Fertilizing Your Indoor Plants

Now that it's springtime, indoor plants are coming out of their winter dormancy, and their active growing season is here once again. This is the time to fertilize your indoor plants.

Even though plants create their own food by photosynthesis, some minerals may be missing in the soil, and the plants will need an extra boost. However, since indoor plants have a slower growth rate and usually a lower light level, they don't need quite as much fertilizer as outdoor plants.

For balance growth of all plants, there are three essential elements which are needed: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). These are marked to indicate the amount of each. There are some other minerals, called trace elements, which are needed also, but in much smaller quantities. Each element has it's own purpose. Nitrogen provides green, leafy growth, Phosphorus promotes healthy roots, and Potassium helps plant growth and resistance to water and insect stress. The amounts of each are indicated by numbers, such as 20-10-5, which stands for the percentage of each nutrient. This means that the fertilizer contains 20% (N) Nitrogen, 10% (P) Phosphorus, and 5% (K) Potassium. The needs of each plant varies, and the wrong combination can be very harmful.

Water-soluble fertilizers, which the plants can draw from the soil, are best for interior plants. They are easily dissolved in water, and do not have an offensive odor or color. There are also foliar feed fertilizers, which are applied by wiping it on the leaves.

In order to determine if a plant needs to be fertilized or not, consider the following: - The foliage is looking pale, and/or generally unhealthy all over - The growth of the plant has slowed down considerably - The plant has not been fertilized in a long time Another way to find out is to check the soil for available nutrients.

All in all, sufficient nutrients are essential for plant health, just as they are for us humans!

Nature's Creation LLC is an interior plantscape and design company. We have been installing and maintaining indoor plants for commercial accounts for over 30 years. Visit our websit @ http://www.naturescreation.com.