I’ve met many people in my life who believe indoor plants don’t need fertilization. Yeah…I truly feel sorry for their plants.
Since you’re making the effort to read this article, I’m going to go out on a limb here and assume you’re not one of those people. It’s good you care for your plants, fellow gardener!
Let’s take a look at some of the best fertilizer options we have for indoor plants that will lead to happy and healthy growth:
Best Fertilizers For Indoor Plants: Easy Picks For Happy, Healthy Growth
Here’s a comprehensive guide on the top fertilizers you can use for your indoor plants to promote happier, healthier growth:
1: Balanced NPK Fertilizer
As the name suggests, a balanced fertilizer is one that contains a balanced blend of all essential nutrients that contribute to better and stronger plant growth.
Look for one with an NPK of 10-10-10 as it’s the most suitable for houseplants.
The good thing about a balanced fertilizer is that there’s no overthinking or calculating involved. Infrequent but consistent feedings yield positive results in almost all cases.
2: Slow-Release Fertilizer
A slow-release fertilizer does exactly what it claims. It releases nutrients in the soil at a relatively slower rate compared to other fertilizer blends.
Why do you need a fertilizer that releases nutrients at a slower rate? Well, simply put, many houseplants benefit from infrequent application and are susceptible to overfertilization.
A slow-release fertilizer ensures your plant will have an abundant supply of nutrients throughout the long gaps between applications.
3: Compost
Compost works well as a fertilizer for houseplants because it’s super nutrient-rich and can be made even at home.
Simply put whatever organic waste you have leftover in your house at the end of the day in a bin and let it decompose for a long time. You can compost things like fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, eggshells, and wilted flowers to create this nutrient-rich mix.
Towards the end of this process, you’ll have compost dense in nutrients like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen that will contribute to healthy indoor plant growth.
4: Epsom Salt
Just like you would take supplements like protein and multivitamins to improve your health and performance, consider Epsom salt a supplement for plant.
It aids in nutrient absorption, boosts foliage growth, and allows your plants to have a healthier, longer life.
Epsom salt works by boosting magnesium and sulfur levels in the soil, which leads to positive plant development in the short and long run.
5: Bone Meal
Bone meal is made by drying and baking animal bones at high heat and grinding them into a fine powder.
You can do this at home as a fun DIY project, but I would suggest cutting through the hassle and just getting bone meal from your local gardening store instead.
Bone meal is rich in calcium and phosphorus. These nutrients can help strengthen the root system, help your plants develop more stable stems, and even improve blooming capabilities.
Conclusion
Fertilizers can be a sensitive subject for long-time gardeners. People tend to develop an emotional connection to fertilizers they’ve been using and getting results from, not thinking about all the better options that may be out there.
So, as an ending note, I want you to explore all the different kinds of fertilizers you learned about and figure out which ones work best for your indoor plants. Good luck!
