Feed Me! (That’s your plant talking)

Every spring, people flock to greenhouses and garden centers to gather up everything they will need to make their yard and porch beautiful. They buy hanging baskets, potted plants, flats of flowers and maybe a couple bushes or trees to complete their landscape. Once everything is in the ground, the hard part is over, right?

Not if you want everything to stay looking as beautiful as the day you bought them. Watering and fertilizing are keys to making sure your yard and porch stay looking fabulous.

Most everyone knows to water their plants as often as needed to keep them from wilting and dying. The part people forget about is the feeding. Plants, just like people, thrive on food and water, not water alone. When it comes to fertilizer, there are many options.

Some people prefer to use fertilizer as they water, like Miracle-Gro. You can mix it up and water with it or use the newer version that attaches to the end of the hose. This works great if you remember to do it. But some of us have a hard enough time remembering to water our plants, let alone fertilize them. For those who forget, time-release fertilizers are a wonderful alternative. Osmocote makes one for flowers and a different one for vegetable plants. Simply sprinkle the measured amount into your containers or flower beds and it lasts months, slowly fertilizing each time you water.

Fertilizer tablets are available at Glei’s that are great for baskets and containers. We include tablets with each hanging basket we sell but you can purchase extras for any other containers you might have at home. They are also slow-release, just like Osmocote. We start each basket with them so they are ready to go, then you just place the new tablets on top of the soil at the beginning of June so they last all summer.

Some fertilizers have specialized formulas for specific plants. Roses, tomatoes, hydrangeas, and evergreens all have specific nutrient requirements, and you will get the best results by using fertilizers designed for those plants. Hydrangeas especially require specific nutrients that control the acidity of the soil to keep them blue or pink. Ask your local garden expert what will work best for your garden and plants.

If using time-release fertilizer, be sure to not accidently also use a one-time fertilizer (12-12-12 or 19-19-19, for example) on the same plant. Over-fertilizing plants can cause leaf burn or root burn. This will damage the plant and it will need some serious TLC to bring it back from the brink of death.

Trees and bushes also benefit from slow-release fertilizers. Using fertilizer spikes formulated for evergreen trees and fruit trees can help keep them healthy and growing. Fertilizer spikes are available at Glei’s and should be put in the ground in the spring.

So, as you head out to plant your flowers this spring, don’t forget to grab some fertilizer too. Plants need food and water to thrive, just like us. Each fertilizer you purchase will have feeding instructions on it. Read and follow the instructions to be sure to get the right amount and the right timing for your plants. Then, sit back and enjoy the beauty around you. Happy planting!