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Feeding Indoor Plants

March 4th, 2010

It’s the season to feed those indoor plants. Typically plants are dormant in winter and are actively growing from early spring to late fall. That means that this is the time when plants are waking up again and getting ready to sprout new growth since the days are getting longer. This means that your houseplants need some feeding to help with that growth.

I spent some time this past weekend feeding the indoor plants so they’re ready for the growing season. I like to keep them in good shape since I rely on them to keep the air in the house nice and clean. I use an organic fertilizer and some worm castings as a top dressing for the potted plants. It’s easy and only takes a few minutes.

With this feeding my plants should have a nice burst of food for the new spring growth. I’ll feed them again at the beginning of the summer and then again in late summer. No feeding in the late fall, I don’t want to stimulate early growth. I generally remember to feed around Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day.

I’ll also spend some time in the next couple weeks pruning the houseplants, and any that are getting too big for their containers will be repotted for the growing season. Keeping your houseplants in top shape will ensure that they’re healthy and thriving and doing their job keeping the air inside your home clean and healthy.

Do you have specific times to feed houseplants?

12 Comments to “Feeding Indoor Plants”
  1. Frugal Trenches on March 4, 2010 at 8:39 am

    I have to admit, I’ve never fed housplants apart from when I first get them.

    Reply to Frugal Trenches's comment

  2. pam on March 4, 2010 at 9:42 am

    I usually don’t feed mine until I move them out on the porch in the summer. I guess I should start earlier!
    .-= pam´s last blog ..I’m in love with The Fat Quarter Shop =-.

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  3. Kelly on March 4, 2010 at 10:22 am

    I’ve decided, this year, to get new houseplants and actually take care of them (I’m terrible). I’ll make sure to pick up some feed for them and wire it into my brain to feed them during the summer sabbats
    .-= Kelly´s last blog ..Winter Storms and Scarves =-.

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  4. Sense of Home on March 4, 2010 at 10:25 am

    Thanks for the reminder.

    -Brenda

    Reply to Sense of Home's comment

  5. Pampered Mom on March 4, 2010 at 10:45 am

    Such a good reminder! I use a slow release fertilizer – since I often forget to water my houseplants it’s probably even slower. Seriously…I forget to water them so often it really is amazing that they are still alive. It’s probably a good thing they can’t walk or I suspect they’d find another home!
    .-= Pampered Mom´s last blog ..On My Wish List – “Radical Homemakers: Reclaiming Domesticity from a Consumer Culture” =-.

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    • Susy on March 4, 2010 at 11:12 am

      That’s probably a good things, most indoor plants actually die of overwatering.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  6. Tree on March 4, 2010 at 10:45 am

    I don’t “feed” them perse, I use boiled egg water and boiled potatoe water (once its cooled) to water them when its available. I also take compostings and put them on the top layer and add fresh soil as needed. I don’t have much of a green thumb and have a hard time keeping them alive (becuase I usually forget about them). Right now I have one lowly spider plant (which a friend was going to throw away when they moved because her cat had done a number on it). I have kept it alive since November and hope it will start growing soon. I know I have to repot it soon.
    .-= Tree´s last blog ..Mostly Meatless =-.

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    • Susy on March 4, 2010 at 11:12 am

      I also use water from rinsing out the milk bottles.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  7. warren on March 4, 2010 at 11:28 am

    I can’t keep plants in our house because of the cats but I have a jungle in my office at work…and I feed and water every Friday right before I go home…it’s part of my weekend ritual!
    .-= warren´s last blog ..Sleeping is weird =-.

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  8. melissa on March 4, 2010 at 7:06 pm

    The only houseplants I have are the seedlings growing in my kitchen window. I have one cat that likes to eat the leaves off of anything growing within reach, and three cats that like to play Jungle Cat in anything larger than seedling-size. It didn’t work out too well.

    I need to have a hanging plant setup, and figure out a way to water it that doesn’t involve a step ladder.
    .-= melissa´s last blog ..paradigm shift =-.

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  9. Emma Day on March 7, 2010 at 12:49 pm

    Please tell me the name of the plant pictured in this post.
    Thanks

    Reply to Emma Day's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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