Fertiliser

Using fertiliser on house and garden plants

JS Hubbuck Ltd is an agricultural business dedicated to supplying a wide range of products to help customers. It could be fertiliser that you are after or something for animal health. Whatever the case, we will be able to offer you a quality, and affordable, option. We are confident that you will be very happy with our friendly service.

When you are figuring out what to feed your plants, things can get overwhelming. There are different kinds of fertiliser to consider and soil quality. Individual plants need specific attention. If you are failing to fertilise your plants, they won’t live their best life. When you don’t occasionally replenish the supply, your plants can develop issues.

In this post, we will be talking about proper use of fertilisers for house and garden plants. While our main focus is agriculture, you can still get great results for your home and garden.

Plants need nutrients

Similar to people, plants require essential nutrients to grow correctly and remain healthy. All plants need potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen in particular. They are referred to as macronutrients since plants need them the most.

When there is a lack of macronutrients, you will end up with bad plants. These are ones with poor colour, fewer flowers, less leaves, and weak stems. By adding some fertiliser though, you can correct the majority of nutrient deficiencies. The ideal way to fertilise plants depends on whether they are growing in containers or the garden.

It might appear like your plants can simply get all the necessary nutrients from the garden soil. But, this isn’t always the case. Factors like your region and what you grow in your soil influences nutrient levels. Even if you possess rich soil, your plants can use up all the available nutrients with enough time.

What is the current nutrient situation?

Just wait though. The first thing you need to do is find out what your present nutrient situation is. This will enable you to find out what you are working with and what you must add for healthy growth. If you avoid this step, you can waste funds on fertilisers you don’t need. In some cases you can overdo it and use too much. Since plants will need to use different levels every year, it is best to test annually.

Introducing mulch, compost, and other organic matter to the soil aids you in making it richer. However, it might not supply nutrients swiftly enough for all the plants you are growing. With organic matter, it needs to break down slightly over time. Only after can plants utilise the nutrients within them.

You can supplement these slowly releasing nutrients with ones more immediately available from fertiliser. Use either a granular or liquid product with a balance of the three main nutrients.

Houseplants

The main issue here is houseplants can only access the soil in their pots. Once these nutrients go, your plant’s roots won’t be able to stretch out to gain more. This is why it is vital to begin with a quality potting soil. In many cases it will already have some slow-release nutrients to support the initial growth. Then you must add more or repot with a fresh batch.

You might not know how much fertiliser you need to give to your potted plants. In this case, it is always preferable to under-fertilise instead of overdoing it. When there is too much, roots can struggle to soak up water. Also, too much can make leaves turn yellow or brown.

When using liquid fertilisers that you mix with water, you can try diluting it to half the strength the label suggests. This will allow you to minimise the danger of over-fertilisation. Yet, it is likely your plants will still receive everything they need.

How often do you fertilise plants?

Precisely how often you must fertilise depends on the time of year and what plants you are working with. Certain garden varieties are heavy feeders. These are normally the species that grow rapidly and bloom extensively. As a result, you need to feed them once a month when it is growing season.

Others, like some perennials, shrubs, and trees don’t need a lot of nutrients. This is particularly true if you add a fair amount of organic material like compost to the soil before planting. You might wish to feed them once in the spring when they begin ramping up the growth.

Many flowering and leafy houseplants follow a seasonal schedule as well. They slow down when the colder months arrive, with them not needing as many nutrients. When they are growing more actively in the spring and summer, they can benefit from some liquid fertiliser alongside water once a month.

We’ll get you the fertiliser you need

At JS Hubbuck, we aim to provide top quality merchandise to everyone that comes to us. Whether it is fertilisers you are after or something different, we will make sure you leave with suitable products.

So, if there is anything we can aid you with, please let us know.