Should I feed my plant ASAP?
In most cases, no! If you recently got your plant from us it will have enough fertilizer in the soil to last nearly a year, if you fertilize before too early you run the risk of damaging your plant baby. Instead wait until you have had your plant for a whole year unless your plant tells you it’s ready before then; for example you notice the leaves start to grow with a yellowish hue, or the growth rate dramatically slows (make sure its not just going into its’ dormant phase for the season!)
Types of Fertilizer
Fertilizers come in several different varieties: liquids, sticks, tablets, granular, and slow-release forms. Of these, the two best suited for indoor tropical plants are liquid and slow-release fertilizers. Sticks and pills may seem easy, but they create hot-spots that can damage the root system because don’t distribute nutrients very well through the soil. Most granular fertilizers too strong are designed for use on outdoor plants.
We always use half the recommended amount when fertilizing a plant for the first time, you can always add more but you can’t take it out. *Never exceed the recommendations on the package your fertilizer came in!
We recommend a balanced N.P.K. fertilizer no stronger than 5-5-5. Keep in mind nearly every plant we carry comes with slow-release fertilizer already in the soil, typically this will last about 9 to 12 months; fertilizing too early can lead to plant damage.