Basic rules for feeding flowers in the spring in the country. How to water indoor flowers for rapid growth folk remedies How to fertilize indoor flowers

Floriculture in apartments and houses has been and remains one of the most popular, interesting and exciting hobbies. For some, this is even a profitable business. Fans of domestic plants include, first of all, summer residents, but ordinary housewives and even housewives, who are becoming more and more, do not lag behind them.

Demand, as you know, creates supply, and therefore flower shops are now full of all kinds of fertilizers for indoor plants. But do not forget that before there was no well-established production of dressings, and our mothers and grandmothers fertilized flowers with improvised means, which is much more profitable and convenient than using purchased fertilizers. There are many time-tested plant nutrition recipes. It's time to find out about them!

Many novice flower growers ask themselves the question: “Why fertilize indoor flowers at all?”. The answer is simple: the flowers that live in our apartments sit in pots or flowerpots, in the ground, in which, over time, the reserves of substances necessary for flowers are very quickly depleted. As a result of this, plants begin to experience a deficiency of important elements and begin to grow more slowly, wither, turn yellow and may die. Therefore, if you want to see full of life, green and dense, brightly flowering plants on your window, then you need to fertilize them.

Basic rules for fertilizing indoor flowers

For gardeners, when feeding flowers, the following rule applies: “Do no harm!”, Since excess fertilizer or improperly applied top dressing can cause great harm to the plant. There are basic rules for how to feed plants:

1. Fertilize the soil only for plants that are healthy. Make sure there are no pests on the bush.
2. During the dormant period, that is, from the first autumn days until the beginning of spring, avoid feeding the plants often. Do this no more than once every 1-1.5 months, with the exception of some types of crops.
3. Avoid fertilizing flowers immediately after transplanting into a new soil or pot: firstly, there is still a supply of nutrients in fresh soil, and secondly, the plant has already suffered stress, after transplanting it needs peace, not active growth.
4. Be sure to water the plant well before feeding: if you do not, the roots of the flower can get severely burned. Water the flowers with plain water, and then, after 2-3 hours, add nutrients.

If you bought a plant in bloom in a store, then do not fertilize it at first - there should be the required amount of minerals in the soil. Wait about a month before the first feeding.

Do-it-yourself fertilizer for home flowers

There is no need to run to the store for good fertilizer - take a good look around you. Our house is always full of what fertilizers for indoor plants can be prepared on their own, without any "chemistry".

From our table

In the process of daily cooking, we, without noticing it ourselves, send very useful and necessary substances to plants into the bin or into the drain. This includes water from washing cereals, egg shells, waste from fruit cleaning and much more. But with the right use of this waste, you can create very nutritious fertilizers from almost nothing.

Video - Do-it-yourself fertilizers for indoor plants

Your own helpers

Flowers themselves can be an excellent source of nutrients. For example, the juice of one of the most popular house flowers is aloe. This is a great helper for other colors: it accelerates development and raises immunity.

1. Pluck off the bottom leaves of an aloe that is about 4 years old.
2. Place the leaves in a plastic bag and put it in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf.
3. Squeeze the juice from the leaves.
4. Dissolve the juice in water at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 1.5 liters of settled water for irrigation.
5. Water the plants once every 14 days.
6. Plants can also be sprayed with this solution.

It is good if you put a little crushed fern on the bottom of the pot - such measures will help improve the condition of the soil and increase the acidity of the soil.

Aloe is a great helper for other flowers.

Pets - producers of fertilizers

Rarely in which apartment there are no pets: people give birth to birds, fish, hamsters, cats and dogs. But if cat waste is dangerous for flowers, then waste from other animals can be very useful.

A good source of elements necessary for the growth of flowers can be the water in which aquarium fish live. I use it for watering in spring or in the first half of summer - during the active development of plants. Use this water once a month to prevent acidification of the soil.

Aquarium water is a good source of flowers needed for growth.

You can also fertilize indoor flowers with droppings of dogs, birds, guinea pigs. An infusion is prepared from it: the litter is collected and poured with warm water, then they wait for the fermentation process to begin (from 3 days (rodent droppings) to 2 weeks). Dilute the product 1:25 and use to water house plants.

Ash

Ash has long been known among gardeners and summer residents as a source of minerals for plants. The soil is enriched with mineral elements, including potassium and phosphorus, and crops on such fertilized soil begin to grow faster.

