, it needs less additional nutrition. For adult, large specimens, replanting should be done after 3-4 years; fertilizers are required, since the substrate is depleted.
Now you know all the secrets and subtleties of feeding indoor plants at home. We wish that your favorite flowers bring only joy and pleasure.
