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time to feed my plants?

Gardening Reference » Gardening in 2004
by naphelge on April 23, 2004 05:23 PM
hi again, i was just wondering how long after getting a new plant should i wait to start feeding it? i have a mass cane that i have had for about a month & a half & a peace lily & snake plant that i have had for about a month now.

i re-potted them all into new but same size pots with drain holes at the bottom & have them sitting on little dishes to collect any excess water from watering the plants. i've got some food sticks ready to feed the plants when the time is right.

thanx, for any advice.
by Chrissy on April 23, 2004 05:44 PM
I start feeding new plants once I have their watering routine set & they seem to be thriving pretty well. They feed differently depending on the plant (I usually google for the particular plant's needs)...some once a month, some twice a year...some I let go dormant in the winter. I would suggest googling your plant varieties & then begin feeding as directed once they seem pretty well established.

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z5b
by obywan59 on April 23, 2004 05:45 PM
I looked your plants up in Rodale's Successful Organic Gardening houseplant book. The snake plant only needs fertilization once a year, so it's probably okay for a while. They recommend fertlizing the peace lily and most other house plants twice a month in spring and summer. I don't know what a mass cane is. Do you know the scientific name for it?

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Terry

May the force be with you
by Will Creed on April 24, 2004 12:55 AM
The importance of fertilizing is vastly overrated. If you never fertilize any of your plants you will probably never notice any difference. Plants use nutrients in very minute quantities. Good potting soil has more than enough of these nutrients to last for at least a year.

Too much fertilizer will burn tender root hairs and damage a plant. Over fertilizing is a much more common problem than under fertilizing.

The recommended fertilizer rates that are widely published are for plants that are growing in ideal conditions (nurseries, greenhouses) and are also heavily rooted and close to being potbound. For that reason they are not applicable for most houseplants where condtions are far from ideal.

Sick plants should never be fertilized. Fertilize only when a plant is healthy and growing vigorously, regardless of the season. Use fertilizer at half strength for best results.

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