Why and When to Fertilise Your Houseplants

Fertilising your plants is an important part of plant care which is often overlooked by a lot of plant parents. It can seem like a lot to remember, considering the watering requirements, the light and humidity levels to keep your plants alive. But remember - knowledge is power! Understanding when and how to fertilise your plants can give them the perfect opportunity to thrive.

 

Key Takeaways

• Houseplants need a good nutritional balance for healthy growth, and come springtime, their nutrients in the soil will be depleted from winter.
• Fertiliser provides additional nutrition that houseplants need to thrive, and the three key nutrients for healthy plant growth are Phosphorus (P), Nitrogen (N), and Potassium (K).
• Look for a balanced houseplant fertilizer with the P-N-K ratio labelled on the packaging and readily available at garden centers or online.
• The key time to fertilise houseplants is during the growing season of spring and summer, with foliage plants needing fertilization every 2-4 weeks.
• Check our plant care pages for specific fertilization needs for different types of houseplants.

 

Why do I need to fertilise my plants?

Just like us houseplants need a good nutritional balance for healthy growth.

Come Spring time your plants are coming out of a dormancy period where growth has been limited and the nutrients in the soil will be diminished from Winter.

Unlike outdoor plants which can spread their roots through the soil to find nutrients, houseplants are completely reliant on the growing medium in their pot, therefore are reliant on you to provide the additional nutrition that they need.

 

What does fertiliser do?

The three key nutrients for healthy plant growth are Phosphorus (P), Nitrogen (N) and Potassium (K).  The P-N-K ratio is labelled on all houseplant fertilisers.

Nutrient	Key Role	Symptoms if deficient
Phosphorus	Healthy root growth	Slow growth
Nitrogen	Aids photosynthesis New leaf growth	Slow growth, yellowing leaves
Potassium	Helps fight disease Builds strength	Dry or yellow leaves

 

Which fertiliser shall I use?

At Geb & Green we recommend starting with a balanced houseplant fertiliser, readily available at garden centres or online. 

We recommend and are proud to partner with Liquid Gold leaf to fertilise and feed your happy houseplants.

 

When should I fertilise my plants?

The key time to use fertiliser is during the growing season of spring and summer.  Foliage plants tend to need to be fertilised every 2-4 weeks.  Take a look at our Plant Care pages for detail on individual plants