You don’t have to be an expert gardener or even have a green thumb to have your own indoor plant haven successfully. If you’re interested in learning how to better take care of your indoor plants, you’ll want to stay tuned to learn more about feeding and fertilizing indoor plants.
Indoor Plant Care
Outside, plants have a natural supply of plant food that they create from water, air, soil nutrients, and sunlight. When it comes to taking care of indoor plants, sometimes you need to keep a closer eye on making sure your plants receive everything they need to grow healthy and strong. Caring for your indoor plants still requires the same elements and sometimes even additional assistance to be the best plants they can be.
Why Healthy Soil Matters
While you can and should place your indoor plants on a windowsill and water them, indoor plants in pots don’t have access to the free-flowing nutrients found in soil.
How Do I Know When My Plants Need Fertilizer?
It’s not always easy to tell what your indoor plants are lacking but keeping a watchful eye and adjusting your care routine can provide information on what your indoor plants need to come back to life. When your plant is looking worse for wear and nothing else is working, the plant may need deeper nourishment in the form of plant food. Similar to grass, your leafy indoor plants may show signs of deterioration.
Signs of Deterioration of Indoor Plants
- Yellowing leaves
- Stunted growth
- Burned leaves
- Brown spots
- Dried leaves
Indoor plant fertilizer will rebalance the soil nutrients that will then be absorbed by plant roots and used for plant food. So, if you have an indoor plant that needs a boost, it’s time to break out the fertilizer.
What to Use to Fertilize Indoor Plants
Fertilizing indoor plants is very similar to fertilizing your lawn; you find what nutrients are out of balance in the soil and work to correct that imbalance with the proper blend of plant food fertilizer.
We always suggest conducting a soil test for your lawn and garden, but it doesn’t make as much sense to do this with each potted plant in your home. To best detect a nutrient imbalance with your indoor plant, there are physical signs to look for:
Nitrogen deficiencies in indoor plants can manifest in stunted growth or yellowing leaves.
Another sign of stunted growth is purpling, and deteriorating foliage, which can point to a phosphorus deficiency in your indoor plant soil.
Wilted or burned plant leaves may be a sign of a potassium deficiency in the soil of your indoor plants.
Our All-Purpose Plant Food contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium to help you correct your plant's soil.
How to Fertilize Indoor Plants
Fertilizing indoor plants with liquid fertilizer and plant food is simple. To apply, simply mix the correct ratio of fertilizer with water and apply it to your potted indoor plant.
To find the correct ratio of fertilizer to water, look at the specific lawn fertilizer blend instructions and adjust the ratios by taking into account the amount of soil, surface area, and size of the plant and pot.
Organic Plant Food for Indoor Plants
Food for your indoor plants doesn’t always have to come in the form of a liquid, granular, or any other type of fertilizer you may find at your local nursery and garden center. The same is true for outdoor plants like your grass and garden.
Plant food fertilizer can provide nutrients that plants need which are found naturally in the earth. Some examples of organic fertilizer include animal manure, composted materials, eggshells, and many other materials found from decaying plants, animals, and other materials. While you may not always have these materials on hand, the natural nourishment found in organic materials provides nutrients to imbalanced or deficient plant soil.
Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Plants Healthy
Indoor plant fertilizer and plant food can work great to keep your plants well-nourished to grow healthy and strong. You can fertilize your indoor plants one to two times a year or as needed, but it’s best to establish an indoor plant care routine to establish healthy plants.
Suggested Indoor Plant Care
- Prune dead leaves
- Place plants in natural light
- Mist leaves to keep them moisturized and hydrated
- Shake or brush plants gently to help them grow strong
Keeping your plants exposed to the natural elements like sunlight, water, and well-nourished and balanced soil will help them thrive in the environment they were meant to thrive in.
In the case of the sun, understanding proper sunlight exposure for indoor plants will help plants undergo photosynthesis to create plant food. Be sure to pay special attention to each plant's needs and rotate them in sunshine and shade as necessary.