Grilled kebabs in the country or just burned a fire - collect some wood ash and bring it home. Dilute 1 tablespoon of the brought top dressing in 2 liters of hot water, let it brew for one day, strain and water the plants.

Good mineral fertilizer - ashes from cigarettes. Just add it little by little to the flower pots.

The first aid kit is also helpful.

Every home medicine cabinet contains potassium permanganate, aspirin and castor oil. These drugs are excellent sources of nutrients for indoor flowers.

Potassium permanganate or potassium permanganate will help get rid of indoor midges, and will also become a source of trace elements for plants. Dilute a few grains of potassium permanganate in settled water, giving it a pale pink color, and water your flowers.

Aspirin has long been known as a great cut flower remedy for increasing vase life. Why not try to feed this drug and ordinary houseplants? We prepare the solution as follows: in 1 liter. settled water dilute 1 tab. drug. Water flowering or bud-forming plants with this remedy.

Castor oil will delight indoor flowers that form buds or are already blooming. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of this drug in a liter of water and water the flowers.

Hello dear plant lovers! Our green friends depend on us in everything, and only the right care will allow crops to turn green, bloom and develop, therefore, in continuation of the flower theme, I would like to talk about such an issue as home dressing for flowers. It turns out that a plant living in a flower pot only has enough nutrients for 1.5-2 months after transplantation, and then it begins to suffer from a lack of trace elements! Let's not starve our pets and learn how to properly feed them!

It is necessary to apply special nutrients regularly, during the period of active growth (from spring to autumn) it is recommended to add fertilizer to the pot about once a month, but in winter you can relax, since most crops at this time rest and gain strength for the new season.

Fertilizers are divided into two groups - mineral and organic.

The first can be bought at any gardening store, they are different - with one trace element, several or the whole complex. It is quite simple to make them, just dilute the liquid in water according to the instructions and water the flowers with it. When choosing a drug, you need to consider the needs of plants. So, deciduous-ornamental flowers (for example, ficus) love nitrogen, and flowering ones - phosphorus. In more detail, the “tastes” of culture can be found in the description of the flower, or simply consult with a consultant in the store.

But there are also organic types of fertilizers, these are natural products that have a beneficial effect on plants. We will talk about them in more detail later.

When should it be done?

You need to feed the plants constantly, without waiting for the first symptoms, but to find out that the flowers just need additional nutrition, the following signs will help:

• weak and thin stems stretching upwards;
• lack of buds and flowers;
• growth retardation;
• the leaves became smaller, weaker, pale;
• foliage turns yellow and crumbles;
• general miserable appearance of the plant.

But do not get carried away with fertilizing, as excessive activity can be harmful. As they say, everything should be in moderation, with too much nutrients, home flowers shed their buds and are in no hurry to bloom.

Natural products for flower nutrition

1. Sugar or glucose

Sugar and glucose become the basis for plant nutrition, because this component is necessary for the respiration of the sprout, the processes of absorption of substances, energy production, and the creation of new cells. To do this, a spoonful of sugar or a glucose tablet must be dissolved in a liter of water and pour or spray the sprouts with the composition. But you should not get carried away with such a procedure, even in people an excess of sweet causes obesity and diabetes, it is also harmful to the plant world. Once a month is enough to make the life of indoor plants sweet.

2. Coffee grounds

Coffee grounds are high in nutrients, making them an excellent fertilizer. The good news is that you don’t have to work for a long time in the process of preparing the composition, you just need to leave the coffee asleep after drinking and pour it directly into the pot. It will act as a mulch, preventing excessive evaporation of moisture from the surface, and when watering, the trace elements will gradually dissolve and enter the substrate, and from there through the roots to the plant. But remember that coffee increases the acidity of the soil, so you should not use such top dressing on succulents (cactus, money tree, scarlet), but azalea, ripsalis, hydrangea will be very happy with the delicacy.

3. Black tea

Tea is rightfully considered an excellent home fertilizer, it can be used both in dry and liquid form. Is there leftover tea left after drinking tea? Just pour it into a pot instead of traditional watering. True, you should not do this regularly, since the liquid is very loved by black flies. And experts recommend adding dry leaves to the substrate, they make the soil loose and light, for this, the tea leaves must be mixed with the ground in a ratio of 1: 3 at the time of planting. You can pour tea leaves on the surface of the soil in the form of mulch, following the example of coffee. Such procedures are suitable for delicate crops such as violet, geranium, begonia.

