The NPK ratio of Espoma’s organic indoor plant food is 2-2-2, indicating that it has a well-balanced combination of macronutrients to benefit a range of houseplants. It’s built with natural components, making it a fantastic option for organic gardening. For novices who have a tendency to overfertilize plants, this product is a great choice because the macronutrient ratios are very low.
Apply this Espoma product to the soil of the plant by combining 2 teaspoons of the liquid fertilizer with 1 quart of water. The manufacturer advises applying it every two to four weeks.
- Liquid kind
- Approximately 8 ounces
- Ratio of NPK: 2-2-2
- balanced 2-2-2 pattern
- appropriate for all indoor plants
- inexpensive price
- Only one size is offered.
Can you fertilize succulents using ordinary fertilizer?
Concerned about fertilizer for succulents? Many individuals mistakenly believe that succulents don’t require fertilizer. However, succulents will benefit from routine fertilizer just like the majority of plants. Find out what to use and how frequently you should fertilize!
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Succulents require nourishment to grow healthily and beautifully, just like all other plants. Surprisingly, few people believe that succulents require fertilizer.
While they may obtain some of the nutrients they require from the soil, fertilizer will aid in their growth and improve the colors they produce.
Can I feed my succulents all-purpose plant food?
For instance, let’s imagine you have a smaller succulent and you want to promote healthy growth, using the jade plant I stated previously as an example. How do you go about that?
Succulents may hold a respectable amount of dissolved nutrients in addition to their propensity for holding water. Your succulent can try to grow too quickly if you overfertilize it. This may make your jade plant appear weedy or stringy because they are far more resilient plants. Weak stems and possibly smaller, more flexible leaves are to be expected. You should avoid overfertilizing.
However, you also don’t want to fertilize too little. If your garden’s soil is sandy and well-draining, inadequate fertilization may lead the plant to appear to be in suspended animation. Although it won’t look horrible, it won’t grow any bigger or normally produce flowers in that manner.
In order for it to develop normally and be able to control its own weight and growth as it grows, the objective is to provide it with what it needs—but just barely enough. The majority of succulents can survive without fertilizer, but even a small amount can persuade the plant that its location is ideal for growth.
What Fertilizer To Use
There aren’t many general fertilizers for succulents available, which is partially due to the wide variety available and the difficulty in determining which to use without knowing the unique plant you have. This can be a problem because many garden centers sell trays of plants with the simple label “assorted succulents.”
If you can, identify the sort of plant you have by going to your local succulent club; you can then find out from them what the best fertilizer combination is for your species. A little aloe vera plant will experience it differently than a huge jade plant or cholla cactus.
But don’t worry if you don’t belong to a succulent club or just are unable to determine the species of your plant on your own. For your succulent, you can use a typical, balanced fertilizer, just in a smaller amount. Usually, I use an all-purpose fertilizer concentrate with the ratio 8-8-8. Make a batch at its normal strength, then use it as fertilizer by diluting it by adding 2–3 times as much water. At that strength, once a month is generally plenty.
When You Need A Special Fertilizer
You could be tempted to purchase a specific fertilizer if you’re attempting to promote flowering, which can be extremely attractive, especially in species like the Christmas cactus. Potassium and phosphorous, particularly the phosphorous, are the components that tend to motivate the plant to bloom while nitrogen promotes the growth of the plant itself.
There are many fertilizers sold as “cactus fertilizers,” both organic and inorganic mixtures that are heavy in everything else and low in nitrogen. But as most of these are intended to be applied straight from the bottle and more frequently than other fertilizers, they have already been greatly diluted. When you’re buying, exercise caution!
Espoma Organic Cactus Food, a concentrated liquid fertilizer, is an exception to this restriction. It dilutes to a 1-2-2 fertilizer when mixed with water. It doesn’t pose a difficulty to fertilize with it once a week to twice a month, and it works fairly effectively to encourage growth and blooming.
Schultz Cactus Plus, another concentrate that dilutions down in water to a 2-7-7 range, is another liquid fertilizer that is marginally more effective. This is particularly effective at encouraging blooming, especially in Christmas cacti and other species with profuse flowers. This is something that is used monthly and only needs a few drops of this with your water to work.
