Many people overlook the importance of feeding their indoor plants. House plants also need food to make sure they remain beautiful. Unlike garden crops where the roots can spread through the soil to find nutrients, plants that are pot grown entirely rely on you.
For this reason, you need to identify the best plant food for indoor plants, which we have highlighted in this article. Read on to know when to feed your indoor plants and which fertilizers are ideal for your indoor plants.
Table of Contents
Overview Of Our Top Choice:
Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes is our ideal recommendation since it has the correct nutrient blend that enhances proper plants thrive.
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
When Do You Feed Your Indoor Plants?
If not watered, indoor plants wilt, and their leaves grow pale and lean when they fail to get enough sunlight. Some of these houseplants are heavier feeders than others, and therefore you need to know when you should feed them.
Sometimes when the humidity is too high, the plants may develop rot, and when the humidity is too low, they turn crispy. To know when to feed the plant, you can use a houseplant fertilizer schedule based on their growing cycle.
A fertilizer schedule offers a better balance that satisfies both the heavy feeders and keeps you from going overboard with those house plants requiring lower amounts of fertilizers. Most houseplants have almost similar needs. Singularly treating them is enough to satisfy their nutritional needs.
What Is Kind Of Fertilizer Best For Indoor Plants?
Fertilizers are a multivitamin for your plants. They aid in supplementing the energy plants are getting from the sun and the soil. By so doing, they make sure they have everything to grow strong roots, lush leaves, and beautiful blooms.
There are various types of fertilizers to choose from, making it tricky to find the right one for your indoor plants. Here are some of the best fertilizers that can facilitate good growth for most indoor plants.
Slow-Release Fertilizers
Slow-release fertilizers release a small, steady amount of nutrients over a more extended period. These can be natural, organic fertilizers that add nutrients to the soil by naturally breaking them down and decomposing.
One fertilizer application for this product can last for three to four months. They come in many forms, spikes, pods, and capsules. Having a time-release coating allows the nutrients to get into the soil slowly.
Granular Fertilizers
Granular fertilizers are solid granules that are mixed into the soil or sprinkling around the plant. They work best when you’re planting so you can combine the pellets throughout the pot.
It’s challenging to use pellets with indoor plants because they release all nutrients at once if the plant is watered. This makes it hard to know how much nutrients the plant is getting. Always follow the guidelines on the package, so you don’t overfeed or under-feed your plant.
Liquid Fertilizers
Liquid fertilizers are added to the water can every time you water your plants. Some formulas can be used for feeding once or twice a month. Liquid fertilizers enable you to have much control over how much is being applied to your plant.
During dormant periods, you can stop fertilizing and ensure that there isn’t any fertilizer being released in the soil. These types of fertilizers are quickly absorbed, so plants get their nutrients as soon as you apply them. The liquid nutrients last for a little time, so you need to reapply often.
They are great as a starter solution and for a quick boost during the growing season. Further, they are useful to supplement granular fertilizers for potted plants because frequent watering of containers leaches nutrients.
Best Plant Food For Indoor Plants
1. Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes (Top Pick)
Miracle-Gro makes growing beautiful, and it’s easy to use fertilizer. If used as directed, plant food spikes are safe to use on all indoor, potted plants. Miracle-gro food spikes are ideal for most indoor plants ensuring stronger houseplants. The indoor plant spikes release micronutrients and nitrogen for a longer time of continuous feeding, promoting beautiful flowering plants and striking foliage.
Its best used, especially when transplanting little seedlings into pots. In addition to this, it does not damage the plat by burning; instead, it’s mild. The fertilizer spikes are a lot easier to handle and store in bags than granular fertilizer.
Pros
- Promotes rapid growth of indoor plants
- Provide the nutrients needed for firm root and stem growth
- Reduces environment degradation
Cons
- Slow acting fertilizer designed much for potted bedding plants rather than a vegetable garden
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Osmocote 274150 Smart Release Plant Food
Osmocote 274150 Plant Food is fortified with 11 essential nutrients. It works with virtually all plant varieties in all growing conditions. It’s safe to use this type of plant food, but its recommended that you wash your hands after handling it.
