Lesson 4: Tools of the Trade: Care and Feeding of your Indoor Garden
Fertilizer
Feeding time!
Entire books have been written on the topic of what kinds of fertilizer to use with what plants, and when. For our purposes, we'll scrap this advanced information. I recommend beginners (and those short on time) to buy Schultz 10-15-10 Plant Food Plus.
This is a liquid soil fertilizer, gentle enough for all your houseplants. Simply fill your watering can and add 7 drops, from the dropper, to one quart of water. That's about half a droppers-full.
Then simply water each plant thoroughly. Use this mild solution every time you water and experience happy, well-fed plants.
Miracle-Gro 15-30-15 Plant Food is another easy-to-add fertilizer. Since this one comes in a blue powder form, make sure the grains are dissolved in the water before feeding. The box has instructions for creating a mild solution for use every time you water.
Specialized Fertilizer Solutions
Nutra-Fin Iron-Enriched 0.15-0-0 Plant Gro is my favorite liquid aquatic plant fertilizer. Make sure you use just a drop or two in smaller bowls.
Grow-More 20-20-20 Premium Orchid Food works well for both orchids and bromiliads. This comes in a yellow powder, so dissolve well.
Schultz Cactus Plus Liquid Plant Food 2-7-7: quite mild, a great choice for cacti, jade, aloe vera and other succulents.
Schultz African Violet Plus Liquid Plant Food 8-14-19: with lots of potash to promote flowering!
NOTE: The numbers in the brand names refer to proportions of soil nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphates and Potash). Different plant types have different needs for these elements. Beginners need not worry about all that. Just use a mild solution like Schultz or Miracle-Gro, every time you water.
