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Feeding houseplants for foliage only

msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
Hi all, I've been using a general fertiliser bought from Asda to feed my all my houseplants and outdoor flowering plants, but it suddenly occurs to me that most of my houseplants are for foliage only, i.e. not expecting them to flower. I wonder if I can still use this same one to feed them please? It says it's NPK 5:5:5. Thanks!


Posts

  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    Yes - 5-5-5 shows it's a balanced fertilizer.
    I use seaweed extract on all my foliage houseplants.

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • Have your house plants suffered from the use of this feed ? If so, in what way ?  Which house plants do you have ? 
    There are numerous feeds on the market so difficult to advise without knowing your problem - if any ?
  • msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
    Have your house plants suffered from the use of this feed ? If so, in what way ?  Which house plants do you have ? 
    There are numerous feeds on the market so difficult to advise without knowing your problem - if any ?
    Thanks. Most of my houseplants are doing fine after the feeding. Only a small rubber plant that has been growing leaves nicely over the winter and spring somehow stopped growing at the beginning of the summer, and started losing bottom leaves, after repotting and feeding. It's been sitting at the same location, in indirect light. The stem is a bit shrivelled and leaves all drooping (but still green). I'm not sure if it's due to the fertiliser, or something else. I gave it plenty of water recently and nothing has changed. I just tipped it out again, and found the root system not growing very deep, with the soil mix still moist. It may need less watering? 
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Try letting the rubber plant get quite dry (top couple of inches of compost) between waterings. It's also normal for them to lose the lower leaves as they grow - in the wild they are trees.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • msqingxiaomsqingxiao Posts: 482
    JennyJ said:
    Try letting the rubber plant get quite dry (top couple of inches of compost) between waterings. It's also normal for them to lose the lower leaves as they grow - in the wild they are trees.
    Thank you! I'll try that then  :)
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