Since it’s a slow-release fertilizer, Osmocote 274150 Plant Food is designed to extend for a longer time so plants can benefit from their nutrients rather than releasing it all into the soil with intensity. This plant food adds nutrition to the soil in areas where roots are growing.
It contains a coated prill granule thoughtfully blended with nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium, the fundamentals of growth for your plants. The coating made from linseed oil is unique because the nutrients pass from the prill through the layer by osmosis. Unreleased nutrients remain encapsulated during watering, minimizing excess fertilizer runoff.
Pros
- Its safety reduces the risk of burning the plants even if over applied
- Has a balanced ratio of nutrients that can be used to feed plants
- It is long-lasting because of the coating made from oil resin that decomposes naturally.
- Prill coating makes the fertilizer safe to use, though you should always wear protective gear when applying it
Cons
- It can be harmful to the human when poorly handled
3. Schultz All-Purpose Plant Food
Schultz All-Purpose is liquid plant food; therefore, you only add about 7 drops to a quart of water. It comes with a measure-dropper that helps you to measure the amount of liquid to disperse accurately. Liquid fertilizers deliver nutrients more quickly to the plants than granular fertilizers.
You can use them for long, but they have a shorter shelf life than the dry fertilizers. This fertilizer is well balanced with the primary nutrients needed by the plant. Nitrogen helps the houseplants to use sunlight energy for sugar production from water and photosynthesis.
Schultz All-Purpose Plant Food also comprises other minerals that also aid in the plant’s growth – the higher phosphorous percentage present in this fertilizer high just as required for houseplants.
Pros
- It provides proper nutrient balancing with a higher phosphorous percentage that aids in the flowering of house plants.
- Easy to measure liquid fertilizer thanks to the available measure dropper
- Excellent for potting and transplanting
- Quickly delivers nutrients to the plant
Cons
- It has a shorter shelf life
4. INPF8 Organic Indoor Plant Food
INPF8 Organic Indoor Plant Food is formulated with natural ingredients that help to improve the soil structure and increase the soil’s ability to hold water and nutrients. It also includes the major plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium that aid in the plant’s growth. The available beneficial microbes make nutrients available for the plants in naturally occurring processes.
This fertilizer promotes plant growth, greening, and healthy plants. In case you don’t know how to use it, you can check the available instruction manual for massive yields and easy usage. Being an organic fertilizer, INPF8 Organic Indoor Plant Food does not runoff. It can increase biodiversity by 30%, and unlike other synthetic fertilizers, it does not harm the plant’s leaves and roots.
Pros
- It improves both the plant’s growth and soil structure
- It is environmentally friendly
- Mild on plants roots and leaves
Cons
- You should only mix enough for a single day
- Harmful for children
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
5. FoxFarm FX14109 Plant Food
FoxFarm FX1489 Plant Food features 9 pints of liquid plant food. It’s appropriate for beginners since it’s easy to use, and it’s an all-natural and organic fertilizer. This liquid concentrate fertilizer is also ideal for lush, vegetative growth.
Additionally, it enhances the plant’s structure and size that allows for abundant fruiting, flowering, and bud development. Being an organic fertilizer, it supplements essential nutrients for your houseplants, thus supporting hydroponic growth.
FoxFarm FX1489 Plant Food further has an improved ph level that allows plants to thrive because it improves the roots, vegetative, and flower development without any soil necessities for growth.
Pros
- Designed to provide phosphorous necessary for plants growing in all stages
- Natural organic fertilizer
- Enhances massive plant flowering
Cons
- May contain a low nutrient level
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Conclusion
From this outline, it is evident that fertilizing houseplants is essential. These fertilizers should entail the correct nutrient balance. It should also provide you with long term service without harming the plant and environment.
Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes is our ideal recommendation since it has the correct nutrient blend that enhances proper plants thrive. The spikes release nutrients directly to the roots hence promoting flowering to your houseplants.
Last update on 2024-04-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
