Plants, flowers, and trees require fertilization for growth, nutrition, and to thrive optimally. If you’re looking for the best fertilizer for plants and flowers, there are a few things you should know before deciding.
To make sure your plants are happy and healthy, keep a note of the “N-P-K ratio.” That stands for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (in that order). This ratio indicates each nutrient’s percentage in the bag.
For instance, a fertilizer that contains 10-10-10 means it has 10 percent nitrogen, 10 percent phosphorus (phosphate), and 10 percent potassium (potash). Each ingredient plays a part in promoting plant health: nitrogen boosts healthy leaf growth, phosphorus strengthens the roots and blooms, and potassium promotes energy and vigor.
There are different types of fertilizers ranging from organic fertilizers, liquid fertilizers, granular fertilizers, and slow-release fertilizers to water-soluble fertilizers. Each is administered as per the kind of plant, the plant’s requirements, availability, ease of use, soil condition, and so on.
Our Top Selections for Best Fertilizer for Plants and Flowers
- Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food
- Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Flower & Vegetable
- Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition – All Natural Plant Food For Vegetables, Flowers, and Herbs
- Bloom Booster, Incredible Bulk 0.1-10-25 Vegan Organic Plant Food
- Espoma Organic Plant-tone 5-3-3 Natural & Organic All Purpose Plant Food
Best Fertilizer for Plants and Flowers: Review
Here is a complete guide to understanding which fertilizer works best on plants, flowers, vegetables, and more.
1. Miracle-Gro Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food
Filled with essential nutrients, you will quickly notice the difference between fed and unfed plants when using the Miracle-Gro plant food. Feed all your plants, vegetables, flowers, shrubs, trees, and houseplants every 1-2 weeks, and see the difference yourself.
For greater ease and quicker watering, pair it with the Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder. You can use any other brand of watering can as well. With minimal effort, your garden bed can look beautiful and your plants will be healthy and thriving.
Fill the feeder jar with one of the Miracle-Gro water-soluble plant foods. Attach the feeder to the garden hose and start spraying, following the label instructions.
The plant food has no odor, as opposed to organic fertilizers that fill the surroundings with a stench that attracts pets. Pets stepping into the flower beds could damage the flowers and plants.
The Miracle Feeder is built with trigger lock technology for one-handed feedings, while the Garden Feeder features 3 spray patterns for every job.
Pros
- Safe for all plants
- Does not harm or burn the plants when used as directed
- Gives instant results
- Results in bigger and bountiful plants
- Gives a new lease of life to dry and withering plants
- No bad odor
- The company has great deals and offers from time to time
Cons
- Very limited amount available in a large size
- Expensive
If price is not a concern, this is one of the best plant foods on the market. You can use it for your annual plants, perennial plants, vegetables, and shrubs. it contains all the major nutrients necessary to support healthy plant growth.
2. Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Flower & Vegetable
Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Flower & Vegetable is a favored option to meet all nutrient deficiencies for perennials, seasonal plants, and vegetables. Rich in nutrients, the dry fertilizer strengthens the plant roots and promotes plentiful and healthy above-ground growth.
The plant food has a nutrient content of 14-14-14. The granules have a resin coating that reacts at low soil temperatures.
The semi-permeable coating allows water to seep in and dissolves the nutrients. The nutrients are slowly released with changes in temperature during warmer, active growing periods. These released nutrients support the vigorous growth of the plants and strong root growth.
This plant food is a must-have for farmers, homeowners, and gardeners growing vegetables. Ideally formulated for perennials, the Osmocote Plant food is formulated to promote colorful blooms and healthy vegetable growth.
Just sprinkle one scoopful of pre-measured plant food per two gallons or four square feet. (one scoopful = three tablespoons). Mix it into the top 1-3 inches of soil. You only need to use the plant food every 4 months, so there’s no hassle of regularly feeding your plants.
It’s safe and easy to use. Just water your plants regularly, and in a very short period, you will notice your weak and dying plants coming back to life. The plants, flowers, and vegetables begin to look more colorful and bountiful.
Pros
- Can be sprinkled directly over the soil, no need of mixing in any medium
- Nutrients are slowly released into the soil, offering healthy roots and plant growth
- Great for amateurs, usage does not require any extra effort or gardening skills
- Revitalizes sad and weak plants
- Does not burn the plants when used as per packaged instructions
Cons
- Customers complain that the plant food shell is plastic
- Potential environmental hazard.
All in all, it’s a good product with fair pricing. The plastic shells, however, are a concern.
3. Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All Purpose Plant Nutrition
Another winner from Miracle-Gro, this organic plant nutrition is a natural fertilizer that leaves your plants, herbs, and flower beds healthy and bountiful. This is a water-soluble fertilizer that instantly feeds plants. You can use it every seven days.
This organic fertilizer has all-natural ingredients to make it a complete fertilizer. It provides additional micronutrients to deliver even better performance and results. The plant and flower fertilizer from Miracle-Gro is enhanced with aged compost, which provides nutrition to the plants and is environment-friendly.
The Miracle-Gro plant nutrition can be used both with the Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder or with your regular watering can.
For use in ordinary watering cans: Take the large end of the enclosed pre-measured scoop. For outdoor plants, add two level scoops to one gallon of water (one gallon of water covers 10 sq. ft.). For indoor plants, add one level scoop to one gallon of water.
