Chinese evergreen plants with the scientific name Aglaonema are plants that many people love to grow in their homes or offices as ornamental plants. Lush, green leaves and strong veins are impressive features of this plant. In particular, Chinese evergreen plants can adapt to many different living environments. Therefore, you do not need to spend too much time and effort to take care of this plant.
Besides articles on how to care for Chinese evergreen plants related to soil, watering, and care, Chinese evergreen fertilizer is also a topic that receives a lot of attention from people. Some of the questions that people are interested in include when to fertilize, frequency of fertilization, dosage, and the best type of fertilizer on the market today. To answer these questions, let’s learn detailed information about fertilizers in the article below.
Chinese Evergreen Fertilizer: Why Do You Need To Fertilize?
Fertilization is an indispensable part of long-term plant care and nourishment. Although Chinese evergreen plants are famous for their ability to adapt to many different habitats to maintain life. However, soil and water alone are not enough for the healthy and long-term growth of any plant. Plants will only grow healthy, lush, and resistant to pests when they have enough necessary nutrients in the soil.
For bonsai pots, people often add a sufficient amount of nutrients to the plants so that they grow in a fixed period. After a while, nutrients are gradually lost and depleted, so adding fertilizer at the right time is an important factor to ensure sustainable growth for plants.
Fertilizer will provide micro and macro nutrients for plants to ensure the fastest growth, flowering, or new branch creation. If plants lack these nutrients for some time, they will exhibit symptoms such as weak roots, thin stems, discolored foliage, drooping leaves, and stunted growth.
To choose the best fertilizer for Chinese evergreen plants, you need to learn about the main nutritional ingredients in fertilizer. Nutrients are divided into two main components such as macronutrients and micronutrients.
Macronutrients: This group of essential nutrients that plants need to absorb to maintain healthy growth. The main ingredients include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In addition, this group of nutrients includes several other substances such as calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon.
Micronutrients: The main components in this group of nutrients include iron, copper, manganese, zinc, and boron. Plants only need a small amount of nutrients to grow healthily. However, if plants lack this group of substances, they will also encounter many health problems.
Which Fertilizer Is Most Suitable For Chinese Evergreen Plants?
The fertilizer requirements of each plant species are different due to different growth characteristics, growing seasons, water needs, and soil quality. Therefore, to stimulate the best growth of plants, you need to choose a fertilizer with the appropriate nutritional content for that plant species.
Chinese evergreen plants will grow best if they are fertilized with NPK fertilizer at a ratio of 10:10:10. It means the proportion of each component of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium reaches 10%. According to the NPK fertilizer formula, nitrogen helps plants photosynthesize better and promote foliage growth. Phosphorus is responsible for stimulating the growth of the root system, flowering, and fruiting of plants. Besides, the potassium component helps enhance plant immunity and regulate water in all parts of the plant.
There are three main types of fertilizers: liquid or water-soluble fertilizers, slow-release fertilizers, and granular fertilizers.
Liquid Fertilizer
This is the most popular and best fertilizer for most plants, especially ornamental plants. These fertilizers come in liquid form like water or powder to dissolve in water. The advantage of this type of fertilizer is that plants can easily absorb nutrients and shorten the absorption time. However, the downside to this type of fertilizer is controlling the dosage because you can over-fertilize.
Slow-Release Fertilizer
This type of fertilizer will release nutrients slowly into the soil. The benefits of this fertilizer will be promoted when you water. The advantage of slow-release fertilizers is their ability to maintain soil nutrients over a long period of time. The downside is that it’s difficult to control the amount of nutrients each time you water the plants.
Granular Fertilizer
This type of fertilizer is often used for plants grown outside or in the garden. The fertilizer will come in pellet form and will be dry. Granular fertilizer will provide all the necessary nutrients for plants at the same time.
You can choose any fertilizer with NPK content at a ratio of 10:10:10 to fertilize Chinese evergreen plants. However, you need to control the dosage each time you fertilize or the amount of nutrients in the soil to ensure the appropriate dosage. Over-fertilizing plants also cause serious problems such as stunted growth, leaf drop, discolored leaves, or death of the root system.
