But sometimes with fertilizers, less is more, especially for houseplants.
Indoor gardens live in pots and rely onsupplemental feedingfor nutrients.
What Is Fertilizer Burn?
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Fertilizer burn triggers when a plant is fed too much or too often.
Fertilizers contain salts that build up and remain in soil after roots soak up nutrients, eventually causing damage.
Mosthouseplant fertilizersare water soluble and either rapid or slow release.
Flush the Pot
Dry, brown leaf tips and margins are an early sign of fertilizer burn.
Flush the plant with cool, clean water several times, allowing excess to drain away.
The first rinse dissolves accumulated salts and the second cleans the potting medium.
Tip
Municipal water sources contain chemical salts that contribute to build up.
Then move the plant to a fresh pot with new potting medium.
Inspect roots and prune out any dried up or discolored.
Prune partially damaged roots back to healthy tissue.
Gently rinse with cool, clean water and repot using fresh material.
Resume a regular watering schedule but withhold fertilizer, giving the plant plenty of time to recover.
When new buds and leaves appear, consider reducing your fertilization schedule or dilute the amount.
Read information tags and learn about each specific plant’s requirements.
Signs of fertilizer burn include dry, brown leaf tips and edges.
White crust or deposits on soil, pot surfaces, leaves and stems indicate build up of harmful salts.
Stunted growth and sudden wilting are more serious symptoms.
All fertilizers contain salts that can build up to harmful levels causing plant parts to dry up and die.
Irrigate the plant right away when you see signs of fertilizer burn.
When caught early, you’re able to correct the problem and save the plant.
