Careful Fertilizing House Plants
Possible Brown Tips & Root Rot!
Tags on plants can be confusing... If you follow the directions on the
tag.
What does "Fertilize Regularly" mean?
* Every Day...
* Three times a day...
* Once per week...
* Once per month...
* Once per year
Fertilizers - Watch Out - Salts Burn!
Fertilizers are basically salts. When fertilizing potted houseplants
you are putting salts in the pot. If these salts stay in the pot and are
not leached out by thorough watering, the salts build up and burn the
roots which can lead to brown tips.
Most houseplant fertilizer comes in liquid form. If you insist on fertilizing
indoor plants - Cut the Dose. The question is: How much fertilizer to
use? You would probably cut the recommended fertilizer rate of 1 teaspoon
per gallon to 1/5 or 1/6 of a teaspoon per gallon.
Leaching Salts from the Soil
To remove the salts from the soil the media must be leached by adding
more water. Overwatering is already one of the biggest problems with indoor
houseplant care! This only creates more problems or potential plant issues
like rotted roots, brwon tips and possible death. Fertilizing outdoor
or patio plants is another issue altogther.
Should you ever fertilize your houseplants? Yes, but rarely! I would
probably recommend waiting a year or so before even thinking of adding
any fertilizing your houseplants!
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