Go Green
Fertilizers Green Building Managers Need for Indoor Planters
There are a lot of things that you have to do when managing a green building. One of the best ideas is to manage a garden to keep the property sustainable.
Unfortunately, this is easier said than done. Many green building managers discover the challenges of helping plants grow and thrive.
If you are serious about managing an eco-friendly building, then you will want to avoid harmful chemicals. Instead, it is important to use natural, eco-friendly fertilizers.
Using the Right Plant Fertilizers for a Green Building
When it comes to caring for your plants, multiple factors have to work in tandem. If you are a new plant parent and dubious about how to fertilize your plant in the right way, then keep on reading.
Fertilizers are nutrient supplements that aid and ensure overall plant growth. House plants have different requirements when it comes to watering, fertilizing, and sunlight. These plants grow in pots and the soil in these pots may lack certain essential nutrients that are critical for plant health. Hence, it is of utmost importance to add fertilizers to such indoor plants.
This will make it a lot easier to create a successful garden for your eco-friendly building. It is very easy to take care of indoor plants if you know the right tricks.
Why Fertilize Indoor Plants
Indoor planters require special attention to keep them lush green and healthy. Adding an adequate amount of fertilizers can act as a catalyst to keep them healthy for a long time. Additionally, when you water these plants, essential minerals deplete over time. You need to add these macronutrient elements back into the soil to maintain optimum plant growth.
Fertilizers have the added advantage of protecting these plants from garden pests and eliminating chances of any plant disease. It is not a hidden fact that fertilizers improve the water retention capability of the soil and improve soil aeration. So, there are many benefits from one product, that’s why fertilizers are superfoods for plants.
When to Fertilize
Fertilizing indoor plants at the right time is important to allow plants to reach their maximum growth potential. The rule for fertilizing houseplants is to fertilize when they are growing. These help in maintaining the plant health and keep them lush for a long time. Fertilizing also depends on the indoor environment and the type of the plant. Some plants need more attention than others do.
Usually, it is good to fertilize in summer and spring and refrain from fertilizing in winters. During the winter season, most indoor plants have slow growth due to a lack of sunlight and cooler temperature. So, adding fertilizers during winters can do more harm than good.
How to Fertilize House Plants
You need to add a sufficient amount of fertilizers for indoor planters. It can be a stick, tablet, or liquid fertilizer. You can use commercial fertilizers for indoor plants as well.
Mostly, people use liquid fertilizer to spray directly on the plant leaves or add it to the soil. Liquid fertilizers are mixed with water in the right quantity to prepare a diluted liquid solution. These fertilizers are rich in NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium) that are the macronutrients, essential for plant growth. General-purpose commercial fertilizers are readily available and do the job well.
You can also experiment with organic fertilizers. They break down over time and improve soil structure. Such fertilizers are made from animal and plant wastes. Kelp-based fertilizer and cow manures are some of the best organic fertilizers out there. Plant food provides a steady amount of nutrients into the soil in a well-balanced manner. The nutrients are released at a slower pace than chemical fertilizers.
Some people also use homemade fertilizers in their indoor planters. Kitchen leftovers make great homemade fertilizers. You can use coffee powder, eggshells, and even Epsom salt for fertilizing your house plant. However, if you are new to plant care then it is advised to stick to chemical fertilizers as they have pre-measured nutrient content, and you don’t need to do the math before adding them to the plants.
Quick Tips for Applying Fertilizers
- Always dilute the fertilizer before using it on plants. Direct application can lead to the high potency of fertilizer in the soil. This is harmful to plants and increases the salt concentration in the soil.
- Flowering plants require more fertilizer than non-flowering plants. Do your research about the plant before adding fertilizers. It is important to restore the plant’s nutrients over time.
- Add some micronutrient fertilizers as they help in reducing the chances of plant disease. Though micronutrients are present in small amounts in the soil, they play a huge role in the photosynthesis process.
- You can choose any fertilizer, be it organic or chemical. The plant requires nutrients that are present in both of them. Chemical fertilizers have a balance of micro and macronutrient elements that saves a lot of time and effort for a house plant parent. On the other hand, organic fertilizers have soil-enriching properties that are good in the long run.
- It’s good to water your plants before you fertilize them. It avoids fertilizers from burning the roots and soil moisture allows fertilizer absorption much better.
- Add a little organic fertilizer when you re-pot a plant. It will enhance plant growth in the early stage.
Your plants will grow much more easily if you follow these tips.
Use the Right Fertilizers to Manage a Garden in an Eco-Friendly Building
There are a lot of things that you need to do when you want to manage an eco-friendly building. It will be easier when you use eco-friendly fertilizers to manage your garden properly.