To grow flowers with luxuriant branches and leaves, bright flowers and abundant fruits, fertilizers are needed. The cleanest and most hygienic way to grow flowers at home is chemical fertilizer.

1. The role of various fertilizers

Nitrogen fertilizer is the main fertilizer for promoting the growth of roots, stems and leaves of flowers. Foliage flowers mostly use nitrogen fertilizer. It is often applied when flowers sprout branches and leaves.

Phosphorus fertilizer makes flowers colorful and bright and fruits plump.

Potassium fertilizer can make the root system of flowers more developed, increase the ability to resist lodging, and prevent diseases and pests.

Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers are often used for flowers and fruits, and are often applied before the flowers bloom.

If a certain nutrient is insufficient during the growth and development process, it will be reflected in the plant.

1. When flowers lack nitrogen fertilizer, the leaves of the plants turn yellow or even dry up, the leaves are small, the plants are thin, the stems are thin and cracked, and the number of flowers is sparse.

2. When flowers lack phosphorus fertilizer, the leaves of the plants will be dark green and growth will be slow. The veins of the lower leaves will turn yellow, often with purple, especially on the petioles, and the leaves will fall early. The flowers will be small and few, the flower color will be poor, and the fruits will be poorly developed.

3. When flowers lack potassium fertilizer, the lower leaves of the plants will have spots, and dead parts often appear at the leaf tips and edges. The yellowing part will spread from the edge to the middle, and then the edge will turn brown and shrink downwards, and finally the lower leaves and old leaves will fall off.

4. When flowers lack magnesium fertilizer, the lower leaves of the plant turn yellow, and dead spots often appear in the late stage. Yellowing appears between the leaf veins, while the leaf veins are still green. The leaf edges bend upward or downward to form wrinkles, and dead spots often appear between the leaf veins within a day.

5. When flowers lack calcium, the tips and edges of the young leaves of the plants will rot, and the tips of the young leaves will often form hooks. The roots will have died before the above phenomenon occurs.　　

6. When flowers are iron deficient: the new leaves of the plants turn yellow between the veins, but the veins remain green. In severe cases, the leaf edges and tips dry up and spread inwards over a larger area, and only the larger veins remain green.

2. Common types of fertilizers:

(1) Nitrogen fertilizer: ammonium bicarbonate, urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonia water, ammonium chloride, ammonium sulfate, etc.

(2) Phosphate fertilizer: superphosphate, calcium magnesium phosphate, etc.

(3) Potassium fertilizer: potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, potassium nitrate, etc.

(4) Compound and mixed fertilizers: Compound and mixed fertilizers that contain two of the three elements of fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and ternary compound and mixed fertilizers that contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. They include monoammonium phosphate, diammonium phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, nitrophosphate, etc.

(5) Trace element fertilizers and certain medium element fertilizers: The former are fertilizers containing trace elements such as boron, zinc, iron, molybdenum, manganese, and copper, while the latter are fertilizers containing calcium, magnesium, sulfur, etc.

(6) Organic granular fertilizer: Fertilizer formed after various animals and plants have been fermented and decomposed for a certain period of time. It is a complete nutrient fertilizer.

3. Fertilizer Labeling:

(1) The nutrient content of fertilizers is indicated in percentages, usually with "XXX" representing the percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. For example, if a fertilizer package is marked with "15-15-15", it means that the fertilizer contains 15% nitrogen, 15% potassium oxide and 15% phosphorus pentoxide.

Urea generally contains 46% nitrogen;

Where can I buy fertilizer?

Generally, there are markets or shops that sell agricultural materials, and many operators sell them in retail. The flower market usually sells liquid compound fertilizers, which are very convenient to use, but the price is indeed a bit high.

For growing flowers at home, you can always have some urea, diammonium phosphate or monoammonium phosphate, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium three-element compound fertilizer, and granular organic fertilizer.

V. Principles of application

Apply small amounts and multiple times according to the different growth stages of the plants. It is better to apply less than more, and better to apply a thinner amount than a thicker one.

Generally, it is advisable to apply fertilizer once every ten days. It is not advisable to apply fertilizer during the flowering period to prevent the flowers from falling early. Before the winter dormancy of woody potted plants (September or October), a long-term full-effect fertilizer should be applied to lay a good foundation for growth next year.

Do not apply fertilizer during the dormant period when flowers stop growing to prevent root rot and death.

Potted flowers should pay attention to base fertilizer. It is usually said that 9 top fertilizers are not as good as 1 base fertilizer.

3. Pay attention to the following points when applying fertilizer:

(1) Pay attention to the type of flowers when applying fertilizer. Different types of flowers have different requirements for fertilizers. For example, osmanthus and camellia prefer pig manure, but not human feces and urine; southern flowers such as azalea, camellia, and gardenia avoid alkaline fertilizers; flowers that need to be pruned every year need to increase the proportion of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to facilitate the sprouting of new branches; flowers that are mainly for viewing leaves can focus on nitrogen fertilizers; flowers with large flowers (such as chrysanthemums, dahlias, etc.) need to apply an appropriate amount of complete fertilizer during the flowering period to make all the flowers bloom and be beautiful in shape and color; flowers that are mainly for viewing fruits should control fertilizer and water appropriately during the flowering period, and apply sufficient complete fertilizer during the fruit-growing period to achieve the desired effect; bulbous flowers should apply more potassium fertilizer to help the bulbs grow; fragrant flowers should apply more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers during the flowering period to promote a strong fragrance.

(2) Pay attention to the season when applying fertilizer. In winter, the temperature is low and plant growth is slow. Most flowers are in a state of stagnant growth, so generally no fertilizer is applied. In spring and autumn, flowers are in their peak growth period. Roots, stems, and leaves grow, flower buds differentiate, and young fruits swell. They all require more fertilizer, so more topdressing should be applied. In summer, the temperature is high, water evaporates quickly, and it is also the peak growth period for flowers. The concentration of topdressing should be small, but more times can be applied.

(3) When applying organic fertilizer, it must be fully decomposed and raw fertilizer should not be used. In addition, there are many valuable opinions on how to fertilize potted flowers in various places. For example, data from Jiangsu and other places pointed out that the amount of fertilizer should be determined based on the growth trend, and the "four more, four less, and four no" should be adhered to, namely: more fertilizer for yellow and thin flowers, more fertilizer before germination, more fertilizer for bud formation, and more fertilizer after flowering; less fertilizer for thriving, less fertilizer for germination, less fertilizer for flowering, and less fertilizer in the rainy season; no fertilizer for leggy growth, no fertilizer for newly planted plants, no fertilizer in the hot summer, and no fertilizer for dormancy.

(4) It was also pointed out that there are three taboos in fertilizing potted flowers: one is to avoid concentrated fertilizers, two is to avoid hot fertilizers (the soil temperature is high at noon in summer, and fertilizing can easily damage the roots), and three is to avoid sitting fertilizers. When planting flowers, apply base fertilizer at the bottom of the pot. Do not place the roots directly on the fertilizer. Instead, add a layer of soil on the fertilizer before planting the flowers in the pot.