Feeding your plants with plant food provide the same benefits as using manure, but there are additional advantages. The biggest two are that plant food has no odor and it uses much less storage space. The plant food is made professionally, so if you follow directions, there should be no problem in fertilizing your plants.
When to Feed Your Plants
When you buy a potted plant, it should be able to live off of the nutrients in its soil for about a month. If is not looking healthy before then, it may be a problem with the environment or with the plant itself, not necessarily a lack of food.
If it is still unhealthy after one month, try feeding it. Follow the directions extremely closely to be sure you don't hurt the plant. Too much plant food will burn the roots and kill the plant. At the same time, your plant needs nutrients, so you can't underfeed it either. Plant care is tricky in this way, but as long as you pay close attention to directions, there should be no problem. Remember that plants that flower need a bit more food than ones that don't.
One rule to follow is the guidelines of when applying fertilizer house plants is by checking the roots which will help you to determine whether or not the plant needs food. Hold the plant upside down with a hand over the soil, and the plant stem between two fingers. Lift the pot with your other hand. Look closely at the ball of earth. If the roots are thick and encase he ball, the plant should have regular feedings. If, on the other hand, the ball is almost all roots, it is time to repot your plant.
You can get plant foods at the store. The same basic variety works for most species, but some plants such as roses or the African violet need special foods, which you can also find at the store.
