Those common fancy home fertilization methods are actually useless...

It is better to eat without meat than to live without bamboo. People who love life always have plants at home. However, in addition to sunlight and water, the nutrients provided by the soil are also the key factors that determine whether plants can thrive. There are many folk "prescriptions" for fertilizing potted plants at home: watering flowers with overnight tea, topdressing with fermented bean dregs, and the upside-down eggshell method... But do you know that those years of tireless operation may have only done more harm than good!

01

Overnight tea, melon seed skins, egg shells...

“Waste Utilization” is Highly Risky and Inefficient and Not Worth It

Overnight tea, melon seed shells, upside-down egg shells... These household "homemade fertilization methods" should be familiar to everyone, right? But for flowers and plants, these seemingly economical "waste utilization" are of no use.

First of all, we have to be sure that these "wastes" do contain various elements that promote plant growth, but the problem is that the content is too low. Moreover, just like the waste recycling in daily garbage classification, it needs to be processed before it can be reused. The use value of waste that has not undergone any treatment is naturally extremely limited.

"Waste" such as tea dregs, egg liquid, and melon seed shells are "raw materials" that have not been effectively processed. Due to uncontrollable factors in the natural degradation process, they will not only fail to promote the growth of plants, but will also have a series of adverse effects on plant cultivation:

In addition to heat generation, the fermentation process is also accompanied by the participation of a large number of organisms such as bacteria, fungi and insects . Not to mention that one of the major requirements for home cultivation is a clean and tidy cultivation environment. The insects attracted by the fermented and proliferated microorganisms are likely to be harmful to the plants themselves, and will cause all kinds of strange diseases and pests to break out, which is really not worth the loss.

In the end, the key to the ineffectiveness of the "waste utilization fertilization method" is that only after sufficient fermentation and removal of undesirable impurities can "waste" be turned into fertilizer, just like giving you a pile of beans will not turn them into fermented black beans by just stuffing them, but will most likely yield a pile of moldy and smelly things. This kind of untreated "waste utilization" fertilization method not only has little effect, but is also unhygienic and unsightly, and easily produces unpleasant odors, all of which run counter to the original intention of home planting.

02

Be careful when making your own organic fertilizer

Flowering and fruiting mainly rely on inorganic fertilizers

Not only are "little tricks" like watering with overnight tea and turning egg shells upside down unreliable, but some "big moves" in household fertilization are even less recommended. The most representative of these are fermenting bean dregs and making your own organic fertilizer with chicken manure.

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For some friends who have experience of living in the countryside, the by-products of making tofu, such as bean cakes and poultry manure, were once good organic farm fertilizers. So they wanted to apply this experience directly to home planting: the bean dregs left over from making soy milk for breakfast at home and the chicken manure obtained from rural relatives immediately became good resources for improving the fertility of their own flower soil!

Of course, if you are very familiar with the principles of fermentation and the operating procedures, and know how to ferment correctly, the fermented products of these things after professional processing are of course great organic fertilizers. However, whether it is bean dregs, coffee dregs, or even xx dregs, as long as it is a non-professional fermentation of organic matter (that is, what we call the "fermentation" operation), the results are likely to be unsatisfactory! Without professional equipment, sites, and technology, there are many uncontrollable factors in the fermentation process and actual results . Apart from the irritating and unpleasant smell (only those who have really tried it know how bad it stinks), plants still face the risks mentioned above.

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Here are two small points of knowledge: First, organic fertilizers prepared by professional fermentation are odorless. It is really unnecessary to pinch your nose to live a good life for plants! Secondly, the improvement of soil fertility actually depends mainly on chemical fertilizers (inorganic fertilizers) rather than organic fertilizers (various types of farmyard manure). The biggest role of organic fertilizers is to improve the soil agglomerate structure, stabilize the soil microbial community, and promote the absorption of fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other trace elements) by plant roots. Increasing the flowering and yield of plants essentially depends on chemical fertilizers (inorganic fertilizers). Even if bean dregs are organic fertilizer raw materials with a high protein content, they actually do not improve the overall fertility of the soil much.

Organic fertilizer materials such as chicken manure need to be composted until they have no smell before they can be used, which is even more difficult for ordinary urban families to use indoors. It is okay to use homemade organic fertilizer for outdoor cultivation in the courtyard, but it is recommended to choose refined granular organic fertilizer specially used for home gardening for indoor cultivation. In addition, the sources of animal manure are confusing now, and farm production management is also difficult to control. These manures themselves may have been contaminated by heavy metals and other harmful substances. It is okay to plant flowers and look at them, but you should be cautious when using them for fruit and vegetable cultivation.

03

Apply thin fertilizer frequently

It is a golden sentence to cheer for the flowers and soil

The size of potted plants is small, and the nutrients contained in the original medium are limited. After a period of consumption, all properties will decline, and the problem of salt analysis will increase. Therefore, reasonable fertilization can effectively adjust the various indicators of the medium, thereby benefiting the cultivated plants. Generally speaking, fertilizers are divided into organic and inorganic types. According to the time of action, they are divided into slow-release and fast-acting. According to the composition, they are divided into ammonia, phosphorus, potassium and other primary elements for plant growth.

