Fertilizing potted plants is an important care procedure, affecting the abundance of flowering, leaf color and plant growth rate, as well as their he alth and general condition. By what date isfertilization of potted plantsdone, how to dose fertilizers and which of them are the best? Here's everything you need to know about fertilizing potted plants.
Fertilizing potted plants
In the process of photosynthesis, plants independently produce the nutrients they need.Nevertheless, they also need the right amount of minerals containing the elements necessary for life. In their natural environment, plants absorb these compounds from the soil. The same happens with potted flowers, but the amount of soil in the pot is limited and the available nutrients in such a small amount of soil are quickly depleted. For this reason, during the growing season (plant growth), we must provide them with nutrients byfertilizing potted plants
Why is fertilization unnecessary?
Plants take the so-called macronutrients. The most important are:
- nitrogen (N) - affects the proper development of foliage,
- phosphorus (P) - ensures proper root growth,
- potassium (K) - affects the overall condition of the plant as well as the production of flowers and fruits,
In addition to macronutrients, plants also need micronutrients, such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn) or molybdenum. Plants absorb these substances in much smaller amounts, but they are as necessary as macroelements.
Providing the plant with all macronutrients and microelements is, unfortunately, not everything. Well, they must be provided in the right proportions.
Remember! When fertilizing plants, the individual components should be supplied in the right proportions. Using too little or too much of one of the ingredients may limit the intake of other ingredients.
For example, ornamental plants from leaves require fertilizers in which nitrogen predominates, while the nutrient medium for feeding flowering plants should have an increased concentration of phosphorus and potassium, and a low concentration of nitrogen. Of course, choosing the right proportions of these ingredients on your own would be very difficult. Therefore, it is worth using ready-made fertilizer mixtures suitable for individual groups of plants.
Fertilizers for potted plants
To make it easier for yourselffertilizing potted plants , you can use ready-made fertilizers containing appropriately selected proportions of nutrients, appropriate for individual groups of plants, or even prepared specifically for specific species.Depending on what plants you grow, you have a choice of min. special fertilizers for flowering plants, plants with decorative foliage, cacti and succulents, palm trees or ferns. There are also special fertilizers that help to solve specific problems in the cultivation of plants, such as fertilizer against chlorosis.
Fertilizing potted plants - fertilizers
"We can also group fertilizers according to the route of administration. Most plants absorb macro- and microelements through the roots. Therefore, we can choose from a number of soil fertilizers:
"- fast-acting fertilizers:
- liquid fertilizers - we can use them for watering plants, usually they are in the form of a concentrate that needs to be mixed with more water,
- powdered fertilizers - usually you need to dissolve them in water before use,
- granular fertilizers - mix the granules with the substrate before planting the plant or, if the plant is already in a pot, sprinkle them onto the soil surface,
- slow-release fertilizers:
- fertilizer sticks and tablets - we press them into the soil, they dissolve slowly, gradually releasing nutrients, ideal for people who do not remember to fertilize regularly.
You may be wondering: why use fast-acting fertilizers when the use of slow-acting fertilizers is much simpler and less engaging? Well, unfortunately, slow-release fertilizers are usually more expensive, and besides, they do not allow us to regulate the dose of fertilizer supplied on a regular basis depending on the needs of the plant.
Apart from soil fertilizers, there are also foliar fertilizers. The plant absorbs foliar fertilizer much faster, but not all plants can be fertilized in this way.
Fertilization frequency and fertilizer dosage
Fertilizing potted plantsis necessary primarily in the period of the strongest growth, most often from spring to autumn.If the fertilization needs of the plant are high, fertilizer should be applied every week (e.g. for many flowering plants). However, most plants need to be fertilized once every two weeks or even only once a month (cacti and succulents). Just like the frequency of fertilization, the doses of fertilizer must also be adjusted to the needs of the selected plants. Remember to never use doses higher than those indicated on the fertilizer packaging! If you use less fertilizer than you should, the plant will at best grow slower or bloom less. Using too much fertilizer can be very dangerous.
Over-fertilization can cause more damage than failure to fertilize. Too much fertilizer can even kill the plant! Never exceed the doses of fertilizers recommended by the manufacturer.
The above comments regarding the frequency of fertilization obviously apply only to fast-acting fertilizers. We apply slow-release fertilizers much less frequently, some of them need to be placed in the soil once a year, at the beginning of the growing season.
Fertilizing potted plants in winter
Most potted plants should not be fed in winter as they are then dormant. We start fertilization in March, when the plants begin to put out new leaves, and end at the turn of August and September. Remember that fertilization does not compensate the plant for the lack of light, moisture or adequate temperature. The worse the growing conditions, the slower the plant takes up the nutrients contained in the substrate, i.e. it requires less frequent fertilization.
The exception to the above rule are the few plants that bloom in the winter and do not require a dormant period.
