Fertilize house plants naturally for healthy, strong growth in your indoor garden.
Fertilizing house plants is a necessary step in ensuring that your plants stay healthy and continue to grow.
Plants are growing healthier than ever before with the use of synthetic fertilizers.
But what happens when those fertilizers lose their effectiveness? You could become a slave to commercial fertilizer and spend more money on plant food.
There is a better way. You can fertilize your plants naturally with good old-fashioned organic materials that are readily available.
The best way to fertilize house plants is with a weak liquid fertilizer once a week.
Dilute the fertilizer according to the instructions on the package. You can also use compost tea, which is made by soaking compost in water for a few days, then straining it.
Compost tea can be used as a foliar spray on your plants to add microorganisms and nutrients directly to the leaves.
The best times to fertilize house plants are in the early morning or late evening when temperatures are cooler and the sun is not shining directly on the leaves.
How To Fertilize House Plants Naturally: 10 Steps to Healthy House Plants
- Remove dead, yellowed leaves and other debris from the plant. Don’t put them in the compost heap without first removing them from their stems.
- Use a pencil or other sharp instrument to poke holes in the soil around your house plant. Poke three to four times around each side of the pot about 1″ apart.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts and 1 teaspoon of kelp into a gallon of water and pour it into the planter. (You can also use liquid seaweed instead of kelp for this step.)
- Put your house plants in a cool spot out of direct sunlight while their soil absorbs the nutrients. Check after 2 hours and if the plant has not been watered recently, water it.
- Fertilize house plants once a week with a weak liquid fertilizer. Dilute the fertilizer according to the instructions on the package.
- Use compost tea, which is made by soaking compost in water for a few days, then straining it. Compost tea can be used as a foliar spray on your plants to add microorganisms and nutrients directly to the leaves.
Keep house plants away from drafts, cold windowsills, and other sources of cold air. Stovepipes are also very dry and can cause problems with your indoor garden if they aren’t vented properly. - Maintain constant temperature around your house plants around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you need to move your plants away from a draft, lower the temperature of the room rather than moving the plant closer to a fire or radiator. - Keep house plants evenly moist by watering them when their soil is dry. Don’t water again until the top inch or so of soil feels dry to the touch.
- Use a balanced organic fertilizer such as fish emulsion, seaweed extract, or compost to fertilize house plants once a month.
Repot your plants every 2 to 3 years using fresh potting soil. Be sure to use a pot that is only one size larger than the current pot and doesn’t overwater.
Keep house plants away from direct sunlight. This will stress them out and cause weak, spindly growth that is more susceptible to disease and pests.
Don’t put your house plants in front of a window during the day without blinds or drapes. The temperature difference between indoor temperatures and outside temperatures can also harm your indoor garden.
If your house plants become infested with bugs, spray them with a mixture of one part alcohol and three parts water and let dry. Repeat in 1 week if necessary.
40 Best Natural Fertilizers For House Plants:
1. Fish emulsion
2. Alfalfa meal
3. Bone meal
4. Blood meal
5. Cottonseed meal
6. Insect-eating bat guano
7. Worm castings or worm tea
8. Potassium-rich fertilizers such as kelp emulsion and liquid seaweed
9. Compost tea
10. Fish scraps
11. Fruit scraps
12. Bone meal or other animal byproducts
13. Manure tea
14. Comfrey plant
15. Seaweed emulsion
16. Greensand (glauconite)
17. Dolomite lime
18. Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate)
19. Wood ash
20. Eco-Complete 20-20-20 fertilizer by Hydrodynamic
21. High N guano from bat or seabird guano
22. Grow More Fruit & Flower plant food by Green Harvest Organics
23. Extreme Classic liquid fish fertilizer by Advanced Nutrients
24. Plagron worm castings
25. Advanced liquid fish fertilizer by Advanced Nutrients
26. Plant-Gro liquid magic fertilizer by General Hydroponics
27. Earth Juice liquid fertilizers for vegetables and fruits by Organicare Nutraceuticals
28. Slim PULSE liquid plant food for container plants
29. Basic Hydroponics liquid fertilizers by General Hydroponics
30. Pure Blend Pro liquid plant food by Fox Farm
31. Green Gro liquid plant food for vegetables and flowers
32. Alg-a-Mic liquid fish fertilizer by Espoma
33. Bay State organic kelp extract fertilizer
34. Nature’s Herb’s guano tea
35. Albrecht worm castings
36. Flower Power organic flower fertilizer by Myke Cole
37. Neptune’s Harvest liquid fish and seaweed fertilizer
38. OceanSolution liquid Seaweed Extract
39. Ecoscraps fruit and vegetable compost
40. Dr. Earth Home Grown organic formula 7-4-5 fertilizer
Fertilize House Plants FAQs:
Q: How often should I fertilize house plants?
