Houseplant Care

• How often should I feed my houseplants with Turboganic My Garden®?

As a general rule of thumb, houseplants have a smaller soil environment, so use less of the diluted Turboganic My Garden® (1 tablespoon of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water).  Every 7 to 10 days is sufficient, in lieu of a normal watering.  It is better to err on the side of “less is more,” and increase your concentrations (up to 3 tablespoons of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water) depending upon how your plants respond.  Be patient and don’t be afraid to experiment.

Certain plants, such as ferns, grow best under LOW mineral soil conditions, therefore it is recommended to apply a weaker dilution of Turboganic My Garden® (1 tablespoon of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water) once every other week.

• It seems that I have the worst of luck with houseplants. They never live very long. What gives?

You may be missing some critical information.  If the nursery from where your plant originated used commercial fertilizers (and most do), a residue of salt-based compounds that the plant doesn't use build up over time (the same may be true of your own outdoor garden).  These salts will actually create a reverse osmosis process that will pull nutrients from your plant roots into the soil.

For potted plants, try this… set the potted plant in a container of body temperature water, or carefully take the balled up plant roots with the soil out of the pot, and place into a bowl of warm tap water (overnight), then drain well to remove the accumulated salts, etc.  Once drained, fill in any lost potting soil and return to pot. 

Furthermore, if the roots appear to be packed tightly, your plants may be also root-bound and you may want to consider a larger pot (add potting soil as needed).  In either case, next, add a weaker dilution of Turboganic My Garden® (1 tablespoon of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water) as you would for a regular watering.  Your plants will love it!

• Do I need to fertilize my houseplant cuttings? Seedlings?

Generally, no.  The vascular tissues on the cut surfaces may actually absorb (or try to absorb) the nearby nutrients, but are unable to do so and actually lose vital water into the potting mix.  A medium sand or vermiculite-sand mixture rooting medium is about the best way to start most cuttings. Bacteria and fungi in very rich soil can invade the vascular tissues and block water intake.  Also, high organic levels tend to result in very moist soils and seedlings can die from a variety of soil-borne diseases.  It’s better to keep your cuttings after rooting a bit hungry and use a weaker dilution of Turboganic My Garden® (1 tablespoon of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water) in a moist (not wet) rooting medium.  Some cuttings root better in rain or tap water than they do in soil… so rely on the texts related to houseplants for starting cuttings and seeds.

Seedlings at their earliest growth stage still have reserves from the seeds, but rapid growth can quickly deplete these stores, thus feeding should start about the time the first true leaves appear. Also, seedlings from very small seeds will usually require feeding shortly after germination while seedlings from larger seeds have greater reserves to draw upon.

• How often should I water and or feed my cacti or succulents?

If you are really into succulents or cacti… once a month during their dormant phase is adequate.  As their "spring" approaches, apply a weaker dilution of Turboganic My Garden® (1 tablespoon of super-concentrate per gallon of tap water) once every other week.  Or, you can try this diluted application once a month, alternating once every two weeks with plain water.

Some succulents are from tropical regions and only require watering just prior to or during their flowering-growth phase and little water during their dormant phase. Since there are so many types of cacti and succulents, one should consult the special books on these plants and try to follow the methods used by some of the successful specialty growers.