Don't Forget to Feed Your Plants: The Key to Vigorous Growth

There's No Better Way to Ensure Vigorous, Productive, Healthy Plants

With regular feeding, pots and planters like this Hayrack Hanging Basket will thrive.

A National Gardening Association poll revealed most gardeners don’t fertilize their plants. Yet there’s no easier way to improve plant health, pest and disease resistance, flower and fruit production, and overall beauty.

I love plants and hate to see them go hungry. I want every gardener to succeed. So if you’re among the millions not fertilizing, listen up.

Start with an organic, water-soluble plant food. I recommend organic because I’ll suggest frequent fertilizing. Synthetic fertilizers (like “the blue stuff”) require strict label adherence—it’s easy to burn plants with excess chemicals. PHC All-Purpose Fertilizer is organically based, easy to use, and effective. Easy Grow Fertilizers are formulated for pots and planters. Other options include Terracycle (worm castings).

Fertilizers and Soil

Right nutrients and soil structure are essential for plant health. Fertilizers and soil mixes ensure this.

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Start fertilizing container plants twice a week. Houseplants once a week. Garden plants every two to three weeks. Landscape plants once a month.

Watch what happens. You’ll see a big difference: larger plants, more flowers and fruit, better pest/disease resistance, improved drought and weather stress tolerance.

Liquid fertilizer isn’t a substitute for compost and granular organics in soil. During the growing season, plants are like teenagers—they need food now! Liquid fertilizers are immediately available for that quick fix.

Compost and granular organics feed soil and plants. Add at season start when preparing garden or containers. Reapply at season end to replace lost nutrients and organic matter. Next spring, your soil will have reserves for your best garden ever.

For more on fertilizer—how it works, pH importance, organic vs. synthetic—read Fertilizer Basics.