When And How Often To Fertilize Chinese Evergreen Plants
Chinese evergreen plants can adapt to many different living conditions, so you do not need to fertilize in large amounts. Fertilizer manufacturers have recommendations on nutrient content and frequency of use for plants. The frequency of fertilizing Chinese evergreen plants will depend on their growth rate. You should fertilize this plant every 2-3 weeks during growing seasons like spring and summer.
You should not fertilize in winter because plants will hibernate and do not need nutrients for growth. Fertilizing in winter increases the risk of salt buildup and root burn.
Liquid fertilizers are often used for indoor plants because the plants can absorb nutrients immediately. Therefore, you do not need to fertilize Chinese evergreen plants in late winter to prepare for spring. As temperatures increase, you can fertilize plants with liquid fertilizer in gradually increasing doses as recommended by the manufacturer.
Most liquid fertilizers can be used for 4-6 weeks on poorly growing plants. For slow-release fertilizers, you should only apply once during the growing season. The reason is that nutrients will be released slowly in the soil and provide nutrition for a long time for Chinese evergreen plants.
The exact frequency of fertilization will depend on the product and its concentration. For low-concentration fertilizers, you can fertilize as often as every two weeks. For high-concentration fertilizers, you should follow the manufacturer’s recommendations printed on the product packaging.
How To Best Fertilize Chinese Evergreen Plants?
Most fertilizers for indoor plants will be diluted with water before fertilizing. Here are some things to keep in mind when you fertilize plants.
- Do not water the fertilizer solution on the leaves and tops of plants because they will burn.
- Always dilute fertilizer according to the manufacturer’s recommended ratio.
- Reduce fertilizer dosage if your plants are stunted and lack light.
- Slow-release fertilizers or pellets need to be used in the correct dosage. Water after spreading the fertilizer so that the soil absorbs the nutrients in the fertilizer.
- Water the soil before fertilizing because dry soil will not absorb fertilizer.
- Choose a fertilizer with an NPK ratio of 10:10:10 or 20:20:20.
- You can also fertilize plants with organic fertilizer or coffee grounds to save costs and protect the environment.
Signs When Chinese Evergreen Plants Are Over-Fertilized
Fertilizers and nutrients are indispensable elements for plant growth. However, overuse of fertilizers will also cause serious problems for plant health. Some common signs of over-fertilization include yellowing leaves, brown spots on leaves, brown and curled leaf edges, salt buildup in the soil, stunted growth, and death of plants.
To avoid over-fertilizing, you should use liquid fertilizers and dilute them with water. You need to observe plant growth after fertilizing to control the frequency and amount of fertilizer. If you notice that your plants are showing signs of being over-fertilized, you need to take some of the steps below.
- Inspect the entire plant’s foliage, crown, and trunk to identify parts affected by overfertilization.
- Prune burned or brown leaves or tips to prevent pests and fungi from growing from these parts of the plant.
- Water or soak the soil to remove excess water accumulated in the soil.
- Replace the potting mix with new soil if there is too much excess salt in the soil.
- Monitor the plant’s recovery process and do not fertilize continuously after the next 6-8 weeks.
- You should only fertilize again when the plants are healthy and at the recommended time by the fertilizer manufacturer.
Final Conclusion
Chinese evergreen plants are plants that can adapt to many different living environments. Therefore, they do not need too much fertilizer to stimulate growth. Frequency and dosage will depend on the product you choose from the manufacturer. Typically, liquid fertilizers are used for indoor plants. Meanwhile, slow-release fertilizers or pelletized fertilizers are suitable for plants outside.
You should choose a fertilizer with a balanced NPK ratio for Chinese evergreen plants. Key ingredients such as nitrogen will stimulate foliage growth, phosphorus will stimulate root growth, flowering, and fruiting. Meanwhile, potassium will enhance plants’ immunity. To avoid over-fertilizing, you should dilute the fertilizer and reduce the ratio for the first time to monitor the plant’s ability to adapt.
You should not over-fertilize because it will cause serious problems for plant health. Fertilize according to the manufacturer’s recommendations on frequency, dosage, and fertilizer formula to support the best plant growth.