Feeding a plant is just as important as getting it in the right location, so here are a few tips I would like to share with you.
I'm still remember when I was new to the houseplant game^^ You hear 100 different opinions and in the end you still don't know how it's done correctly. (I thought at the beginning, if I don't fertilize I can't do anything wrong - SERIOUS MISTAKE)
Fertilizer for plants is like food for humans. Photosynthesis cannot take place without fertilizer. Growth can therefore be impaired or even suspended.
How are you doing with fertilizing? Do you set an alarm on your mobile phone, or do you have an app that reminds you? I would like to give you a brief description of my approach and my tips, but I would be really interested to hear about your routine and tipps.
When and how often do I fertilize?
As already described above, it cannot be written in general terms. That depends for the most part on your fertilizer and secondly on your circumstances.
is your plant in soil or in inorganic material
do you have your plant in the same conditions (temperature, light) all year round
do you have a routine established?
and one of the most important question, what kind of fertilizer do you use?
Let's start with the substrate, first of all it should be mentioned that not two substrate mixes have the same properties. Almost every garden center, gardener and plant collector has their own secret or not-so-secret recipe. (Reminds me a lot of a kitchen) Many gardeners already mix long-term fertilizers into their finished substrate, here you have to be careful. The same can also be the case with inorganic substrate, a relatively new brand also has a 6-monthly fertilizer directly mixed into it. I would advise you to stop your regular fertilization here for 5-6 months and only add fertilizer after this period. However, one cannot say that in general, it is important to keep an eye on your plant when fertilizing. It is also important to know that with an inorganic substrate, no nutrients can be drawn from the substrate by the plant, other than with soil. It is therefore important to always add some fertilizer to the water to ensure healthy plant growth.
As briefly mentioned above, it also depends entirely on your fertilizer. Each fertilizer has manufacturer recommendations for mixing ratio and frequency of use. Overfeeding can also cause serious damage to your plants, with Hoya's this is very often seen through the death of the new shoot. The fertilizer that is no longer absorbed often settles on the roots or into the soil and this leads to acidification of the soil. Therefore always follow the instructions of your fertilizer, so nothing can go wrong.
Finally, I would like to go into the frequency of fertilization, because not every plant also hibernates. It all depends on the conditions we give her. If a plant is in our living area all year round, on the window sill for example, it will not hibernate. However, if you put them a little cooler, with less light, I would also fertilize less. That's just for the end ;)
A little tip from me, I've had very good results with Hoya's while using foliar fertilization. I usually use the typical orchid sprays that are available in all garden centers or often in the garden departments of hardware stores. There are also fertilizers that give you the option of mixing up a foliar spray. Both work very well.