4. Citrus peels.

Do you like oranges and lemons? Flowers also adore these fruits, because they contain a lot of vitamins that increase immunity. Therefore, we do not throw away the remaining peels after eating, but collect them in a liter jar, after which we fill the contents with a liter of hot water and insist for a day. Next, we filter the infusion, dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:10 and use it for watering indoor plants that prefer acidic soil - azaleas, hydrangeas, rapsis.

5. Ash

Ash is a classic of the genre, wood burning ash not only contains a lot of phosphorus, potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, iron, but also helps to disinfect the soil, preventing the appearance of various diseases. It is easiest to apply this fertilizer during transplantation, mixing the substrate with the ashes. And in the future, it is possible to carry out watering with ash water, for this, a tablespoon of the powder must be diluted in a liter of water.

6. Onion peel

Leftover onion peel after cooking? And it will be used, because this product contains a lot of phytoncides that fight diseases and pests of flowers, and this top dressing stimulates the growth and flowering of domestic green pets. For the procedure, you need to take 20-25 grams of dry husk and boil in a liter of water for 10 minutes, insist and use for spraying and watering, especially in the presence of diseases and midges in a pot.

7. Yeast

Yeast as a fertilizer is recognized even by scientists, it stimulates the growth and development of stems and roots. To do this, take a pinch of dry yeast, 1 tsp. sugar to activate them, and pour the powder with a liter of heated water. After a couple of hours, the liquid must be diluted with water five times, and water the flowers with it, and the method is not harmful, it can be used during the period of active growth every two weeks, and in winter - once a month.

8. Banana

Banana is rich in potassium, which supports active flowering, so this fruit will appeal to flowers with frequent buds. It was easier for me to dry the banana skins on a radiator or in the oven to a state of brittleness, and then grind them in a coffee grinder. Further, the powder can be periodically sprinkled on the surface of the soil or added to the substrate during transplantation.

Each plant needs regular nutrition, and now we know how and with what to fertilize green spaces so that they please the eye all year round. See you soon, good luck experimenting with flowers and subscribe to the blog!

Feeding indoor plants ensures their full development. Potted soil quickly becomes scarce. Due to the lack of nutrients, the flowers stop growing, wither, the leaves may turn yellow. From the article you will learn how to feed indoor flowers and in what period it is better to do it, how to choose fertilizers for plant growth.

For growth and abundant flowering, plants need top dressing.

Fertilizers for flowers, especially those growing in pots, are necessary because plants deplete the soil. Transplanting into fresh soil helps to make up for the lack of nutrients, but only for a couple of months. Such frequent transportation of plants is useless, therefore, fertilizers must be applied to the soil.

If you have read articles about indoor plants, then you have probably heard that each of them has a period of active growth. Usually it falls on spring-summer - at this time the leaves actively grow at the flower, flower stalks develop. It is during such periods that top dressing for indoor flowers is necessary. Depending on the species characteristics, the period of active growth can occur in plants at different times.

Plant fertilization rules

Before choosing and applying fertilizer, you need to learn the basic rules:

• Overfeeding a plant with fertilizer is even more harmful than forgetting to do so.
• Flowers absorb fertilizer well during the period of active growth and flowering. But not everyone needs top dressing during flowering! For example, blooming orchids cannot be fertilized - the flowers will quickly fall off.
• In winter, the assimilation of nutrients by the plant is slower due to lack of light, therefore, feeding indoor flowers should occur less frequently. Plants with a pronounced dormant period (for example, succulents) do not fertilize at all in winter.
• If root feeding of plants is carried out with special solutions, it is necessary to prevent the liquid from getting on the foliage.
• Young plants need to be fed with weaker fertilizer solutions than adults.
• In different periods of vegetative development, different types of top dressing are needed. In the phase of active growth - nitrogen, with the development of peduncles and flowering - phosphorus-potassium.
• Before fertilizing, the soil must be moistened with clean water so that the solution does not burn the root system.
• Do not feed recently transplanted, weakened, diseased plants.
• It is better to fertilize in the afternoon, when there is neither heat nor bright sunlight.
• Fertilizer for indoor plants should be complex. It is important to remember the compatibility of minerals. For example, magnesium is poorly absorbed when calcium is added, so they are not combined.

Signs of lack or excess of fertilizers in the soil

When a plant lacks nutrients:

The following signs indicate that the plant is overfed:

• Gray-white coating on the soil surface even when using soft water for irrigation.
• Lethargy of the leaves and drying of the tips.
• Poor growth of green mass, fragility of leaves.
• Decreased resistance to disease.

