The Best Fertilizer for Indoor Plants in 2021 Reviewed

Plant parents know how difficult it is to assist their small ones to grow up, and sometimes it takes a bit more than some sunlight, the ideal container, or even a filled watering can keep plants alive and comfortable.

A fertilizer can just be what your plant needs to survive in order to get the appropriate flower or blossom. Your plants should all receive enough sunlight and exactly the correct quantity of water, according to any smart plant keeper.

This basic maintenance should keep your plants blooming, but if you want them to flourish, fertilizer may be necessary.

Do You Really Need to Fertilize Your Indoor Plant?

When a plant is irrigated, nutrients are washed away from the soil. Plants would quickly consume the micronutrients in their ground even if that didn’t occur.

Houseplants, unlike outdoor plants, do not have a consistent supply of nutrient replacement unless you fertilize them on a daily basis. It can restore critical nutrients that your soil loses as a plant grows.

Adding nutrients back to the soil via fertilizer should help keep the plant’s minerals stable enabling it to thrive.

The amount of nutrients accessible to a houseplant is restricted by the volume of soil in the planter and the extra nutrition that you supply.

Your plants won’t need a lot of fertilizer when the planting soil is new.

This is particularly true of newer, strengthened soil, which frequently includes fertilizer and other additives. However, after two months, the plants could have depleted the nutrients from the soil, necessitating fertilization to ensure continuing, strong growth.

If fertilizers are misused, they can harm a plant or scorch its leaves, and there are ecological problems because these nutrition treatments end up in groundwater.

Overindulging a plant in fertilizer is one of the most common errors committed by well-intentioned indoor growers.

What Kind of Fertilizer Should You Use?

It can be difficult to choose the appropriate type of houseplant fertilizer. Despite the availability of all-purpose fluid plant food, some plants have unique nutrient needs.

As a result, you must select one that offers the proper balance of micro-and macronutrients required by particular home plants.

Blooming houseplant fertilizers should have a significantly larger proportion of phosphorus Those used on greener houseplants that don’t develop blossoms should have a higher nitrogen content. They may also have a well-balanced nutritional profile.

Supplementary macronutrients like calcium and magnesium, as well as minerals like iron, zinc, and boron, are found in many treatments.

These nutrients are needed in tiny portions than the key macronutrients, but they are nonetheless necessary for the biological process of every plant. You should also make sure that your potted plant fertilizer includes a minuscule portion of these minerals.

The best houseplant fertilizer comes from organic resources of these macro-and micronutrients, rather than compounds created in a lab.

Even though blue, water-soluble fertilizers are frequently suggested, they are not the most environmentally sustainable source of nutrition for your seedlings, and they do not include any micronutrients.

To nourish your flowering plants, use a fluid or powdered houseplant fertilizer produced from natural materials.

The 7 Best Fertilizers for Your Indoor Plants

Let’s take a closer look at the most effective indoor plant fertilizers. Liquid feeding, granules, organic fertilizers, and slow-release sticks are all available. You should select a fertilizer that provides your plant with a combination of minerals, micronutrients, and macronutrients.

Pictures	Indoor Plant Fertilizers	NPK Fertilizer Analysis
	Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes	6-12-6
	Jobe’s Fertilizer Spikes for All Indoor Houseplants	13-4-5
	Aquatic Arts All-purpose House Plant Fertilizer	3-1-2
	Easy Peasy Plants House Plant Fertilizer	4-3-4
	Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree Fertilizer	3-1-2
	Espoma Indoor Liquid Plant Food, Natural & Organic Houseplant Food	2-2-2
	Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor	15-9-12

Best Indoor Plant Fertilizer Reviews

1. Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food Spikes

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It really doesn’t take a green thumb or a lot of time to hold your houseplants alive and comfortable with these fertilizer spikes. You can cross another item off your plant care to-do agenda because they offer a precise quantity of nutrition that lasts up to two months per spike.

Try pressing a few Miracle-Gro Plant Food Spikes into your houseplant’s damp soil—two spikes in a tiny 3-inch planter, three in a 5-inch pot—until they’re completely covered in dirt.

The fertilizer sticks would then do their job, only having to be refilled once a month in the warm months, and every alternative month in the colder months.

These fertilizers go for only $3 for a pack of 24, so it’ll be even cheaper than traditional liquid plant food with the extra hassle of mixing the formulation and fertilizing your plants yourself.

2. Jobe’s Fertilizer Spikes for All Indoor Houseplants

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Jobe’s Houseplant fertilizer spikes provide nutrients to trees at their roots, where they are most needed. The spikes that have been pre-measured nurture the roots.

All houseplants should be fertilized with a time-release fertilizer, they are simple to utilize and there should be no waste runoff, mess, risks, or odors. They give houseplants constant, slow-release nutrition at their roots.

These fertilizer spikes should be gently pushed into houseplant garden soil midway between the pot borders and the plant stalks until they are just underneath the surface of the soil.

Split the width of the planter by two to determine how many spikes to utilize per container. A 4-inch pot should need two spikes, whereas a 6-inch pot necessitates three.

