Feeding indoor plants

Because indoor plants "live" in a small pot with limited nutrients, they need to be fed periodically to maintain plant health. So that the flowers do not experience a deficiency of nutrients, you need to choose complex dressings rich in all minerals and trace elements.

Basic rules for plant nutrition

One of the foundations of plant care is that fertilizers are stopped during the dormant period, that is, from autumn to spring (there are, however, exceptions, but they are rare). Fertilizers are also contraindicated if the plant is sick or pests have appeared on it. You should not fertilize the plant immediately after transplanting, since a properly selected soil is rich in all trace elements.

After transplanting, it usually takes about 3 months, after which the land often begins to deplete and the plant requires additional nutrition. When buying a flowering plant, it is also better not to apply any fertilizers for the first time, since plants grown by an industrial method usually go on sale, in which case there are more than enough minerals and other substances in the soil. It is recommended to start feeding after about a month.

The plant must be watered thoroughly before fertilizing. In no case should liquid fertilizing be applied to dry soil, as this is fraught with a serious burn of the roots. After watering, 2-3 hours should pass, then you can fertilize, and it is recommended to water again after fertilization.

Top dressing of indoor plants. General recommendations

Along with the usual fertilizer, which is applied to the soil, foliar (or foliar) top dressing is also used. It is used not instead of root feeding, but as an additional procedure. To carry out such fertilization, the same funds are required, only in smaller proportions.

If the air is not humidified enough, in addition to foliar feeding, the plant is sprayed. It is important to remember that with daily spraying, foliar dressing is performed infrequently - once every 5-7 days, after which, about the next day, they are sprayed with clean water.

Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms

If the plant grows too slowly, and its leaves are very small and have a pale green color, most likely there is not enough nitrogen. To eliminate the deficiency of this substance, ammonium, potassium, calcium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, urea can be used for fertilizers. With the yellowing of the edges of the leaves and their further fall, a lack of phosphorus is possible. You can feed the plant with it by fertilizing with simple or double superphosphate, phosphate rock.

If a strong susceptibility to fungal diseases is added to the yellowing and shedding, this may indicate a potassium deficiency. In this case, potassium salt (40%), chloride, potassium sulfate are indicated for fertilization. Plants with a lack of zinc are also more susceptible to fungal diseases. Weak root and stem growth, frequent dying off of young leaves can mean a lack of calcium. This requires feeding with calcium nitrate or sulphide. If the plant lacks magnesium, this can manifest itself as slow growth, blanching leaves, delayed flowering.

With a light yellow tint of the leaves, the plants need to be fed with iron, for which iron sulfates or chlorides are used.If the plant is not leafy enough, it needs fertilizing with manganese sulfate. A plant that lacks boron blooms poorly, does not bear fruit, the growing point often dies off, and weak root growth is observed. In this case, you need to fertilize with boric acid.

Dull, yellowish coloration, leaf spots, curled leaf tips, or falling flowers may indicate molybdenum deficiency, which can be eliminated by feeding the plant with ammonium molybdate. An excess of certain substances can also be harmful. For example, a plant can inhibit a large amount of copper, as a result, it gradually withers.