Without proper nutrients plants will not be able to thrive as well as they should and although they will grow, often you will see signs of deficiency such as yellowing leaves, stunted growth, and a lot less fruit and flowers.
Using a specially balanced plant food will supply the nourishment plants need to produce strong root systems, healthy stem and leaf growth and abundant flowers and fruit.
Different groups of plants will need different amounts of the major plant food elements, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. That’s why you will find various formulations to feed different types of plants around the garden and in the home.
Major (macro) plant nutrients NPK – shoots, roots, fruits
- Nitrogen (N): For strong, healthy stems, leaves and shoots. Provides good colour to leaves. (Shoots!)
- Phosphorus (P): For sturdy root growth. (Roots!)
- Potassium (K): Helps to improve flower & fruit quality. Strengthens a plant’s resistance to disease. (Fruits!)
These three nutrients are essential for optimum plant growth and they're also the nutrients that are used up most quickly by the plant, whether from bagged compost or the soil.
Minor (micro) nutrients and trace elements
Different nutrients needed for healthy plant growth include iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc (Zn). These are known as micronutrients and trace elements, which means that they are needed in much smaller quantities and are more essential for a specific group of plants, such as iron which plays an important role in the healthy growth of acid loving plants such as rhododendrons and azaleas.
Types of plant food
If you are growing lots of annual or bedding type flowers in containers and hanging baskets, then the best plant food to use is a liquid feed such as Miracle-Gro® All Purpose Concentrated Liquid Plant Food These are often concentrated liquid's which are diluted in your watering can and then applied directly to the compost. During the main growing season, these sorts of plants will need a weekly feed as they will be using up the nutrients very quickly.
Granular products such as Levington® Growmore Multi Purpose Plant Food are best applied to larger areas where plants will be in the same place for longer such as applying to a vegetable patch.
If you have a plant that will be in a pot or container permanently then a slow release fertiliser like Miracle-Gro® Premium All Purpose Continuous Release Plant Food is better than a liquid as this ensures that the plant will get the nutrients when they most need it, and they will often last for a whole season.
There are also available specific plant feeds that target a specific need. If you are a keen vegetable grower but have problems growing the brassica family, then you can add a lime supplement such as Levington® Lime to alkaline the soil and help avoid issues such as club root. If you want a bumper crop of tomatoes, then adding a supplement to your soil such as Levington® Natural Sulphate of Potash will really help boost the fruits.
If you are a keen grower of plants such as rhododendrons azaleas and camellias, then you will need to use a plant food specifically formulated for ericaceous plants. Nutrients can get locked up in the soil, and with acid loving plants, iron and magnesium can become locked if grown in an alkaline soil. Adding a plant food such as Miracle-Gro® Premium Azalea, Camellia & Rhododendron Continuous Release Plant Food will ensure these plants will receive all the nutrients they need.