Secondly, you should leave your houseplants to drain after watering them gently. For two months, irrigate plants according to their normal needs.

Finally, you should dilute the plant’s fertilizer with cups of water, and pour it on every two weeks, or as suggested by the product’s instruction manual.

3. Aquatic Arts All-purpose House Plant Fertilizer

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This is the greatest all-purpose liquid fertilizer for indoor plants, whether potted or not, according to customers. Positive customer feedback and a high Amazon score can assure you of the fertilizer’s effectiveness.

The Aquatic Arts mix is designed exclusively for house plants, whether they’re in a vase, container, or hanging. It is more efficient than most tablets or granules at promoting robust, steady growth and preventing wilting.

To give your plant the vitamins, nitrogen, and phosphorus it needs for greater growth development and blooming, mix a spoonful of this liquid into every two glasses of water.

According to the number of plants you have, this eight-ounce bottle can last you about a year. Remember that before you water your plant, you should add fertilizer to your shrub.

We also like how adaptable this fertilizer is. It can be used on a variety of indoor plants, including poinsettias, orchids, and African violets.

4. Easy Peasy Plants House Plant Fertilizer

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No artificial flower can ever be able to match the elegance of a healthy living plant. As a result, Easy Peasy liquid fertilizers keep house plants refreshed and succulent in offices, flats, restrooms, and other living spaces.

The fertilizer arrives in an 8-ounce bottle, however, its performance is similar to a 16-ounce bottle due to its high strength. It’s simple to use; simply mix half a teaspoon of liquid fertilizer with two glasses of water before watering as usual.

The liquid fertilizers for houseplants are all specially made to give your plants the nutrition they require to grow. It’s inside plant fluid fertilizers are formulated with just the right amount of potash, phosphate, and nitrogen to keep your plants growing and flourishing.

Liquid fertilizers also assist your plants to flourish by reducing the risk of fertilizer burns and giving mild nutrients.

When assessed to other brands, this first-rated indoor fertilizer uses half the fertilizer of its rivals, leading to a 50% saving in plastic bottles.

5. Fiddle Leaf Fig Tree Fertilizer

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Is your fiddle leaf fig tree starving? For development, health, and robust root systems, fiddle leaf fig plants require certain nutrients.

The genuine fiddle leaf fig plant food has been precisely prepared to provide maximum nourishment while reducing the chance of your plant being burned. There is no urea or toxic chemicals in fiddle leaf fig plant food, so it won’t burn your crop.

It’s made to be used every time you water for a year-round green and beautiful development.

With your order, you should receive a free e-book and care pamphlet, this can assist you in growing your own ideal fiddle fig tree in your household and fix any issues that you may be faced with.

This product is non-toxic and has been safety tested. Do not be deceived by their opponents’ claims; this product is guaranteed non-toxic and plant-safe. The Fiddle was founded by a women-dominated small business in the United States.

6. Espoma Indoor Liquid Plant Food, Natural & Organic Houseplant Food

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This Espoma product is another incredibly simple liquid fertilizer. It’s all-natural and pure, and it contains beneficial bacteria to help you achieve your goals.

One of our favorite aspects of this product is how simple it is to handle and combine.

All you have to do is give the container a good shake before turning it upside down and securing the cover. Then, standing the bottle straight and opening the cap, your pre-measured amount is ready for use.

Now all that is left to do, is to soak the soil well and let the overflow flow through it. The scent may be intense at first, but it should fade fast, and the advantages to your plants are well worth it.

Micronutrients have been included in this flowering plant liquid fertilizer to help maintain your plant’s health. Beneficial bacteria also help to maintain soil nutrition and fruitfulness. The convenient measuring lid helps to avoid excessively fertilizing houseplants.

7. Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor

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Osmocote Smart Release contains 11 essential nutrients, making it one of the greatest liquid fertilizers for house plants. It can, nevertheless, be used with any shrub or herb, both indoors and out.

This fertilizer choice is unusual in that it nourishes the plants continuously for up to 6 months, whilst other fertilizers may require touch-ups after a few weeks.

Don’t worry, the application process is straightforward. Simply measure the correct amount of fertilizer with the accompanying scoop – one spoonful for every two gallons or four sq ft.

Water regularly after mixing the grains into the top three inches of soil. That concludes the discussion.

All fertilizer grains are covered with semi-permeable resin to prevent the contents from touch during application. Water is required once the grains are deposited on the surface, the granules disintegrate, and the micronutrients are quickly absorbed.

When plants are growing strongly, release nutrients intelligently in response to temperature changes.

When to Fertilize Indoor Plants: Best Time to Add Fertilizer to Indoor Plants

Being a plant parent can be a difficult task! Houseplants, unlike newborn children, do not cry when they are hungry or unhappy.

Instead, they react to their surroundings in a much more subtle manner. Even experienced houseplant gardeners have trouble determining when it’s time to feed their plants.

When it comes to houseplant fertilizer levels and regularity, each plant has slightly varied requirements, but there’s no need to overcomplicate the procedure.

Yes, you could research each of the houseplant species you look after, discovering their unique nutritional requirements.