Important elements for plant nutrition

Fertilizer for flowers should meet his needs. It is no coincidence that stores sell separate complexes for flowering plants, decorative foliage and succulents. Plants with lush leaves require nitrogen fertilizers, and flowering ones contain phosphorus and potassium.

Fertilizers are: liquid, powder, tablet, granular, compressed. Liquid solutions are most well absorbed by the plant. There are also those that need to be dissolved in water and sprayed on the foliage. Complex store-bought fertilizers for indoor plants contain the main elements:

• Nitrogen, which promotes the development of plants. With its shortage, the leaves lose their color intensity, fade.
• Phosphorus is essential for full vegetative development. The lack of an element leads to fading of the leaves, inhibition of growth.
• Potassium is needed for lush flowering. If it is not enough, the plant does not bloom or the inflorescences become smaller.
• Sulfur. With its lack, the leaves begin to fade.
• Calcium. The lack of an element leads to the death of the crown of the plant, while the rest of its parts look healthy.

Types of fertilizers

All fertilizers can be divided into organic and mineral. Organic fertilizers for indoor plants are of plant or animal origin, mineral fertilizers appear as a result of processing raw materials, industrial waste, and the mining industry.

organic fertilizers

Organic fertilizers include poultry and animal droppings (chickens, geese, ducks), vegetable composts, and peat bogs. Such dressings contain all the elements that improve the structure of the soil, provide better absorption of mineral fertilizers by the plant in the future.

Organic fertilizers are added to the soil when transplanting.

Mineral fertilizers

Fertilizers of such a plan are necessary in the case when organic ones run out in the soil. They are divided into nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus. Among the nitrogen most in demand: ammonia, calcium, sodium nitrate, ammonium sulphate, urea. From potash - wood ash, potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate. It is convenient to buy complex dressings, in which useful elements are already collected in acceptable proportions.

Top dressing during the period of active growth

In spring, plants need not only pruning of old shoots, soil replacement, but also increased fertilization. After transplanting, the plant must be given a month to adapt to new conditions, and then start feeding. When the flower takes root and grows, you need to use nitrogen fertilizers. Bulb plants or young cuttings should not be fed like this, as nitrogen can damage the young root system.

In the middle of spring, it is necessary to start applying potassium-containing fertilizers (potassium sulphide, potassium magnesia). They are usually applied by spraying or watering under the root. When flowering plants begin to form buds, preparations with phosphorus (superphosphates, ammophos) are used.

Phosphorite flour can be laid in the soil. To do this, half a teaspoon is stirred into 10 liters of soil. To stimulate the abundant ovary of flower stalks, plants need boron. The solution is prepared by stirring 0.2 g of the drug in 1 liter of water. Magnesium is also needed for abundant flowering, but it is applied separately from phosphorus, because in the complex the elements are poorly absorbed by the plant.

Fertilizers in winter

In winter, fertilizers are needed for plants that bloom or grow all year round. These include azalea, violet, spathiphyllum, pelargonium, ficuses. However, in the cold season, top dressing should be applied less frequently, since the daylight hours are shorter - 1 time per month will be enough. Cacti and succulents are dormant in winter, so they do not need to be fed and watering should be reduced.

In order for the plant to continue to grow green mass and bloom in winter, complex fertilizers with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are used. Home remedies are also suitable - ash solution, sugar, iodine solution for pelargoniums. Sugar, for example, contains glucose useful for plants.

Sugar is actively used as a top dressing.

Glucose serves as an energy source for all plant life processes, but will not be absorbed if there is a shortage of carbon dioxide. Moreover, it can cause the development of root rot and mold. The use of sugar will make sense when combined with EM drugs (drugs of effective microorganisms). You can simply sprinkle the soil with sugar and then pour it with water, or you can dissolve a tablespoon of sugar in 500 ml of water for irrigation.

Remember that an excess of fertilizer for plants can be more detrimental to their lack. Choose a fertilizer according to individual needs and characteristics of the flower. Proper feeding is the key to lush flowering and active plant growth.

Under indoor conditions, home flowers require additional nourishment, which can be provided by introducing special substances into the soil. You don't have to buy houseplant food from stores. It can be easily made at home using, for example, a regular banana peel.

This article will tell you how to properly make dressings for indoor flowers with your own hands. In addition, you will find useful tips and rules for fertilizing and signs by which you can determine that a flower needs fertilizer.