Q: How much fertilizer do I need to fertilize house plants?
A: When you are fertilizing house plants, use a weaker solution than what is recommended on the package. This will help prevent the plants from becoming over-fertilized.
Q: What type of liquid fertilizer should I use to fertilize my indoor plants?
A: There are many liquid fertilizers available on the market for fertilizing house plants. Choose a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK) to provide the best nutrients for your plants.
Q: Can I use organic or synthetic fertilizer to fertilize my indoor plants?
A: Both organic and synthetic fertilizers can be used to fertilize house plants. However, organic fertilizers are best because they provide the plant with essential nutrients while also promoting microbial activity in the soil.
Q: What is the best time of day to fertilize indoor plants?
A: The best time of day to fertilize indoor plants is early in the morning or late in the evening when the sun is not shining directly on the leaves. Foliar feeding should be done when the sun is not shining directly on the leaves to prevent burning.
Q: Can I fertilize my indoor plants with compost?
A: Yes, compost can be used to fertilize indoor plants. In fact, compost tea is a great organic fertilizer for house plants because it contains organic fertilizers and beneficial microorganisms that promote plant growth.
Q: How much compost should I use to fertilize house plants?
A: When using compost as a fertilizer for indoor plants, mix 1 teaspoon of nitrogen-rich compost in 1 gallon of water and apply to the soil around the base of each plant once a month during the growing season.
Q: What type of water should be used to fertilize house plants?
A: Water that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis system should be used when fertilizing indoor plants because it will prevent any salt build-up from the fertilizers from damaging the plant’s roots. 9. How can I keep my household plants from getting too much fertilizer?
A common problem with fertilizing house plants is that the plants can become over-fertilized. This can be prevented by fertilizing the plants with a weaker solution than what is recommended on the package, and by not fertilizing the plants more than once every 10 to 14 days.
Q: What is the best way of fertilizing house plants?
A: Fertilize house plants best using a spray-on fertilizer that will penetrate the plant’s leaves. These types of fertilizers are best for foliar feeding since they contain organic fertilizers and beneficial microorganisms that promote healthy plant growth.
Q: How can I prevent my household plants from getting sick?
A: House plants can become sick from fertilizing if the pH of the soil is not balanced, if fertilizer burn occurs, or if you over-fertilize. Prevent any of these problems by only applying liquid fertilizer to house plants that are diluted and following package instructions on how often to fertilize indoor plants.
Q: How do I prevent indoor plant diseases?
Q: How much water should I use when fertilizing indoor plants?
A: Be careful not to overwater plants when fertilizing them. Keep the soil moist but not wet, and use water that has been filtered through a reverse osmosis system to prevent any salt build-up from the fertilizers from damaging the plant’s roots.
Q: Is it necessary to fertilize indoor plants during the winter?
A: Indoor plants should be fertilized monthly year-round, even during the winter to keep them healthy and growing. Fertilize indoor plants with a weak solution of nitrogen-rich fertilizer that has been diluted to half strength, or mixes 1 teaspoon of nitrogen-rich compost in 1 gallon of water and apply once a month during the growing season.