Don't Worry About Over-Fertilizing Your Flowers - Here's How to Fix It Properly

Due to lack of experience, many gardeners over-fertilize, causing their plants to suffer from fertilizer burn. When plants experience fertilizer burn, the main symptoms are as follows: the above-ground branches and leaves rapidly wilt and the leaf color becomes dull, while the underground roots discolor and rot. So what should you do once fertilizer burn occurs in your plants?

Remedies for Over-Fertilizing Flowers

1. Wash the roots and repot

Immediately remove the affected plant from its pot, rinse the roots clean, and cut away the damaged parts of the root system. Remove the damaged roots and the yellowed, dried-up branches and leaves, then let the wounds dry to prevent infection. Next, replace the potting soil, repot the plant, water it thoroughly, and place it in a shady spot away from direct sunlight. Mist it 3-5 times a day to maintain water balance throughout the plant until it returns to normal growth.

2. Water thoroughly

For some valuable or delicate-rooted flowering plants, it is not advisable to wash the roots and change the soil. Instead, immediately water the affected plant thoroughly 2-3 times in a row to flush out the high-concentration fertilizer.

3. Rinse

Place the pot under running clean water and rinse for 1-2 hours, with the water level 2-3 cm above the rim of the pot, so as to quickly reduce the fertilizer content in the potting soil, and place the plant in a shady spot.

The Right Way to Fertilize

1. Fertilizing should follow the principle of "seven parts water, three parts fertilizer." Especially when using compound fertilizer, the concentration should be 0.1%-0.3%, then spray it onto the potting soil with a spray bottle. Do not spray too much; it is best if the solution flows out from the drainage holes.

2. Solid fertilizer should be used in appropriate amounts according to the size of the plant and the size of the pot. For stick-type specialty fertilizer, generally bury 1-2 sticks in a pot with a diameter of about 10 cm, and bury 3-4 sticks in a pot with a diameter greater than 12 cm.

3. The concentration of top-dressing fertilizer should be low, and the main principle should be "weak fertilizer applied frequently," applying fertilizer at the right time and in the right amount. For example, the spray concentration of urea should be less than 0.1%, the concentration of superphosphate should be 0.1%-0.3%, the spray concentration of ferrous sulfate should be 0.2%-0.5%, and the concentration of micronutrient fertilizer should be 0.1%-0.2%. For bulbous and fleshy-stemmed flowering plants, and shade-loving foliage plants, use less fertilizer; succulent plants should be fertilized less than shade-loving foliage plants; for fibrous-rooted flowering plants, each top-dressing should be 20%-25% of the normal amount; fruiting and flowering types should be fertilized more.

4. During fertilization, for some more delicate flower varieties, be sure to take care that the fertilizer does not come into contact with the branches, leaves, or roots of the plant, to prevent burning and fertilizer damage to the seedlings.