First of all, inorganic fertilizers can be used for home potted plants. They are not only fast and effective, clean and refreshing, but also convenient to use. There are various element combinations and formulas, and there is a clear range of applicable plant types. The effectiveness of long-acting slow-release fertilizers can last from three months to six months, while quick-acting water-soluble fertilizers and foliar fertilizers can take effect for one week to half a month. For example, inorganic fertilizers such as Aolv and Huaduoduo are always beacons on the road of fertilization. It is right to use them when you don't know what to use.

If you want to improve the medium, extend the use time, and adjust the acidity, alkalinity and salt levels of the soil, you can also apply organic fertilizer, but the prerequisite is that you must choose finished organic fertilizer that has been fully decomposed, such as Huaxin Matrix Companion, etc. It can effectively improve the medium's own water and fertilizer retention capabilities, increase microbial activity, and provide the trace elements needed for plant growth while also improving disease resistance, allowing plants to grow stronger and more easily bloom and bear fruit.

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Plants have their own growth cycles. The best time to fertilize most household potted plants is after dormancy in autumn and winter. Long-acting slow-release fertilizers and organic fertilizers can slowly provide nutrients during plant dormancy to accumulate strength for next year's growth. Supplementing quick-acting fertilizers during the formation of flower buds and the early stage of fruiting, paying attention to the dosage and interval, and stopping before flowering can effectively promote flowering and fruiting. After flowering, plants consume more nutrients. At this time, adding a small amount of quick-acting fertilizers or slow-release fertilizers (which can be applied according to the temperature and plant type) is conducive to continued growth in the later stage, and can also prevent the plants from facing the problem of stress resistance window period due to nutrient consumption. Generally speaking, it is more suitable to fertilize when the temperature is cool. In a hot environment, plant growth stagnates and enters semi-dormancy, and the root absorption capacity itself is reduced. Fertilizing at this time will increase the burden on the root system, and it is not a good time to fertilize.

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Different plant types have different fertilizer preferences, and the appropriate fertilization frequency is also different. For example, fast-growing flowers such as roses and hydrangeas can choose general fertilizers; azaleas, camellias, and other acid-loving plants with weak roots are recommended to use weak acid fertilizers, reduce the amount, and a little is enough; orchids and other plants that do not have much demand for fertilizers can use 3000 ~ 5000 times the general water-soluble fertilizer, but it is best to choose special fertilizers. Some plants with long flowering periods and cyclic flowering, such as jasmine and epiphyllum, should be supplemented with quick-acting water-soluble fertilizers in time throughout the flowering period to provide the plants with sufficient flowering nutrients. Let's go back to the problem of the small size of the potted plants themselves. Plants that bloom continuously consume nutrients quickly, especially in the summer, which will increase the burden on the plants. In this case, even if the weather is hot, nutrients need to be supplemented in time, so it is still necessary to analyze the specific situation.

If there is a principle for fertilization, it is to apply thin fertilizers frequently, increase the frequency appropriately and reduce the amount used each time. Mastering this key point will help you master fertilization.

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04

Buy fertilizer

Be careful to avoid these pitfalls

For novices who have never purchased finished fertilizers before, what are the most important issues to pay attention to?

First of all, the most important thing to pay attention to is the brand and the purchase channel. Communicate more with plant lovers or senior flower lovers, and try to choose well-known brands and reputable stores. Gardening fertilizer products are also a big market, with good and bad products mixed in it. You should think twice before buying products that are too expensive or too cheap. Many products that are extremely low-priced and free shipping for ten kilograms, such as Inner Mongolia cattle and sheep manure and Northeast xx soil, are often mushroom residues, untreated fecal raw materials, or even river silt; as for particularly high-priced products, it depends on personal opinion. Fertilization is an external skill after all, and understanding the habits of plants is an internal skill. Fertilizer can be icing on the cake, but it does not mean that you can grow good flowers.

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Secondly, it is also very important to read the product instructions carefully and never take it for granted. Flower lovers who pursue excellence can also pay attention to the composition ratio of different brands of fertilizers. For most flowering plants, you can choose fertilizers with a balanced ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (generally 14 - 14 - 14 for general-purpose ones), or you can choose fertilizers with relatively higher phosphorus and potassium content , which are more conducive to flowering; the amount of nitrogen fertilizer used in home potted plants can be less, and foliage plants can use some nitrogen fertilizer appropriately, but be careful not to exceed the content of other elements too much, otherwise it will make the plants grow tall and thin and reduce their disease resistance. Potassium fertilizers need to be taken seriously in practice, especially for the development of the stems of woody plants.

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By the way, fertilizer products without description or clear introduction of active ingredients are generally unreliable. Such products often use a lot of vague words, such as "pure natural, plant extracts", etc. The active ingredients that can act on plants are still relatively well studied at this stage, so the relevant introduction can be completely specific to the ingredients (such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, various chelating agents, regulating hormones, etc.). Just like skin care products, regular manufacturers will list the ingredients clearly, while those that only shout slogans such as "XX days to remove spots, overnight skin rejuvenation, pure plant extracts" are often three-no products.

Author | Plant Eyes popular science blogger, science popularization supervisor of Yunnan Wu Zhengyi Science Foundation, member of Yunnan Botanical Society Popular Science Professional Committee, distinguished researcher of Yunnan Tourism Planning Institute

Review | Wang Kang Director of Beijing Botanical Garden Science Center Professor-level Senior Engineer

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