When to Feed Your Outdoor Plants

Plants don't just get thirsty – they get hungry, too.

You've found the proper site for your garden or containers, nurtured your young starter plants, and planted them in well-prepared, nutrient-rich soil. Now all that's left to do is water, watch, and wait…or is there something else?

There is: Feeding!

Plants demand a steady supply of sunlight, moisture, and nutrients to thrive. They absorb sunlight through their foliage and draw moisture and nutrients from the soil through their roots.

You'd never not water your garden, and you should feel the same way about feeding. As the soil becomes depleted, you need to add fertilizer, also known as plant food, to replace the lost nutrients your growing plants need to thrive.

Properly fed plants develop stronger, more efficient roots. They also become healthier, more resilient, more beautiful, and more productive than those that aren't fed. These tips will help you know when to fertilize plants in your garden or containers—but you'll still want to read and follow the directions on the plant food label.

Choose the Right Plant Food for Your Garden
When and How Often to Feed Plants
Watch for Signs of Hungry Plants
Don't Feed the Weeds

Choose the Right Plant Food for Your Garden

When selecting a plant food, you've got some choices: those that feed your plants instantly or those that feed continuously. Both options feed your plants with the nutrients they need to be healthy, but each type has different benefits:

Feed Instantly: If you like to feed instantly while you water, water soluble powders like Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble All Purpose Plant Food or liquid concentrate plant foods like Miracle-Gro Organic™ Plant Food are great options. Both options are mixed with water in a watering can following label directions and then applied to the soil around the base of your plants. When feeding a large area, water soluble powders can also be used in a Miracle-Gro® Garden Feeder that attaches to your garden hose. Plant foods that feed instantly should be reapplied every 1 to 2 weeks for best results.
Feed Continuously: Choose continuous-release plant granules, like Miracle-Gro® Shake 'n Feed® All Purpose Plant Food or Miracle-Gro Organic™ All Purpose Plant Food, when you are looking for an option that feeds longer. Sprinkle the dry granules onto the soil surface, gently rake them into the top few inches of soil, then water thoroughly to start the feeding process.

While all plants will gobble up nutrients from the soil, different varieties require different nutrient balances. All plant foods are formulated to provide three main nutrients to your plants:

Nitrogen – helps grow green leaves and stems.
Phosphorus – promotes strong roots and abundant, colorful flowers.
Potassium – helps plants protect themselves from disease, drought, and other stressors.

While all-purpose plant food is a solid choice if you grow a mix of plant types, consider tailoring your choice if you're all about veggie gardening or prefer to surround yourself with flowers.

Vegetables and Herbs: Fruit bearing vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash, peppers, and cucumbers benefit from a boost in potassium to help with their overall health, water and nutrient uptake, as well as fruit development. For a feeds instantly option use Water Soluble Plant Food for Vegetables & Herbs every 7 to 14 days. For a continuous feeding that lasts up to 3 months choose Shake 'n Feed Tomato, Fruit & Vegetable Plant Food. Both products are specially formulated to support healthy growth of edible plants.
Flowering Plants: Flowering annuals and perennials benefit from a plant food with a boost of phosphorus to support bloom development. For a water soluble solution that is applied every 7 to 14 days, use Bloom Booster® Flower Food. If you want a feeding option that feeds for up to 3 months, use Shake 'n Feed® Rose & Bloom Plant Food. Both help flowering plants develop more colorful, vibrant blooms (vs. unfed).

When and How Often to Feed Your Outdoor Plants

Start in Springtime

Good plant nutrition starts with good soil. Amending your garden beds, raised beds, or containers with fresh nutrient-rich soil before planting in the spring encourages your plants to develop strong, healthy roots. Prepare your garden and raised beds with Miracle-Gro Organic™ Raised Bed & Garden Soil and your outdoor containers with Miracle-Gro® Potting Mix (or, for an organic option, Miracle-Gro Organic™ Outdoor Potting Mix). They all contain continuous-release plant food to give your vegetables, herbs, and flowers a strong start—plus their first serving of vital nutrients, directly at their roots. About a month after planting, begin a plant food regimen to replenish nutrients so your plants can thrive all season long.

Established plants like trees and shrubs also need plant food as they begin to wake-up at the start of the growing season. Lightly work a granular fertilizer, like Shake ‘n Feed Flowering Trees & Shrubs Plant Food, into the surface soil around each plant base, being careful not to disturb the roots or new growth, then water thoroughly to release the nutrients into the soil.

Feed Regularly (Even in Summer)

Plants experience a burst of early growth when they're first planted. Many plant types also have growth spurts in the early or mid-summer, so it's important to replenish nutrients throughout the growing season. After all, you're looking to coax your plants into growing their best and producing the biggest blooms and harvest, right? Annual vegetables and flowers respond especially well to continuous-release feeding that reaches deep down to their roots, promoting bigger, more productive plants.

How often you need to feed depends on the plant food you selected. Liquid and water soluble plant foods should be applied every 7-14 days, and granular plant foods typically feed for a few months and are normally applied once or twice during the growing season.

Stop Feeding in Fall

In areas where the ground freezes in the winter, give your plants their final feeding in early fall. Your annuals are giving their final show for the year, and perennials are preparing for dormancy and need to store up nutrients for winter. Because plant food encourages growth, it's best to stop feeding plants before cold temperatures roll around. If you have a freeze, any new growth may not survive the cold.

However, if you live in the south where the ground does not freeze, continue to feed actively growing plants like vegetables and annual flowers throughout the fall and winter months. Stop feeding perennial plants, trees, and shrubs that go dormant during the winter months.

Watch for Signs of Hungry Plants

When the soil is short on nutrients, you'll see it in your plants. Keep an eye out for warning signs:

Pale or yellowing foliage
Fewer flowers or slower growth than usual
Droopy, limp, or weak stems

Before you reach for the plant food, first check the label directions to double check how often and how much to feed plants. If you're on the right schedule and feeding the right amount, then feeding isn't the problem. Check other factors—watering, insects, or disease—that may be hurting your plants' health.

Don't Feed the Weeds!

If you let them, weeds will compete with the plants you actually like for moisture and nutrients. Pull weeds before you fertilize, and apply the plant food around the bases of your plants, to keep nutrients where they're needed most. Be sure to continue to check for weeds regularly throughout the growing season, pulling them whenever you see them.

Here's one final tip: Keep plant food in an easy-to-see place—like next to your gardening tools—to help keep feeding top-of-mind. (Keep it out of reach of little ones, though!) You can also set reminders on your phone. Then, when the time is right, head on out and feed those plants!