These succulent fertilizers won’t do anything for your plant unless you’re attempting to encourage flowering, and non-flowering succulent species won’t require the extra-high quantities of flowering nutrients. In certain cases, selecting a balanced fertilizer and manually diluting it will suffice.
Other Fertilizer Options
Compost tea is a wonderful choice if you want to give a non-fertilizer alternative a try. You may either buy compost teabags like those made by Malibu Compost or make your own using compost from your own compost pile. Compost teas that have already been concentrated are also offered. Compost tea not only feeds the plant, but it also feeds the beneficial soil bacteria that keep your succulent free of pests and soil issues.
You can use practically any balanced NPK fertilizer for them if you’d prefer a granular slow-release fertilizer to a liquid fertilizer. However, before spreading it around the plants, reduce the recommended amount by half because they actually don’t require so much fertilizer to survive.
Choosing chemical fertilizers over organic ones may be better for those who grow their succulents indoors. Many organic products have a distinct scent that may not be desirable inside. Therefore, if you raise succulents indoors, you might want to think about using a product similar to a well-known commercial brand, such Miracle-succulent Gro’s formula. The smell isn’t as strong in your home!
How To Fertilize Your Succulents
You need to be mindful of how you’re fertilizing your plants. Some succulents may not be used to being wet because they only experience rain in brief bursts. Other types include those that live in jungles and encounter water more as a mist than as regular rainfall. However, you should never apply fertilizer directly to the plant.
The majority of fertilizer mixtures, especially the liquids, can have adverse effects when applied to the leaves or flowers of succulents because the nutrients aren’t absorbed in that method. Always feed your succulents at ground level, ideally all around the perimeter of the plant over the root mass. Using a garden sprayer, apply straight to the soil, being careful not to spray any onto the succulents. A backpack sprayer can also be used for this.
It is a good idea to use something like an indoor watering can for plants that are more closely spaced apart. The watering can’s thin nozzle makes it simple to prevent your plants from being splashed in the face and makes it simple to apply fertilizer where it will be most beneficial: at the plant’s roots.
You should discontinue routine fertilizer during the cold season if you live somewhere with a chilly winter. In colder climates, many succulents frequently enter a dormant state. Winter and fall are not the times to fertilize them because the plant will not benefit from it.
When spring arrives, it’s time to start fertilizing once more. Spring is also a great time to divide and repot any congested plants because it allows them time to settle in before the heat. If you decide to repot your plants in the spring, fertilize them afterward to help them wake up and begin to thrive once more.
In some regions, particularly those that don’t experience strong freezes like some sections of California, there are succulents that can grow over the winter. Although they can be fertilized all year round, these tend to grow most during the winter. It is preferable to fertilize those plants in the fall or early winter, and then monitor their growth to see whether they require more fertilization in the spring.
Why do succulents grow more quickly?
The most crucial component of soil for succulents is sufficient drainage. To solve this problem and make it easier for water to pass through, it is usual practice to add some chunkier material to the soil mixture. If the soil isn’t a well-draining one, it will retain the water and the roots won’t be able to “breathe. Over time, that stress will have an impact on the entire plant, causing it to slow its growth in order to conserve energy for survival. The succulent will flourish in soil that permits appropriate root expansion and in a container with several draining holes at the bottom.
For your succulent to grow more quickly, the soil must be rich in nutrients in addition to being well-draining. Maintaining a consistent watering regimen will benefit the plant. As soon as the soil is dry, add water. Succulents don’t like “wet shoes. Additionally, they are largely desert plants, but owing to the drought, you don’t need them to survive. You can also add additional fertilizer to speed up the growth process. Your succulent will become extra healthy as a result of the fertilizer, and it will have enough energy to concentrate on growth rather than spreading out the roots. Just be careful that the fertilizer isn’t overly potent because that could burn the delicate succulents beyond repair.
How can I keep my succulents in good health?
