Can you add base fertilizer when repotting a goldfish plant?

The goldfish plant has very high ornamental value, especially for its flowers, because its flower shape looks like a goldfish, very lively and cute, and particularly exquisite, with very striking flower colors as well. However, because its root system is relatively developed and it grows very quickly, it can easily grow lush branches and leaves, so it generally needs to be repotted and given fresh soil once a year.

But when repotting and changing the soil of potted flowering plants, in some cases it is suitable to add base fertilizer, while in other cases it is not advisable to apply base fertilizer. Generally speaking, for fertilizer-loving plants, it is often suitable to add some base fertilizer when potting; but for plants that are not fertilizer-loving, base fertilizer is often not needed.

First of all, the goldfish plant has a developed root system, grows very quickly, and has strong sprouting ability. If you want it to grow quickly and thrive, it consumes a great deal of nutrients, so the nutrients we provide must also be sufficient. Clearly, the goldfish plant is a fertilizer-loving plant, except that its roots are mostly fibrous roots, which are not tolerant of fertilizer, and especially concentrated fertilizer and raw fertilizer must be avoided.

Therefore, when we change the soil for the goldfish plant, we usually need to add base fertilizer for it, but when using base fertilizer for it, we need to grasp some points for attention:

1. The goldfish plant loves fertilizer but is not tolerant of concentrated fertilizer, and its roots are mostly fibrous roots, which are often rather fragile. Direct contact with fertilizer or fertilizer with too strong an effect can easily damage the roots. So when we fertilize the goldfish plant, we generally apply some slow-release fertilizer with a mild effect and long-lasting fertility, or fully decomposed organic fertilizer.

2. Although base fertilizer is not limited to being buried at the bottom of the pot, it can be applied at the bottom of the pot and can also be scattered on the surface of the pot. But for a newly potted goldfish plant, it is generally suitable to bury the base fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, then cover it with a thin layer of soil, and then plant the plant in it. Note that the base fertilizer must be kept separate from the goldfish plant's roots to avoid direct contact, otherwise fertilizer damage is likely to occur.

Of course, base fertilizer usually can only play the role of providing basic nutrients and cannot serve as the main nutrient needed for the plant's long-term growth. Therefore, even if we apply base fertilizer to the goldfish plant, because it grows very quickly and consumes nutrients in large amounts and quickly, in order to meet its need for rapid growth, we usually also need to pay attention to topdressing, which is also an important guarantee for promoting flowering. During the growing season, topdress with a multi-element fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, and as the flowering period approaches, it is also necessary to switch to a phosphorus-potassium fertilizer.