Taking care of the crops in our summer cottage, we do not forget to feed them, but when it comes to caring for home flowers, we often remember that they also need to be supplied with nutrients. And although indoor pets are much smaller and do not bear fruit as abundantly as, for example, garden pets, however, the feeding area of ​​\u200b\u200btheir roots is limited to a flower pot. Sooner or later, the soil in the flowerpot is depleted, and therefore it is necessary to periodically enrich it with useful substances.

Very often flowerpots have to endure heat and drafts, lack of sunlight or its excess. Some flower lovers practice regular transplanting into new soil, however, you should be aware that the supply of nutrients in a fresh earthy coma is only enough for two months. And if the culture at this time begins to grow actively or enters a flowering period, additional feeding is indispensable. Only those specimens that are in a dormant period do not need to be fed.

In order for indoor plants to always have a beautiful and healthy appearance, you need to know some rules for adding nutrients (Figure 1):

• The optimal time for fertilizing is the period from early April to mid-October. Since most species are in a dormant period in winter, there are practically no top dressings at this time of the year.
• All kinds of nutrients are applied to moist soil to prevent root burns.
• The same fertilizer should not be applied to both deciduous and flowering varieties at the same time as they have different nutrient requirements.
• The drug must be strictly dosed. An excess of nutrients leads to a halt in the growth and development of the flower, provokes the death of the culture.

As an additional procedure for root dressing, foliar application of the same fertilizers is carried out, but in smaller quantities. Foliar recharges also have their own characteristics. So, they are effective for young specimens with delicate foliage, but adult specimens absorb them much worse. It is impossible to foliarly feed plants with pubescent or glossy leaves that do not allow moisture to pass through (aloe, Kalanchoe, palm, saintpaulia, gloxinia, etc.). If there is insufficient air humidity, it is also necessary to spray with clean water after each foliar feeding.

The video shows the best flower fertilizers that you can use at home.

How to tell when plants need food

How to determine that indoor plants need to be fed? A number of signs will indicate this to you, among which are:

• Slow growth and lack of flowering;
• Weak elongated stems and pale small leaves;
• The appearance of signs of disease: spots, yellowing and falling leaves.

As you know, the disease is easier to prevent than to cure, so let's get acquainted with natural fertilizers that will help keep your flowers healthy and strong.

Banana peel fertilizer for indoor plants

The influence of bananas on the human body is well known due to the high content of a whole complex of vitamins and microelements in them. At the same time, nutrients are found both in the pulp itself and in the peel of this fruit. Therefore, banana peel is actively used for the preparation of various fertilizers.

It is used fresh and dried, as well as for the manufacture of tinctures and spray solutions (Figure 2).

Dried banana peel fertilizer

A pre-washed banana peel can be dried on a radiator, in the oven, in the sun, then ground into powder in a coffee grinder or simply folded into a paper bag.

Banana powder is mixed with the substrate in a ratio of 1:10 at the time of transplantation or used as a mulching material, which is sprinkled on the soil in a flower pot once a month. Banana fertilizer in the form of a whole dried peel should only be placed in the lower layers of the soil as drainage, since the peel begins to mold on its surface.

Fertilizer from fresh banana skins

Fresh skin is crushed into pieces with scissors and buried in the ground as deep as possible. However, it is often quite difficult to determine the exact number of skins that can quickly decompose. As for houseplants, the processing of potted banana peels is very slow.

Banana peel infusion

Banana peel infusion is used to saturate the soil with useful substances. To prepare it, the skins are thoroughly washed, crushed, placed in a liter jar for half its volume, poured with water and insisted for a day. Then the resulting infusion is topped up with water to a volume of 1 liter.

Spray Banana Peel Complex Fertilizer

To prepare a complex fertilizer, you will need powder from the dried peel of 4 bananas, 2 tsp. eggshell powder and 20 g magnesium sulfate. All ingredients are mixed, pour 900 g of water and shake until magnesium is completely dissolved. The resulting preparation is stored in the refrigerator and used to spray the soil and leaves no more than once a week. It can be supplemented with other nutrients, then the procedure will become more effective.

Iodine for indoor plants: how to feed

Although iodine is not a vital element for plants, its presence in the soil has a positive effect on all their life processes. You can spray flowerpots with water with mineral fertilizers, which include iodine, or with special iodine-containing complexes. However, if the iodine content exceeds the allowable limits, then such a fertilizer can be detrimental to flowers. Therefore, you should know that the iodine content in the solution should be 0.1 mg per kilogram.

