Five Fertilizers to Help Your Plants Grow
Choosing the right fertilizer for your plants can sometimes feel like a daunting task—especially when staring down rows of products boasting plenty of numbers and scientific elements. Fertilizers can come in organic or synthetic forms, and often with different applications.
Let's try and simplify the decision-making process a little bit.
The first and most important question to answer is what you are growing. Different fertilizers tend to benefit certain situations—or plants—better than others. Most fertilizers will also offer a general guideline for timing and application.
Hopefully this quick guide makes the answer simple!
Overall Soil Booster
The best option for mixing into the soil is an organic fertilizer like compost. This provides the nutrients needed to improve soil structure and encourage growth. Check out last month’s Top Five post for several different options on how best to prepare your own compost!
General vegetable garden
Often, the best fertilizer for your vegetable garden is an all-purpose formula like 10-10-10. These numbers signify the balance of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, or NPK. Nitrogen is best for encouraging leaf growth, while phosphorus is best for roots and flowering plants. Potassium is great for overall plant health and disease resistance. A balanced formula will help boost all three, especially early on in the growing season.
Leafy Greens
Based on the breakdown above, leafy growth and shrubs will benefit more from a fertilizer high in nitrogen. Great options for this category are fish emulsion or blood meal. Coffee grounds are a nitrogen-rich source and can be easily added to the soil.
Flowers
When encouraging the development of strong roots, and by extension, beautiful flowers, select a fertilizer high in phosphorus. Rock phosphate or bone meal are good options for flowering plants. Certain flowers, such as roses, have fertilizers tailored specifically to their requirements.
Houseplants
There are many houseplant-specific varieties to be found in any fertilizer section. Organic liquid fertilizers diluted into their water is a common method for indoor plants, but other options like worm castings can also be highly beneficial.
A few other considerations to help simplify this process:
● Balanced fertilizers are more optimal for early in the season, but when fruiting plants begin to grow, they’ll do better with formulas higher in phosphorus and potassium.
● Liquid fertilizers tend to be more fast-acting, whereas organic fertilizers are best mixed into the soil to provide long-term benefits. The latter can also be known as slow-release fertilizers.
● Some brands offer products tailored to orchids, houseplant foliage, or some other specific type of plant. When in doubt, a specialized option will usually work well enough.
● When fertilizing, keep in mind that timing matters! Most plants appreciate fertilizer during their peak growing season, but more isn’t always better. Stop fertilizing perennials, trees, and shrubs a couple months before the first expected frost to prevent new growth that will be most susceptible to cold.
As with most aspects of plant care, selecting the right fertilizer can be, in part, trial and error. Figure out what works best for you and your preferred methods of planting—but for now, focus on what you’re aiming to grow.
Until next time!