Fertilizing indoor plants: when & how often?

Not only the plants outside, our indoor plants also need extra nutrients. We show how and with what best to fertilize indoor plants.

Every plant, whether garden or houseplant, needs nutrients to survive. If the supply of nutrients is inadequate, symptoms of deficiency can occur and susceptibility to disease increases significantly. So that your indoor plants thrive and grow splendidly, you should support them with regular fertilizers. Nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus are the nutrients that the plant needs to the greatest extent. Of course, we cannot provide you with blanket instructions for all plants, but we will show you what to consider in general when fertilizing indoor plants. In the following we explain in more detail when and how often you should fertilize your indoor plants. We also give you tips on what to look out for when choosing a fertilizer and how you can best go about fertilizing indoor plants.

When and how often should you fertilize indoor plants?

There is no general answer to when and how often house plants are fertilized. Basically, one would have to differentiate more strongly here, since the group of indoor plants is very diverse. In principle, however, the following applies: Since the nutrients in the substrate are used up at some point, they have to be replaced from time to time in pot cultivation. Delicate and slow-growing specimens, such as certain cacti (Cactacea), need only seldom fertilizers. Most other houseplants, on the other hand, should be fertilized regularly during the growing season.

Should you fertilize indoor plants in winter? However, indoor plants should only be fertilized during the growing season, because the plants need a break in the cold season. Only specimens that bloom in winter, such as the Christmas star (Euphorbia pulcherrima), you should provide fertilizer during this time.

Indoor plant fertilizer: what is the best fertilizer?

Of course you shouldn't overdo it with fertilization, otherwise the plant can even die in the worst case. Therefore, less is often more. It is better to provide your indoor plants with fertilizer more often, but in smaller doses. There are very different forms of fertilizer available for supplying your darlings. For example, various liquid fertilizers, powders, granulates or so-called Fertilizer stick offered. Most often, the composition of the fertilizers is suitable not only for one plant, but for different ones. When using such preparations, it is best to follow the application recommendations and instructions on the packaging.

Depending on the type of plant, the fertilizer requirement is very different. Therefore, find out as much as possible in advance about the requirements of the individual plants. In general, the following rule applies:
House plants that adorn themselves with lots of large leaves and grow strongly, need more nitrogen than plants, which produce a lot of flowers and fruits and therefore increased phosphorus to need. Sufficient potassium is particularly important for the formation of roots and the resilience of indoor plants.
But not all fertilizers are created equal. In the following, we explain to you what is important when choosing the right fertilizer.

Supply house plants organically with organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers are preferable to mineral alternatives because of their sustainability, but also because of their proven positive influence on plant growth and their safe use. These include, for example, natural fertilizers such as compost or stable manure, which are often used in the garden. In the house or in the apartment, however, products from specialist retailers are more likely to be used.

Organic liquid fertilizer for house plants

Liquid fertilizer have the advantage that they can easily be added directly to the substrate with the irrigation water. In mineral liquid fertilizers, the nutrients are in the form of soluble salts that are directly available to plants. However, this harbors the risk of over-fertilization if the correct dosage is not chosen.
Due to the high organic content in our biological liquid fertilizers, however, not all nutrients are released in one fell swoop and the plant is supplied over a longer period of time. For example, a good choice for indoor plants is ours Plantura organic indoor & green plant fertilizerwhich is suitable for many plants in the home. The essential nutrients nitrogen and potassium ensure green leaves and strong roots. The basis of our biological liquid fertilizer is, among other things, leftovers from the food industry, which makes it a particularly sustainable and environmentally friendly fertilizer. It also contains microorganisms that support the growth of the roots.

If indoor plants not only impress with their foliage, but also produce numerous or large flowers, you should use a special flowering plant fertilizer. Flowering plant fertilizers have a different nutrient composition than green plant fertilizers and in this way support the flowering of your plants. For flowering house plants For example, our 100% organic is suitable Plantura organic flower & balcony fertilizerthat optimally supplies the plant with nutrients. Since it consists of purely natural ingredients, it is particularly gentle on the environment and also harmless to pets.

Important: The amount of liquid fertilizer required depends on the plant. Some species need new nutrients more often than others and accordingly have to be fertilized more often. The speed of growth also provides information about the nutrient requirement. Fast growing plants need more fertilizer than slow growing ones. Basically, you should fertilize regularly and in a lower concentration than rarely in large quantities, because too much nutrients can damage the plant. It is therefore imperative that you find out about the nutritional requirements of your plant before fertilizing and that the dosage is based on the instructions given on the liquid fertilizer.

Long-term organic fertilizer for house plants

In addition to liquid fertilizers, there are also organic fertilizers in solid form. Such organic slow release fertilizers provide your plant with nutrients over a much longer period of time than many conventional mineral fertilizers. The nutrients are released through the decomposition via microorganisms and are therefore available to the plant for a long time. Our, for example, provides a sustainable long-term fertilizer Plantura organic universal fertilizer represent. It consists predominantly of purely plant-based, organic ingredients and is suitable Due to its composition, it is ideal for those houseplants that require nitrogen-based fertilization prefer. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer in granulate form is also easy to dose and easy to use. Biological fertilizers also support the build-up of humus in the soil, which has a positive effect on the water balance. Here we have summarized the most important advantages of solid biological fertilization for you:

• Particularly gentle on plants, animals and people, as no chemicals are used
• Good for soil life and soil structure
• Supports the build-up of humus and thus improves the soil quality in the long term
• Natural long-term effect
• No risk of over-fertilization

To ensure that you supply your indoor plants with the right amount of nutrients, we have prepared precise fertilization instructions for you. Depending on the type of houseplant, it may of course be necessary to adjust the amount of fertilizer to the requirements of the plant. It is best to feel your way carefully and gradually increase the amount of fertilizer and the number of fertilizer applications.

Long-term organic fertilization: Instructions & dosage quantities for house plants

1. When planting: Use about 3 - 5 g / l pot volume (about 1 teaspoon) of our Plantura Organic universal fertilizer into the substrate.
2. Then water the substrate.
3. About every three months you can work a further 2 - 5 g / l pot volume (about 1 teaspoon) of the fertilizer into the upper substrate layers.

Tip: Our fertilizer granules can also be soaked in water for a few hours and then applied with a watering can - thus the nutrients for microorganisms are slightly more accessible and the effect starts earlier a.

Fertilize indoor plants with home remedies

If you don't want to use commercial fertilizers, you might even find it in your own household. Also one Fertilizing with coffee grounds, Eggshells and Wood ash is suitable for some indoor plants.

Dried coffee grounds can easily be worked into the top layers of the soil. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium and is slightly acidic. You can do the opposite with crushed eggshells. These are rich in lime and other minerals. They are therefore particularly suitable for fertilizing plants that prefer a soil with a higher pH value. Anyone who owns a stove can also use wood ash as fertilizer. However, this is strongly alkaline and is therefore not suitable for all indoor plants. It is very rich in potassium, but also contains lime and trace elements. Ash also helps counteract fungal diseases and rot.

Fertilize indoor plants with mineral fertilizers: blue grain and Co.

Mineral fertilizers are popular because they usually contain nutrients in high concentrations. Some plants - such as Orchids (Orchidaceae) or Succulents - But they can quickly be overfertilized because they only have a low nutritional requirement. In addition, mineral fertilizers are anything but environmentally friendly to produce. When using organic fertilizers, however, the risk of over-fertilization is significant lower, as this decomposes slowly and the nutrients of the plant are only gradually made available will.

In most cases, the maintenance of indoor plants also includes regular repotting. We have everything you need to know about Repotting houseplants put together for you.