Succulents may not need much attention, but they do need a few essentials to survive:
- 1. Provide plenty sunlight. Succulents require adequate light—at least six hours each day of direct sunlight. Maintaining succulents outside can be quite simple. However, if you have a succulent indoors, you must keep it in direct sunlight near a window. A plant that is slanting toward the light is not receiving enough sunlight, yet a plant with burnt areas on its leaves is receiving too much direct sunshine.
- 2. Use proper water. Depending on the season, succulents might have different water needs. Succulents should be irrigated if their soil dries completely during the growing season, but excess water should be avoided. When a succulent’s roots have time to dry out in between waterings, its lifespan is increased. In the chilly winter months, succulent plants go dormant and require less water. Only water your succulent as often as necessary because overwatering the soil is one of the main reasons of most development problems.
- 3. Use the proper soil and pot combination. The appropriate container and potting soil can make all the difference, whether you’re growing your own succulents or purchasing one from a nursery. Your succulent planter needs to include a drainage hole if it is going to be an outdoor succulent. Proper drainage allows moisture to escape, allowing the soil and root systems to dry and prevent rot. Use well-draining soil instead of standard dirt if you have an indoor succulent. It is coarser than regular soil, enabling more air to pass through and encouraging evaporation rather than requiring to be drained. To increase aeration, perlite and pumice can be added to some potting mixtures.
- 4.Remember to fertilize. The periodic fertilizing is beneficial for even low maintenance desert plants. To give your succulents a boost, use a diluted, water-soluble all-purpose fertilizer a couple times a year. Although it’s not entirely required, if you notice that your soil needs some help, add a little fertilizer.
- 5. Examine your plant life. Pest hazards are more likely to affect a succulent indoors than outside. Make sure your plants are periodically checked for gnats or mealy pests. These insects are a sign that your plants are receiving too much water or fertilizer. Mealy bugs can lay hundreds of eggs and consume the plant juices that serve as their host, gradually harming your plant. Rubbish alcohol can be sprayed on your succulent’s leaves or soil to effectively kill mealy bugs and their eggs. Check the leaves and soil of the succulent before bringing it home from the nursery to make sure no bugs are present.
When ought a person to fertilize succulents?
This one is challenging to generalize because it differs between species. As a general guideline, you should fertilize them in the early spring when growth starts to take up again. The summer is enjoyable as well. Don’t bother fertilizing plants that go dormant in the winter if you have them. The few times you should need to fertilize your succulents should be spaced about a month apart during the growing seasons.
Avoid fertilizing in dry soil because doing so could burn your succulent plants. Instead, incorporate the fertilizer into the water before or after you water your plants.
Repel Pests
Snails and slugs are easily repelled by salt, a natural insecticide. You can use pure Epsom salt as a natural slug repellent by sprinkling it on or around your succulent plants to kill or scare off any inquisitive gastropods. Tackle snails and slugs the same way you would treat fungus gnats: by sprinkling a thin layer of Epsom salt on the soil surrounding your succulent plants. This is similar to applying diatomaceous earth or hydrogen peroxide to your soil.
Slugs and snails are easily repelled by the use of epsom salt, a natural pest deterrent.
Fertilize your Succulents
During the growing season, epsom salt works wonders as a fertilizer and can keep your succulents looking lush and lovely for a very long time. Additionally, a fantastic approach to support blooming in many succulents is by using an Epsom salt fertilizer. Just a pinch of pure Epsom salt and a cup of distilled water are required to prepare an Epsom salt fertilizer. Epsom salt grains can be easily dissolved in water by swirling them in because salt is soluble. Consider using hot water while mixing to make sure everything dissolves completely, then allowing the water drop to room temperature before watering your succulents.  
Potting and Repotting
There are not many strategies to prevent or ease the discomfort of transplant shock, which is why we advise repotting during the growing season. However, by boosting the magnesium concentration of your soil, you can use Epsom salt to assist your succulents recover from transplant shock. Your succulent will easily absorb the nutrients it needs to recuperate from the transplant if the soil has more magnesium.  
Before relocating your succulent, moisten your soil with your Epsom salt solution and allow it to dry.