Plants after feeding with iodine develop faster, bloom more abundantly and practically do not get sick. Experienced growers are advised to dissolve 2 drops of iodine in 2 liters of water and water the flowers with the resulting solution on wet soil no more than once a month (Figure 3).

Fertilizing indoor flowers with yeast

It is known that yeast contains fungi containing a large amount of protein and amino acids, as well as many micro and macro elements. Yeast is very useful for plants, especially indoor plants (Figure 4).

To prepare fertilizer for indoor flowers, you will need 10 g of dry yeast per 10 liters of water. Sugar, potato tops, hops are added to the resulting solution for a better effect in order to increase the nitrogen content in the fertilizer itself. The resulting preparation is infused in a dark place for several hours until the fermentation process begins. A liter of the resulting fertilizer is dissolved in 5 liters of clean water and the flowers are watered. The result of yeast feeding will be visible after a few days.

From the video you will learn how to prepare a top dressing for homemade flowers from yeast.

egg shell fertilizer

Eggshell contains many nutrients. It decomposes quite quickly in the soil and is used as a fertilizer for both garden and house flowers (Figure 5).

Note: You should know that the eggshell lowers the acidity of the soil, therefore, for species such as azalea, camellia, gardenia, pelargonium, hydrangea, pansies, ferns, feeding with eggshell is contraindicated.

Before preparing top dressing, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the shell, clean it of protein residues, then dry and grind it in any way possible. The resulting powder is stored in a paper bag (box) or in a glass container with a lid. Eggshells can be applied directly to the soil (powder or tincture) or used as drainage.

There are several ways to prepare eggshell tincture. For example, it is recommended to pour one cup of crushed eggshells into 4 cups of warm water and let it brew for 2 weeks, shaking the liquid occasionally. Ready infusion to water the flowers once a month. You can also dissolve 2 tbsp. spoons of powder in 1 liter of boiling water. In this case, the solution should be infused for 5 days. Using pure egg powder, remove the top layer of soil in a flower pot, mix it in a separate container with 1 tbsp. eggshell and pour back into the pot.

Fertilizer Agricola for indoor plants

In addition to homemade dressings, you can use a long-term fertilizer for home flowers called "Agricola". This preparation is universal and suitable for feeding all kinds.

It contains a complex of all the necessary micro and macro elements, is economical, has an unlimited shelf life. For root dressing, a solution is prepared from 1 tsp. fertilizer and 2 liters of water. Top dressing is carried out 1 time in 7-10 days, and during the dormant period of the plant (from November to February), 1 such top dressing per month will be enough.

Fertilizers are needed, and compositions in various forms are used for feeding: both liquid, and briquettes, and powders, and tablets, and capsules. But when trying to feed the "green pets", it is important not to overdo it. It is necessary to fertilize correctly, as experienced growers advise, in moderation, so as not to cause oversaturation, which affects crops as negatively as a lack of nutrients.

In order to grow and develop the root system, form leaves and flowers, plants need very specific nutrients. In the land for flowers, which you buy ready-made, there are necessary substances, but they are only enough for the first time. Later, the flower soil must be fertilized to maintain a certain supply of batteries.

In this article, you will learn how to feed indoor flowers at home and how to properly fertilize.

How to fertilize indoor flowers at home: the right dosage

First of all, it is necessary to take care of a sufficient amount of nutrients in those months when the plant develops and blooms. During the dormant period, when growth stops for a while, indoor flowers do not need top dressing.

Not all plants have the same appetite. Before fertilizing indoor flowers, find out about the correct dosage - such information can be found in any botanical guide, you can get a recommendation from the store where you get your "green pet". There are terrible "gluttons" such as bougainvillea, hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) and some palm trees. But there are also "masters of the hunger strike", which include cordilina (Cordyline), sansevieria, yucca (Yucca). These houseplants have enough mineral fertilizers in very small portions.

Remember: some home crops are just as harmful to feed as little as other types of fertilizing too much. The frequency of feeding indoor flowers at home is not necessarily observed to within one day, but it is important to adhere to it.

The composition of fertilizers for feeding indoor flowers at home

The composition of the best fertilizers for indoor plants necessarily includes three main nutrients.

• Nitrogen (abbreviated as N on packs) ensures the growth of shoots and leaves, the formation of a sufficient amount of chlorophyll.
• Phosphorus (P) essential for normal root development, bud formation, and seed and fruit ripening.
• Potassium (K) strengthens plant tissues and increases resistance to diseases and pests. In addition, it is also necessary for the formation of flowers.

