Can compound fertilizer be applied to household potted flowers

Fertilizer is very important for plants, and many flower enthusiasts are confused about what fertilizer to use and how to use it. Some people ask: since compound fertilizer contains relatively comprehensive nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, is it okay to apply compound fertilizer to all household potted flowers? Let's talk about it below.

1. Use it in a targeted way

The three main elements plants need are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It is okay to use nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer for all household potted flowers, but compound fertilizer also comes in many types, including high-nitrogen compound fertilizer, high-phosphorus compound fertilizer, high-potassium compound fertilizer and balanced compound fertilizer, so it should be used in a targeted way.

Different flowers have different demands for nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. For foliage plants such as pothos (Epipremnum aureum), money tree (Pachira aquatica) and happiness tree (Radermachera sinica), the main thing is to supplement nitrogen in order to promote leaf growth, so we can choose high-nitrogen compound fertilizer with a relatively high nitrogen content. For flowering plants such as kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides) and jasmine (Jasminum sambac), high-nitrogen compound fertilizer can be used during the period of vigorous growth, while during the flowering period phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be added to promote blooming, so it is recommended to use a ternary compound fertilizer with relatively high phosphorus and potassium content or a pure phosphorus-potassium fertilizer such as monopotassium phosphate.

2. Pay attention to supplementing trace elements

Although the three main elements nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the most important for plants, trace elements such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron and zinc are also very important for their growth.

For example, the water and soil in the north are alkaline, and using too much compound fertilizer can also make the soil alkaline, and alkaline soil leads to a deficiency of iron in the soil, which is very unfavorable for the growth of acid-loving flowers such as gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides), jasmine (Jasminum sambac), camellia (Camellia japonica) and azalea (Rhododendron). So while using compound fertilizer, we should also pay attention to regularly using ferrous sulfate, to prevent acid-loving plants from iron-deficiency chlorosis.

3. Use it together with microbial inoculants

Using too much compound fertilizer easily leads to soil compaction and salinization, which is unfavorable for flower growth. So Xiaoye suggests using it together with Yehong Shiguang microbial inoculant. While fixing nitrogen and releasing phosphorus and potassium and improving the efficiency of compound fertilizer use, microbial fertilizer can also increase the organic matter content in the soil through the metabolic activities of microorganisms, making the soil more fertile, and it can also improve the soil aggregate structure and enhance soil permeability.