Balcony plants are not food lovers because their energy consumption is high. To ensure a lavish display of flowers and leaves, the nutrients used should be regularly replenished. The correct time intervals are just as important as the fertilizer itself. This guide explains in a compact and practical way when and how often you should properly fertilize your balcony plants.
How should you properly fertilize balcony plants?
Balcony plants should be fertilized differently depending on the species and flowering time: provide early bloomers with fertilizer weekly from February/March until the end of flowering, summer bloomers once or twice a week from May to August and autumn bloomers weekly until the end of flowering.
Time window is open from spring to autumn
In the bed, plants can rely on armies of busy soil organisms to provide a continuous supply of nutrients. Balcony plants, on the other hand, have to be content with the limited substrate volume in boxes and pots. To ensure that deficiency symptoms do not occur, organic and mineral fertilizers regularly replenish the used reserves. The following overview summarizes when and how often you should fertilize correctly:
- Early bloomers: fertilize weekly from February/March until the end of the flowering period
- Summer bloomers: fertilize liquidly once or twice a week from May to August
- Autumn bloomers: supply fertilizer weekly until the end of the flowering period
When perennials and hardy trees retreat in autumn, the window of opportunity for nutrient supply closes. Now the associated growth spurt is even harmful because it impairs frost resistance and calls into question he althy overwintering.
As an alternative to the weekly administration of liquid fertilizer (€79.00 on Amazon), modern long-term fertilizers cover the nutrient requirements for up to 6 months. These fertilizers are available as granules, cones, sticks or balls and are inserted into the substrate. Administered once in spring, the balcony plants are protected from deficiency symptoms for the entire season.
After planting and changing the substrate, please take a fertilizer break
Substrates for balcony plants are usually pre-fertilized. Freshly planted or repotted flowers, perennials and trees are sufficiently supplied with nutrients for the first 6 to 8 weeks. In order to avoid a harmful oversupply, the administration of fertilizer only starts again when the supplies have been used up.
Tip
Have you converted your balcony into a snack garden? Then mineral fertilizers are taboo. An organic nutrient supply guarantees lush growth and carefree enjoyment of balcony vegetables. Simply run a worm farm on the balcony. Then purely organic worm castings and rich worm tea are available to you as free fertilizers from spring to autumn.