When deciding how to feed houseplants at home, remember that the flower should not lack trace elements, even if they need very little. Trace elements include iron, copper, manganese, magnesium, boron and some others.

You can assume that every fertilizer for indoor plants, which is offered under the name "Complex", contains all the vital substances in a balanced amount. Many packages indicate the ratio of the three main elements, always in the same order N, P, K. If it says 7:6:7, this means that the fertilizer contains 7 parts of nitrogen, 6 parts of phosphorus and 7 parts of potassium. The numbers 7:4:5 mean that nitrogen predominates in the fertilizer for indoor plants, and the numbers 4:6:4 indicate an increased content of phosphorus compared to nitrogen and potassium. Various trace elements are most often not indicated on the packaging, but they are added to the composition of any complex fertilizer.

How can you fertilize indoor flowers at home for better growth

Those who know a little about fertilizers and are willing to experiment can purposefully control the development of domestic crops. How to feed indoor plants for their best growth?

Young plants that need to develop vigorously should receive fertilizers with a slight predominance of nitrogen or equal parts of nitrogen and potassium. Flowers in the period of budding and flowering really need phosphorus and potassium. For them, fertilizers with an increasing ratio of elements (for example, 8:12:16) are most suitable. After flowering, another fertilizer should be used for them.

The best fertilizers for houseplants such as cacti are low in nitrogen to keep them compact. Special fertilizers for cacti, which are sold ready-made, are compiled taking into account this feature. Such fertilizers can be recommended for other succulent plants.

And how to feed indoor flowers that are sensitive to lime, such as azaleas? They need so-called acidic fertilizers, with a pH value below 6. Ask the store for special fertilizers for azaleas, which are produced by several companies. Similar fertilizers can be used for other lime-sensitive plants.

It is also important to know how best to feed salt-sensitive houseplants such as ferns, orchids and bromeliads. They can be fed with regular complex fertilizer for but add about half the recommended dose in the instructions.

For, azaleas and only appropriate special fertilizers should be used.

For ornamental and flowering plants, if you want to save time and effort, you can use conventional complex fertilizers. The plant absorbs primarily those substances that it needs at the moment the most.

The best top dressing for indoor plants: mineral and organic fertilizers for flowers

Again and again, discussions continue on how to fertilize indoor flowers at home: organic supplements (often referred to as "biological") or mineral (often referred to as "artificial").

In the case of indoor plants, these disputes are of no importance. A decisive role for plants is played by the presence of the amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium they need. They are introduced in the form of an organic or artificial, industrially prepared mineral fertilizer, plants are not distinguished. In their action, these types of fertilizers are somewhat different, and you should know something about this.

In the mineral fertilizer for indoor plants, the nutrients are present in such a form that they can be immediately absorbed by the plant. If the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients, then various mineral fertilizers (which include most flower fertilizers) should always be used as an emergency.

Organic houseplant fertilizers release nutrients more slowly into the environment. The most common organic fertilizers, which are manure and compost, can hardly be used in flower pots. Here life in the soil is not active enough; there is not the required number of microorganisms and earthworms, the presence of which is necessary to convert complex chemical compounds into simpler ones that are easily absorbed by plant roots.

Within very narrow limits, you can afford to use biological substances if you slightly increase the recommended intervals between the next fertilizer applications and use old home remedies. Exhaled mineral water contains certain amounts of trace elements. Coffee grounds, which are brought in superficially, or already asleep tea, it is only lightly sprinkled with earth, have some properties of fertilizers. But you should not completely transfer indoor flowers to such homemade organic fertilizers!

Currently, there are special organic liquid complex fertilizers for indoor plants.

Liquid fertilizers for indoor plants, briquettes and tablets for flowers

Liquid fertilizers for houseplants, which are added to water for irrigation, are most often used. Usually the cap of the bottle serves as a dispenser.

Never use more fertilizer than what is recommended on the label.

In the recommendations for the care of many plants, you will find the mark "weak concentration". This means that half of the indicated dose is sufficient. Liquid fertilizers for indoor flowers do not last long. After a week or two, depending on the type of plant, you need to make them again.

Salts that are produced and sold in the form of powders are not very convenient to use, since you have to dose them yourself (usually 1-2 g per 1 liter of water). This requires accurate pharmaceutical scales. And in this case, you have to fertilize often.

