Indoor plant food
People often tend to forget about feeding their houseplants. However, indoor plant food is incredibly important, especially for house plants. If you want to make sure your plants stay happy, healthy and thriving they will need to have access to nutrients. When you grow plants inside the only nutrients they have access to are those in the soil and what you give them. In this article we will discuss the following:
- Indoor plant food: where to start
- Indoor plant food: the different types
- Indoor plant food: organic vs mineral
Indoor plant food: where to start
Indoor plants, just like plants that grow outside, need nutrients as well as light and water to survive and thrive. Indoor plant food can be added to the soil in liquid or solid form in order to make sure your plants will not go without. Most modern potting soil, especially fortified soil, will already contain nutrients which means you will not have to worry too much about adding fertilizer when your soil is still fresh. But after the first months, you will need to add fertilizer to your soil. When growing plants inside this is extra important as there is no rain and plants can not grow more roots when potted to retract more nutrients from the soil. Always make sure you follow the instructions on the fertilizer and make sure you do not overfeed. Overfeeding can be damaging to your soil and your plants, in this case, less is often more.
Indoor plant food: the different types
There are many different types of indoor plant food and different ways to provide nutrients to your plants. They all have different advantages and disadvantages and they all cater to different needs. Which one you choose will depend on your personal preference and the type of plants you are growing. Here are some of the different types of indoor plant food:
- Liquid: liquid plant food is probably the most common way to feed plants. It is also an excellent choice for indoor plants as it is easily evenly distributed and gives you precise control over your plant's nutrient intake.
- Slow-release fertilizers: Slow release fertilizers also are an excellent choice for indoor plants. They release nutrients more slowly into the soil minimising the risk of overfeeding. The great thing about slow-release fertilizer is that you can add the fertilizer once and you will not have to worry about fertilizer for a while as an application can last you up to 7 months. Read more about slow-release fertilizer here.
- Granular fertilizer: granular fertilizer, though more commonly used outside can also be used for indoor plants. One of the disadvantages is that it is often harder to regulate nutrient intake.
Indoor plant food: organic vs mineral
BAC online offers a variety of high-quality indoor plant food, both mineral and organic fertilizers. If you have any questions or are looking for personal advice you can get in touch with our knowledge centre by clicking here. Both organic and synthetic fertilizers are easy and safe to use when used correctly. If you prefer to grow your indoor plants organically we recommend you take a look at BAC’s organic fertilizers.