Indoor plant food spikes and liquid plant fertilizer?

[kiana]

Hi all! I have had indoor plants for the last 1.5 years, but upon moving into a new place a couple months ago, my plants are not as happy or growing as lively as before. They're still alive and healthy, but their growth and foliage stopped a noticeable amount. For example, my golden pothos had grown to stretch across my room (~ 10 ft), but I have not seen much growth since the changing of addresses. I have the pothos leaves climbing up my wall, and put up light-blocking curtains, as the areas that got more direct sunlight were not taking well to it at all (last year it was in only a bit less sunlight, no curtains, and still flourished). I have some of its roots growing in water, along with another type of plant, so that I may reroot them back into its original pot. (I do not know what my other plant is called.. it's similar somewhat to my pothos, but with thicker roots and leaves, and the leaves are much more shiny. It seems like a cross between the heart-leaf philodendron and the textures of rubber tree. Anyone have any guesses?)

I was browsing Amazon marketplace and came across houseplant indoor fertilizer food spikes as well as liquid plant fertilizer. Could someone give me a run through on these? I.e. what are the benefits and differences, which one (if not both) are beneficial to my specific plants, what recommended brands, etc. Anything would help! Sorry I'm such a newbie!

 

[firelily99]

I use a liquid fertilizer on my house plants and they seem happy with it. I use a gallon jug(s) and fill it with the recommended amount. If the jug is half empty I fill it up with water. Plants will react when you move them from one space to another. Does your Pothos need repotting/ Maybe trimming it back will kick start it again.

 

[Becky]

Hi kiana, welcome to the forum!

Sometimes it can be tricky to find a place where your plants are happy - if they don't flourish where they are then is there another spot you can try them in? You should feed house plants regularly and repot them every 2-3 years, I use a liquid feed called BabyBio - you just add a few drops to the water.

 

[Trellum]

Hi all! I have had indoor plants for the last 1.5 years, but upon moving into a new place a couple months ago, my plants are not as happy or growing as lively as before. They're still alive and healthy, but their growth and foliage stopped a noticeable amount. For example, my golden pothos had grown to stretch across my room (~ 10 ft), but I have not seen much growth since the changing of addresses. I have the pothos leaves climbing up my wall, and put up light-blocking curtains, as the areas that got more direct sunlight were not taking well to it at all (last year it was in only a bit less sunlight, no curtains, and still flourished). I have some of its roots growing in water, along with another type of plant, so that I may reroot them back into its original pot. (I do not know what my other plant is called.. it's similar somewhat to my pothos, but with thicker roots and leaves, and the leaves are much more shiny. It seems like a cross between the heart-leaf philodendron and the textures of rubber tree. Anyone have any guesses?)

I was browsing Amazon marketplace and came across houseplant indoor fertilizer food spikes as well as liquid plant fertilizer. Could someone give me a run through on these? I.e. what are the benefits and differences, which one (if not both) are beneficial to my specific plants, what recommended brands, etc. Anything would help! Sorry I'm such a newbie!

Don't worry about it, I just think your plants need some time to get used to the new spot. I personally dislike using fertilizers, because of the risks they pose for human health, I used a lot tobacco powder for my plants in the past and it worked great. I used it as an organic pesticide and it also seemed o help my plants to thrive I recommend you to read more about organic gardening, specially if you have small children and pets at home living with you.

 

[kiana]

I use a liquid fertilizer on my house plants and they seem happy with it. I use a gallon jug(s) and fill it with the recommended amount. If the jug is half empty I fill it up with water. Plants will react when you move them from one space to another. Does your Pothos need repotting/ Maybe trimming it back will kick start it again.

Thank you for this information!

As I am a newbie, words like "repotting" and "trimming" are very alien to me *__*
I read somewhere how if the roots have reached its maximum, a bigger pot may be in order to let them flourish more. Is that what repotting means?

 

[kiana]

Hi kiana, welcome to the forum!

Sometimes it can be tricky to find a place where your plants are happy - if they don't flourish where they are then is there another spot you can try them in? You should feed house plants regularly and repot them every 2-3 years, I use a liquid feed called BabyBio - you just add a few drops to the water.

Thank you!! I bought a brand of indoor food liquid called Schultz that had pretty good reviews. Have you heard anything about this particular brand?

 

[kiana]

Don't worry about it, I just think your plants need some time to get used to the new spot. I personally dislike using fertilizers, because of the risks they pose for human health, I used a lot tobacco powder for my plants in the past and it worked great. I used it as an organic pesticide and it also seemed o help my plants to thrive I recommend you to read more about organic gardening, specially if you have small children and pets at home living with you.

I do not have small children or pets near this plant, but was not aware of fertilizer's possibilities of hurting my health. Could you expand on this? I bought a small formula of liquid fertilizer I planned on using. My plant has been in this new area for a few months now, which is why I find it troublesome that it looks very little like how it did at this same time next year :/

 

[Trellum]

@kiana Most fertilizers are extremely toxic to us, of course that varies from brad to brand... but most of them are super toxic. Some of them are so toxic the manufacturers print on the bags things like ''don't touch the contents of this with your bare hands...´´ and such. There are many carcinogens in most fertilizers, just check this article on the dangers of using fertilizers: http://www.livestrong.com/article/119955-harmful-effects-fertilizers/

 

[Lostvalleyguy]

I use a soluble fertilizer for my house plants. I dissolve a tablespoonful in about a gallon of water. I have used the plant spikes before and I think they do a good job if you aren't prone to remembering to add liquid or other fertilizer on a regular basis. There are different types (ratios) of fertilizer spikes out there and it is a good idea to find out what is best for your plant. as far as re-potting is concerned, look at the roots - if they are wound up tightly and seem to have nowhere to grow, often a slightly larger pot is needed to let more roots grow and absorb nutrients to support a larger plant.