Long-acting fertilizers for indoor plants at home are mixed with soil when planting a plant in a pot. For many months they are a stable source of nutrients. Most often, food is enough for the entire growing season. Foliar top dressing is made with special liquid fertilizers of very fast action, which are well suited for top dressing of plants suffering from an acute lack of nutrients. Similar fertilizers are sprayed on leaves, shoots and under them. It is better to spray on the street or in the bathroom so that the furniture does not suffer.

If you do not know how to fertilize indoor flowers, try using ready-made briquettes or tablets. They just go deep into the ground next to the wall of the pot. They gradually release nutrients over time in strictly defined quantities.

If we are not talking about very "hungry" plants, one briquette or one tablet is enough for about a month.

Carefully! No matter what kind of fertilizer you use, it should be kept out of the reach of children. Although they are not very poisonous, they can cause some harm to health.

Proper fertilization for indoor plants

Most plants are fertilized from around March/April until the end of August.

• Find out exactly how often and how much to feed certain plants.
• When fertilizing, follow the recommendations for the use of dressings contained on the package.
• Make sure that the fertilizer solution does not get on the leaves. If this still happened to a plant with dense foliage, then it should be washed well in the shower. Otherwise, spots will appear on the leaves.
• Fertilizers are recommended to be applied only to moist soil and in no case to completely dry soil. Otherwise, due to the high concentration of chemical compounds, root burns are possible.
• Sick plants should not be stimulated to grow by feeding. First of all, they need strength to recover.
• Newly transplanted plants do not need to be fertilized for the first six weeks as the fresh soil has an adequate supply of nutrients.

Feeding houseplants is not difficult, but it does not tolerate negligence.

Not enough fertilizer! If the plant suffers from a lack of nutrients, then it looks sick. The surest signs of a lack of batteries are the following:

• slow growth
• Weak stems
• Few flowers
• Lightened leaves, especially the lower ones
• Dropping lower leaves

What to do: fertilize immediately with a mineral fertilizer and fertilize at the recommended frequency from the next day. The plant will recover gradually, over time.

Lots of fertilizer! If one of the following symptoms is found, it may be a sign of excess fertilizer:

• Sluggishness or deformation of the leaves
• Brown spots and burnt edges of leaves
• White crust - deposition of calcium salts on pots and substrate surface

What to do: transplant or wash. To wash, put the pot in the sink, preferably 3 pebbles, so that water can flow freely from the hole in the bottom of the pot. Run water through the ground for half an hour. The jet should not be strong. Subsequently, the soil is allowed to dry out somewhat again, after which normal regular watering and fertilizing begin.

Salt-sensitive plants such as ferns, azaleas, primroses, orchids should always be fed very little.

Iron deficiency! Sometimes you can see indoor plants that suffer from a lack of a very specific element, such as iron. In this case, they suffer from jaundice, chlorosis. Citrus fruits, brunfelsia, (Hydrangea macrophylla) are especially sensitive to iron deficiency.

Iron deficiency can be recognized by the leaves: they become light yellow, only the veins of the leaves, even the thinnest ones, remain green. This phenomenon is caused by an increased content of lime (calcium salts) in the water for irrigation.

What to do: general feeding will not help here; you need to make up for the lack of iron. Buy ferrous sulfate and dissolve 0.5 g in 1 liter of water. Pour 50 ml of this solution over the plant. This procedure should be repeated several times with intervals of 5-7 days, but for each treatment, use a fresh solution. A rusty nail stuck in a pot of soil under the plant does not help in such cases. Perhaps someone has been successful with the iron pill.

How to make indoor plants bloom

With a few little tricks, you can get houseplants to bloom.

• Cut away faded flowers to encourage new ones to bloom.
• In some species, shortening and pruning the tops of the shoots promotes the development of more flowering shoots.
• Apply houseplant fertilizer only during the growing season and no more than necessary. Fed plants bloom lazily and become less resistant to diseases and pests.
• Provide plants with maximum light in autumn and winter. Ideal option: lamp for plants.
• Observe the timing of the dormant period of individual species. This is especially important for (Hyppeastrum) and house calla (Zantedeschia aethipica).

If your bromeliad does not want to bloom, there is a trick to fix this situation.

Ethylene, a gas released by ripe apples, contributes to the flowering of fairly large bromeliads. Put the plant in a breathable plastic bag for 1-2 weeks and put some apples in it. Not earlier than in four weeks a flower will appear on the plant.