Looking for the best fertilizers to use on your flower pots, hanging baskets and containers to have them blooming big all summer long?
When it comes to growing healthy, productive plants, nothing can be more helpful than giving your plants the energy then need – right when they need it. But selecting the “right” fertilizer can be one of the most confusing tasks for gardeners, and for good reason!
Not only are they hundreds of different fertilizers to choose from, there are also different types. And knowing which one you need for your flowering pots can be tough. Are liquid fertilizers better than granular? Should I be using both? Are some fertilizers better for more blooms?
All of those questions are certainly good ones – but here’s the good news. It doesn’t have to be so confusing! Although there are all kinds of unique and special fertilizer combinations for specific plants and needs, when it comes right down to it, you can cover 99% of your fertilizing needs for the flowers growing in your pots with just 2 basic types of fertilizers.
The Best Fertilizers To Use For Flower Pots, Hanging Baskets & Containers
Flowering annuals need lots of nutrients to produce their blooms. And they can quickly deplete the soil of nutrients as they grow. Especially when they are growing in baskets and containers where the soil amount is in limited quantity.
But no matter where they grow, powering your plants comes down to giving them the right energy at the right time. And as long as you have the fertilizers on hand that can meet both needs, you can cover almost all of your flower powering needs with ease.
When you break it all down, flowering annuals really need two different types of power. One for promoting growth of strong stems, roots and foliage – and another set to provide all of the energy for blooming.
The energy for growth needs to be slow and steady. That helps to power strong stem and root growth, all while not overpowering the plant to outgrow its container. The energy for blooming needs to be fast and constant – to keep the plant in new buds and blooms all season.
With powering your plants to perfection in mind – here is a look at each of the two fertilizers every gardener should have on hand at all times to cover both of those needs perfectly!
Low & Slow Granular Fertilizer – 2 Must Have Fertilizers For Flower Pots, Hanging Baskets & Containers
To power steady growth for your potted flowers, granular fertilizers are the best. These slowly break down in the soil to give your plants the energy they need to stay green and healthy.
But the key to success when fertilizing potted flowers for growth is to keep the nutrients low and slow. The best choice for this? Either a granular fertilizer with a low N-P-K (Nitrogen-Phosphorous-Potassium), or worm castings, which are a great natural alternative to commercial fertilizers and work just like a granular fertilizer.
Worm castings are the manure of earthworms. And they are perfect for powering low and steady plant foliage growth all season long. Using them is as easy as putting 1/2 to 1 cup of castings on top of the soil in your pots every month.
If you want to use an all purpose commercial fertilizer for this feeding, select one with a lower 3-3-3 to 5-5-5 N-P-K ratio. This will give the low and slow nutrients to your plants they need to stay green and healthy.
Castings or commercial granular fertilizer work equally well, but the important part is to make sure to feed your plants monthly with one of the two!
- Affiliate Link: 100% Worm Castings
- Affiliate Link: 5-5-5 All Purpose Granular Fertilizer
High Energy Liquid Fertilizer For Blooms – 2 Must Have Fertilizers For Flower Pots, Hanging Baskets & Containers
Now its time to talk about powering blooms! For this, it’s all about using a liquid fertilizer that is geared towards blooms and not growth. And that means one overflowing with plenty of phosphorous and potassium.
Phosphorus is the key nutrient for flowering. Plants use it not only to help form new buds, but also to keep the blooms vibrant and full of life. Potassium is also vital for this as well and for overall plant health. Both also aid in allowing water and nutrients to flow through stems.
To keep your flowering pots, containers and baskets blooming, look for a liquid fertilizer that contains at least triple the amount of phosphorous and potassium versus nitrogen. Affiliate Product Link: Farmer’s Secret Fruit & Bloom Booster Fertilizer (32oz)
Remember that too much nitrogen can cause plants to only grow – and not bloom. This is exactly why you want that nitrogen number lower. The plants will get enough from the monthly granular applications for growth. But the liquid feeding is for blooms.
Why a liquid for this feeding? Because it’s fast! Liquid fertilizers absorb not just through the roots of plants but through its leaves and stems as well. This gives your potted plants the energy they need right away to keep producing buds and blooms.
When To Fertilize
As for how often you should fertilize with the liquid mix, it’s better to fertilize every seven to ten days than every two to three weeks. But to do this, you need to dilute the fertilizer to half strength when mixing.
These lighter but more consistent doses will give your plants the steady supply of phosphorous and potassium them need. But, and this is important, all without overpowering them.
As long as you have both types of fertilizer on hand – you are ready for plants that last all season – and have big blooms as well. Here is to powering your plants this year with the best choice of fertilizers for your flower pots, containers and hanging baskets – and to your best gardening season ever!
For more on fertilizing – check out our article on How To Fertilize Rose Bushes For Big Blooms!
Simple Garden Life
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Simple Garden Life is a website dedicated to keeping gardening fun, simple and enjoyable! We publish two new articles each week along with a new garden podcast episode every two weeks. This article may contain affiliate links.