PLANT FOOD AND FIXES
caring for plants
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Caring for your leafy green friends
Fertilising is an important aspect of caring for plants. Too many people either forget or overlook the importance of fertilising their potted plants.
Indoor plants need proper feeding to help them grow healthy, and beautiful and look stunning all year round. Containers are quickly depleted of nutrients through watering and even quality potting mix that contains fertiliser will need supplementary nutrients. After a few months, freshly potted plants will have consumed the nutrients in the potting mix, so you’ll need to fertilise if you want continued, healthy growth.
Fertilisers contain a mixture of both macro- and micronutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. Macronutrient ratios differ in tomato fertiliser, lawn fertiliser, flowering fertiliser or a general houseplant fertiliser because each of these groups of plants has different nutritional needs. To keep your houseplants lush and happy, using a fertiliser formulated specifically for them is a must.
Help with caring for plants
Ask our plant health experts for advice. We might advise a liquid fertiliser diluted into water or a slow-release houseplant fertiliser which contains optimised amounts of nutrients for particular kinds of plants. Both are great options as they are safe and effective, but the plant will impact the frequency and type of fertiliser we suggest. Whatever we recommend, however, please ensure you follow the instructions on the label. Too much fertiliser can kill a plant or scorch its leaves – it can be worse than not enough food and overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes made by well-meaning indoor gardeners who get a little over-enthusiastic about caring for plants.
Indoor plant pests and diseases
Pests and fungus can make short work of your indoor plants, replacing lovely new unfurling leaves with yellowing ones, but there’s no need to panic.
Being observant you can catch problems early and we can help you treat them before they get out of hand. Many plant problems can be quickly resolved with small care changes, or we may recommend an insecticide. Simply ask.
One of the best ways to keep your green babies free of pests and diseases is to choose the right plant for the right location. If it’s not clear on the plant label where to put your pot plant, ask our experts for advice – we’re always happy to help!
Edible care
While there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh produce straight from the garden and the knowledge that your herbs, fruit and vegetables are free of pesticides, sometimes plants need a bit of a helping hand in Auckland’s subtropical climate. We can advise on best practice pest and disease control and can recommend low toxicity environmentally friendly products.
