🌿Why Feed Your Plants?
Just like us, plants need more than light and water to thrive — they need food. In nature, decaying leaves, insects, and other organic matter break down and enrich the soil. But indoors, that cycle is interrupted.
Fertiliser helps fill in the gaps, giving your plants the nutrients they’re missing in pots and planters. Feeling confused about plant fertiliser basics? Here’s a quick guide to understanding ratios and dosages.
🧪What Does it Mean?
Fertiliser labels like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 refer to the N-P-K ratio — that’s Nitrogen (leaf growth), Phosphorus (roots & blooms), and Potassium (overall strength & resilience).
A ratio like 5-5-5 means these nutrients are balanced — each in equal proportion. If you’re looking for 5-5-5 but can only find 10-10-10, that works too: the ratio is the same. Similarly, if you’re after 5-10-5 and find 15-30-15, it’s still the same ratio — just a stronger concentration.
So, what’s the difference between 5-5-5 and 10-10-10, if they’re “the same”? Strength is the difference. The number itself indicates the percentage that mineral represents in the fertiliser:
- 5 Nitrogen = 5%
- 10 Nitrogen= 10%
- 30 Nitrogen= 30%
So, 5-5-5 vs 10-10-10 is double the nutrients. For your average plant parent, stronger concentrations are not necessary. Dilution is your friend; especially with sensitive indoor plants, that unlike plants growing outside in the ground of Mother Earth, have no means of getting rid of the excess. Less is more.
💡 Important Tip:
If you can only find a stronger blend like 20-20-20, fear not, there is a way to prevent overwhelming your houseplants. You can safely halve both the dose and the frequency recommended on the packaging. A light touch goes a long way — overfeeding often does more harm than good.
Example: 15-15-15 or 20-20-20 may say for indoor plants 8 drops in a litre of water, 1-2x per month; only add 4 drops to the litre and only fertilise 1x every 2 months.
Otherwise, if you can find a lower concentration, for gentle, ongoing care, a low-dose mix (like 5-5-5 every 2 weeks or 10-10-10 1x/month) is usually more than enough.
