Understanding Plant Nutrition
Helpful tips from our Beautiful Gardens Magazine
Most common garden plants will benefit from a feed during the growing season that is spring! Especially those being grown in containers and hanging baskets due to their difference in environments.
Choosing the best plant food for the plants in your garden or patio can be complicated- especially if you’re new to gardening. But most plants will benefit from a good feed during the period before the spring season, particularly flowering plants or those that produce edible fruits and vegetables.
Table of Contents
When to Feed
Shrubs and Climbers
Shrubs and climbers should be fed in spring, begin to feed just as they begin to produce new leaves and flowers, or after they have been pruned.
Summer-Flowering Bulbs
In spring, adding some Sulphate of Potash when you plant bulbs in the ground will help promote healthy, strong growth, or adding slow release granules into the soil when planting in a container.
Herbaceous Perennials
To give a strong start, begin to feed these when they start to grow again in spring or early summer.
Annuals & Bedding Plants
Seasonal plants in patio pots and hanging baskets will love regular weekly feeds in the summer months to keep them blooming.
Edible veg & fruits
Nourish vegetable plots before you sow seeds or plant baby veg and strawberries as this will provide them with a strong start and boost, and feed potted chillies and tomatoes weekly as soon as the little flowers begin to blossom.
What to Feed
Here’s our guide to common types of feed, and how to use them.
Granular Feeds
Granular feeds include Growmore and Fish, Blood & Bone. Sprinkle these feeds across the surface of the soil or compost, then water in thoroughly to ensure they have been well placed in the soil.
Ideal for:
- Vegetable Beds
- Mixed Borders
- Around Tree and Shrub Bases
Slow-Release Feed
These little coloured balls break down gradually over time, releasing nutrients to the plant roots. They can be mixed into the soil at planting time, or gently forked throughout the surface of the soil.
Ideal for:
- Plants in Pots or Containers
- Bulbs in Pots or Containers
Liquid & Soluble Feeds
These include plant-specific feeds, like tomatoes, hydrangeas and azaleas, as well as general purpose fertilisers. Both options are diluted with water and then distributed with a watering can across the plants and soil.
Ideal for:
- All Plants in Beds, Borders or Containers
Other Options
Some may choose to garden more naturally and these products are ideal. Popular feeds for a more natural approach to gardening include Seaweed Extract and Chicken Manure Pellets.
Ideal for:
- Veg Gardening
- Herbaceous Perennials
- Shrubs
- Containers