During the warm seasons, fertilize your succulents when they are actively growing. The frequency with which fertilizer should be applied is determined by the kind of houseplant.

Certain houseplants are heavy feeders, necessitating fertilizing as frequently as once a week. Other slow-growing houseplants may only require feeding once a month, if at all.

Don’t go overboard with the fertilizer. Following the directions on the product, you’re using is better than not following them at all.

Liquid fertilizers should be half-diluted if you want to be cautious. Nourishing them during the dormant season might cause their foliage to burn or possibly kill them.

The truth is that the vast number of popular houseplants have comparable fertilizer requirements, thus addressing them as a group is sufficient to meet their nutrient requirement. Some succulents require more food than others.

A houseplant fertilizer schedule strikes a decent compromise between satisfying heavy feeders and preventing you from overfeeding houseplants that need less fertilizer.

How to Fertilize Indoor Plants?

Since dormant crops do not need fertilizer, after development slows down in the winter months, you should reduce fertilizer intensity and frequency to merely a few treatments.

When adding houseplant fertilizer, make sure the area is damp. In fact, fertilizing when watering is preferable.

1. Worm compost

For years, people have fed their houseplants in this manner. In addition to local compost, they now utilize a locally created worm compost. Both are natural and include helpful microorganisms that boost soil microbial activity.

They operate in tandem with plant roots to offer mineralization, strengthen plants, and improve general health. A healthy microbiota is beneficial to humans, but it is also beneficial to the soil.

You should cover a planting pot with 0.25-inches of worm compost, followed by another 0.25-inches of compost. Then add 0.5-inches to the layer of each to a 14-inch container. Even if this is an organic approach to feed houseplants, it is still possible to overdo it.

When the weather warms up, use the worm compost or compost combo. It only takes one application per year.

2. Eleanor’s VF-11

This product has been on the market for a long time and has a dedicated audience. It’s a non-burning solution that can feed both the leaves and the stems (many synthetic fertilizers can create root burns).

It was created to give the mineral ratio that plants require to thrive. It’s comforting to know that the crops can readily absorb all of the essential nutrients and components in this.

Eleanor’s VF-11 works in harmony with the environment by delivering vital ingredients for easier absorption while decreasing ion antagonism.

How Often Should You Fertilize Indoor House Plants?

Because each houseplant is unique, it’s best to do your homework on the suggested feeding times for each one. However, throughout their active growth period, you can feed them liquid fertilizer every two to four weeks.

If you want, you can treat them every time you water them using a watered liquid potted plant fertilizer. Feeder stakes and granules only need to be placed once or twice per season.

Always check the box label to determine how often to feed house plants. Those are the greatest guidelines to follow at all times.

FAQ’s

1. How Long Does It Take for Fertilizer to Work on Plants?

It takes roughly 24 hours for liquid fertilizer to start working. The liquid quickly seeps into the soil and foliage, releasing micronutrients. It could take up to four days for the fertilizer to take action, depending on the environment and dryness it may take longer.

Organic fertilizers, on the other hand, can take anywhere from two to six weeks to start showing results. So, you might be assuming that only a lunatic would select slow release over quick release, but here are a few arguments to reconsider.

Organic ingredients, unlike quick-release lawn fertilizer, do not absorb into your lawn. They must decompose. Consider whether or not you put food leftovers into your compost bin.

It’s a little revolting, but your grass is delighted to receive a large helping of decomposing organic debris.

2. Can I Use Indoor Plant Fertilizer on Outdoor Plants?

The option to grow indoors or outdoors is influenced by a variety of factors, including weather and available space. There are considerable variances in the strategies for each issue, regardless of the region you choose.

This is especially true when it comes to the sort of nutrition you utilize, the quantity you use, and how often you reapply it.

There are a number of reasons why indoor and outdoor nutrient formulations should differ. Therefore, one should use the same formula on both plants.

3. How to Save an Over Fertilized Plant?

Salt accumulation on top of the soil can also be caused by too much fertilizer, making it difficult for plants to absorb water.

Simply lay the shrub in the sink or another suitable spot and completely rinse it out with freshwater, repeating as needed, to relieve over-fertilizing and excess salt (three to four times). Between waterings, make sure the plant has enough room to drain.

It can be easy to avoid using too much fertilizer on your succulents if you fertilize just during vigorous growth periods and reduce the amount.

Conclusion

Now that you’ve learned everything there is to understand about indoor plant fertilizers, let’s speak about which one is truly the greatest for you.

We went over the top seven choices for the best indoor plant fertilizer in this article. We examined these various brands as well as choices such as granular fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, and fertilizer spikes, which are inserted into the ground directly.

We believe that Miracle-Gro indoor plant food spikes is the best product for you. It is a well-known company that is well regarded by individuals who own house plants. It is a low-cost fertilizer that is used for a variety of purposes.

All indoor potted plants, benefit from these plant feeding spikes. Each spike contains the minerals that your plant requires, and you may add additional spikes to accommodate for bigger plants.

Making sure your house plants are fertilized is crucial, and you won’t be disappointed with any of these options. Always follow the instructions on these kits, and you should be amazed at how beautiful your plants can turn out.