For use in a Miracle-Gro Garden Feeder: Fill a maximum of 3/4 lb. of the Miracle-Gro plant fertilizer into the Garden Feeder. Attach the hose to the sprayer and both water and feed your plants with ease. You can start with 1/4 tbsp fertilizer application initially, then gradually increase it to a maximum of 4 tbsp per gallon.
Dispose of the empty can in the trash, or if you want to dispose of a half-filled can, call your local solid waste agency for disposal instructions. Never throw unused products down the drain. The box of fertilizer must not be opened indoors due to the strong smell and the dust that it releases.
Pros
- Organic fertilizer with natural ingredients
- Enhanced with aged compost for greater benefits
- Offers beneficial microbes to the plants
- Gives healthy plants, vegetables, and flower produce
- Does not burn the plants, if packages instructions are followed
- Easy to use, gives good results
Cons
- Customers have complained that the N-P-K values of the product are not in sync
- Does not mix well and leaves sludge in the watering can
- Smells bad
The plant fertilizer can be used for different types of annual flowers as well as perennial flowers, vegetables, and herbs.
4. Bloom Booster, Incredible Bulk 0.1-10-25 Vegan Organic Plant Food
Incredible Bulk is an organic plant food, or “bloom booster,” meant to increase yield, smell, and color. This organic plant fertilizer contains the optimum blend of potassium, which protects plants from diseases, and phosphorous, which aids plants in converting light to chemical energy.
If you also want to remove chemical fertilizers from your grow cycle and replace them with organic options, go for Incredible Bulk Bloom Booster.
The soil needs bacteria to thrive. The bacteria use enzymes to break the organic matter and add nutrients to the plants. If you used a salt-based fertilizer during the grow phase, then you will have to flush just before harvest to get rid of that horrid taste.
There are plenty of chemical-based inorganic fertilizers that will do just as good at a lesser cost. With Incredible Bulk, no flushing is needed as it is organic and retains the natural goodness of the garden soil.
This organic fertilizer believes in causing no harm to animals, hence it is organic. Incredible Bulk is also compatible with other fertilizers so you can use it in combination with other plant feeds.
A water-soluble fertilizer, a 3 lb bag of Incredible Bulk can make up to 690 gallons of solution depending on the dilution ratio. This organic plant fertilizer does not cause fertilizer burn and supports robust plant health.
Pros
- Results in leafy growth, strong roots, and healthy fruits/blossoms
- Organic and vegan
- Does not cause fertilizer burns
- All natural materials used
- Nice packaging and branding
Cons
- Expensive
This organic plant and flower fertilizer is a versatile fertilizer for your garden plants, shrubs, fruits, and blossoms.
5. Espoma Organic Plant-tone 5-3-3 Natural & Organic All Purpose Plant Food
Espoma Organic Plant-tone is an organic all-purpose natural plant food. Plant-tone’s organic ingredients break down and slowly dissolve in the soil bed to provide a long-term supply of nutrients.
You can use this organic plant food organic fertilizer for flowers, vegetables, trees, and shrubs. This natural fertilizer works well for seasonal as well as year-round foliage.
Using only the finest natural ingredients and enhanced with the proprietary Bio-tone formula — 5-3-3 Fertilizer analysis with 5% calcium — Plant-tone gives your garden plants thorough nutrition.
Plant-tone is a product of the Espoma Company, a leader in natural organics since 1929. Also, this organic plant food is environmentally safe.
Plant Tone is used in different ways depending upon the category of plants or trees. Thisslow-release fertilizer is used in spring and fall on trees and shrubs. It can be used monthly on perennial plants, roses, flowers, and vegetables, throughout the growing season.
Apply the ferilier to the soil around the drip line of the plant and then water thoroughly. Plant-tone is a dry fertilizer, comes ready to use, and requires no mixing.
Pros
Cons
This plant food is approved for organic gardening and is registered as an Organic Input Material which means it meets all requirements for organic production.
Types of Fertilizers
Granule Fertilizers
Gardeners apply fertilizer granules in two ways. They either mix it with their soil while planting or sprinkle the granules on the soil’s surface over the root area of the plant. Granular fertilizers are available as slow-release or quick-release formulas.
- Slow-release fertilizer provides a consistent flow of nutrients for an extended time, sometimes for the entire growing season. These fertilizers’ ingredients can be either organic or inorganic.
- Quick-release fertilizer is inorganic. It will absorb completely into the soil in just a few weeks.
Liquid Fertilizers
Liquid fertilizers include ready-to-mix dry granules and liquid concentrate that are available to the plant instantly. They can consist of either organic or inorganic ingredients.
Fertilizer Spikes
Fertilizer spikes have both organic and inorganic formulas as well. They work much like slow-release fertilizers.
Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers work with the soil microbes to feed plants. These natural fertilizers come from natural animal and plant sources including animal manure, bone meal, blood meal, alfalfa meal, cottonseed meal, and kelp meal.
Inorganic Fertilizers
Inorganic fertilizers are highly concentrated and feed plants directly. Manufacturers use synthesized chemicals like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to create synthetic fertilizers. Sometimes other chemicals are included as a byproduct of the processes of production.
Best Fertilizer for Plants and Flowers: Conclusion
While native plants and trees thrive in their natural soil conditions, most plants need additional nutrients to thrive and produce better greens, flowers, and fruits.
From flowering plants to lush foliage, the best fertilizer for plants and flowers should contain the optimum level of nutrients that boost plant growth as well as quality.
These fertilizers contain the right blend of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus and add beneficial soil bacteria to make your plants, flowers, and trees healthy and happy!
