Hello and welcome to HealthyHouseplants.com, where we teach you all about gardening in the great indoors! If you’d like to support our show, please use our Amazon affiliate link below.
Today, we are going to talk about foliar feeding your plants. Besides delivering food to your plants through their roots, you can apply it directly to their leaves, allowing the plants to quickly absorb nutrients.
There are a few reasons why you might want to foliar feed. One is to get nutrients to the plants quickly. When you foliar feed, the nutrients are absorbed through the plant’s stomata, which are primarily located on the underside of the leaves, though there are also some on the top. This method allows the plant to immediately take in nutrients, unlike watering through the soil, which can take up to two weeks for the fertilizer to be converted into a form that the roots can absorb.
Foliar feeding is especially useful if your plant is nutrient deficient. For example, if you have citrus plants indoors that develop chlorosis (where the leaf veins are dark, but the leaf itself is lighter), foliar feeding is an effective way to address this issue. It’s also a good method if you are reviving a plant with root rot, as it allows you to provide nutrients without risking overwatering the root zone. However, only foliar feed in this situation if the plant is showing new growth, as you don’t want to overwhelm it with nutrients while it is still recovering.
This Dieffenbachia, which I’ve named Humphrey, is part of a revival series, and today I will be giving him some foliar feeding. You can use a variety of fertilizers, but it’s important to use a liquid fertilizer. You can also make a tea from something like worm compost. Some liquid fertilizers will specifically state that they can be used as a foliar feed, but even if it doesn’t say so on the label, you can still use them.
I will be using an indoor liquid fertilizer mixed with a little bit of humic acid, which is great for houseplants. I’ve also added a surfactant, which is a spreader-sticker that helps the fertilizer adhere to the leaves, ensuring the nutrients are absorbed rather than just running off or evaporating. Always follow package directions to determine the correct amount of each ingredient.
When foliar feeding, be sure to spray both the underside and the topside of the leaves, particularly the underside where most stomata are located. You want a fine mist for this, so make sure to use a spray bottle that produces a light, even mist. After shaking the bottle, give your plant a nice spraying. This will not only feed the plant but also give it a bit of a refreshing mist.
While foliar feeding is a great way to give your plants a quick nutrient boost, I don’t recommend using it as your primary method of feeding. It’s important to continue feeding the soil, as that’s where the plant roots live and where they draw most of their nutrients. Use foliar feeding as a supplement, especially if your plant is showing signs of nutrient deficiency or if you’re concerned about overwatering.
That’s it for foliar feeding! Thank you for stopping by today. Please leave any comments about indoor gardening tutorials you’d like to see. Remember to like, comment, subscribe, and share this video. And please check the bell if you’d like to be informed when we release new videos.
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