Why, when, and what should you feed your houseplants? This is a more common question than most people might think. There is a good reason for it, too.

The fertilizer question comes up regularly especially for those who claim to have a 'brown thumb' and who say that every plant they have dies. Quite often the reason is either under watering or over watering. However plants also require food if they are going to survive.

Having the proper nutrients in the soil is what causes the plant to grow strong and healthy; to produce leaves, and to have a good root structure that is essential to survival. Without those nutrients, the plant will die. It is really no more complicated than that. Thus, the 'why' part of the question is answered quite easily.

The 'when' part is a little more complicated. Nearly all plants have an active growing season and a semi-dormant or dormant season. Food or fertilizer is primarily important during the beginning of the growing season. Fertilizing in the dormant period does little good and actually can cause the plant to begin actively growing again when it should be resting. The problem is that different plants have different growing seasons and nutritional requirements.

For instance, cacti live naturally in areas that have poor soil. Feeding house cactus large amounts of rich fertilizer will kill them as effectively as neglecting them altogether.

The best rule of thumb is to think about where the plant originally comes from. Plants living in the tropics have very little semi-dormancy, but it occurs more than once a year. They do require more fertilizer than plants that originally come from poor soil or harsher growing conditions. As a general rule, though, fertilizing once a year is sufficient if the right type and amount of food is given.

It is the 'what' part of the question that gets quite interesting. Commercial fertilizers are created for different plant types; for instance those with the heaviest foliage require more nitrogen (the first of the three numbers on the box or package indicates the ratio of nitrogen).

The interesting part is that there are great alternatives to store bought plant foods. Instead of being made from chemicals in a laboratory or factory, they are totally natural. For example, for heavy foliage plants like Philodendrons, try sprinkling a little cold, used coffee grounds over the surface of the soil. The grounds are high in nitrogen, but after brewing they aren't so 'hot' that they burn the plant. They also seldom have a bad aroma as they break down completely.

Making compost is an even better idea and doesn't take a lot of space. Simply spreading a small amount of finished compost on the surface of the soil around the plant, once or twice a year can have fantastic results.

Fertilizing houseplants is important if you want them to survive. However, the choice of fertilizers is enormous, and applying them isn't much of a chore. Give it a try and see what happens.

Learn more about this author, Rex Trulove.
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