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Notebook · Guide 1 October 2026 · houseplants

Feeding houseplants: when, how often, and which feed you actually need

Feed in the growing season, ease off in winter, never onto dry compost. Which feed suits foliage, flowering plants, cacti and orchids — and the signs you're overdoing it.

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A houseplant being watered first with plain water, then a small measuring cap of liquid feed being added to a watering can.
1Water first, then add a measured dose of feed.

Houseplants in pots can't go looking for nutrients — once the compost is used up, they depend on you. But more feed isn't better. Too much, at the wrong time, does more harm than too little. The rhythm is simple: feed while the plant is growing, and back off when it isn't.

In pictures

  1. A terracotta pot rim with a white crusty salt build-up and a houseplant above with brown crispy leaf tips.
    2White crust and brown tips are signs of overfeeding.
  2. A houseplant in a pot in a sink being flushed through with plain water, which drains out of the bottom.
    3Flush the compost through with plain water to clear excess salts.
  3. A simple seasonal wheel illustration: a houseplant shown actively growing in a bright spring-summer half and resting in a dimmer winter half — drawn as two halves of a circle with no text.
    4Feed while plants are growing (left); ease right off in winter (right).

01At a glance

  • When: the growing season, roughly March to October.
  • How often: a liquid feed once or twice a month — or a quarter-strength feed at every watering.
  • Winter: once a month at most, or not at all. In low light, plants can't use it.
  • Golden rule: never feed onto dry compost. Water first.

02Which feed?

  • Foliage plants (most leafy houseplants, such as spider plants): a balanced or higher-nitrogen houseplant feed.
  • Flowering plants (such as the peace lily in flower): a feed higher in potassium and phosphorus — a tomato feed works.
  • Cacti and succulents (such as aloe vera): sparingly, in the growing season only.
  • Orchids (such as the moth orchid): a specialist orchid feed, used weakly.
  • Acid-loving plants: an ericaceous feed.

03Step by step

  1. Water the plant first so the compost is moist.
  2. Dilute the feed exactly as the label says — or weaker. Never stronger.
  3. Pour it onto the compost, not over the leaves.
  4. Write the date on your calendar or the pot label, so you don't double-dose.

04Signs you're overfeeding

  • A white crust on the compost surface or the pot rim.
  • Brown, crispy leaf tips and edges.
  • Soft, sappy growth that pests love — the RHS notes too much nitrogen gives exactly this.

The fix: flush the compost through with plenty of plain water, letting it drain fully — or repot into fresh compost.

Save your money
One general liquid houseplant feed covers most foliage plants. A tomato feed covers most flowering ones.
A specialist cactus feed is optional. An ordinary houseplant feed, used sparingly, does the job.
Orchids are the one plant group where a specialist feed is worth having.
Feeding less often saves money and plants.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — How to grow houseplants · RHS — How to feed plants · UConn Extension — Fertilizing houseplants

Checked 1 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.