FlytrapCare Carnivorous Plant Forums

Hello everyone.

I've decided to take the next step in keeping carnivorous plants: fertilization. I'd like to start fertilizing my Pinguicula as I feel they could use a boost once they are completely out of dormancy. I know of a few forum members who have successfully fertilized their Pings and am wondering how you achieved this.

The biggest question I have is regarding the fertilizer itself. Those I know of who have fertilized their Pings live in the US or another region and so I do not know if I can purchase the fertilizer they used. Does anyone know of a trustworthy, Ping-suitable fertilizer that is available in the UK?

I also just need to know general things about fertilizing. How do I go about it? How often do I do it? Where do I "put" the fertilizer? I'd also like to know as much information as possible on safety -- I haven't used any form of chemical fertilizer (if that is what I purchase) before and do not know if there are any health risks attached to it.

Any advice and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. If it is of any help, I only wish to fertilize my Mexican species of Pinguicula, which vary between one and two years of age (judging by their size).

Thank you very much!

Grey wrote:Does anyone know of a trustworthy, Ping-suitable fertilizer that is available in the UK?

I'm sure that you can get orchid fertilizer in the UK, right? That's what I initially started using on my Pings. The NPK was 20-14-13. It's best to get something fairly high in N (nitrogen). I used it at half of the recommend dosage for full strength. But orchid fertilizer usually has two recommended dosages, full strength and weak. A common phrase for fertilizing orchids is weakly, weekly. I mixed it at the weak concentration when using it on my Pings, which I think was 1tsp/gallon.

Grey wrote:I also just need to know general things about fertilizing. How do I go about it?

I just use a spray bottle and spray the plants until the leaves are covered with it, but not so much that it drip into the soil (at least not a lot goes into the soil...it's nearly impossible to not get any on the soil).

Grey wrote:How often do I do it?

Every couple of weeks seemed to work well for me. You could do it as frequently as every week, but every two weeks is certainly enough to see a difference.

Grey wrote:Where do I "put" the fertilizer?

Only on the leaves. I'm not sure how Pinguicula would respond to fertilizer in the soil. They'd probably be mostly OK with it, but I've never tried it.

Grey wrote:I'd also like to know as much information as possible on safety -- I haven't used any form of chemical fertilizer (if that is what I purchase) before and do not know if there are any health risks attached to it.

There are plenty of natural fertilizers out there made from seaweed, etc. I would stick with one of them if you have any concerns about it.

Hope this helps!

First off an absolutely HUGE thank you to you Matt for offering so much advice! It's been extremely helpful and I'll save it and memorize it.

I'll keep an eye out for orchid fertilizer. When I'm able I'll head out to a garden centre and pick some up. "Weakly, weekly" is a fantastic way of remembering it.

Secondly, I'm wondering what this means?

Matt wrote:The NPK was 20-14-13.

I'm not familiar with the term. Thanks XD.

When I get started, I'll try this with one plant and see if I can photograph my progress. Whew! Thank you again!

I looked it up bc I wasn't sure of the numbers either. I found:

"The first number is the percentage of nitrogen in the bag. So a bag of 24-8-4 has 24 percent total nitrogen. Nitrogen provides plants with the ability to produce more chlorophyll, which in turn allows plants to grow quickly. With each additional nitrogen application, plants will grow taller and develop a darker green color. So if you want a dark green lawn, use a lawn fertilizer that’s high in nitrogen – but then expect to mow more often.

The second number in the analysis is the percentage of phosphorus in the mix. For example, a bag of 24-8-4 would contain 8 percent phosphorus. Phosphorous aids in root development and increases flowering ability and bloom size. The fertilizer industry smartly markets high phosphorus fertilizer as “Bloom Booster.” High-phosphorous fertilizer should be used when plants are being established in your garden – when sowing a new lawn or planting a new tree, for instance.

The third number represents the percentage of potassium found in the product. A bag of 24-8-4 has 4 percent potassium in the mix. Potassium has many functions: It guards the plant against diseases and aids in drought protection and cold tolerance. It also serves a role in improving root development and helps in the process of photosynthesis. You might consider using a high-potassium fertilizer at the start of winter and summer to protect crops from temperature extremes or when insects and disease have caused damage to your plants."

...from: http://www.learn2grow.com/gardeningguid ... mbers.aspx

Thank you! Ahh I'm all excited.

Yep, CPgrower got it, N = nitrogen, P=Phosphorous and K = Potassium.

As you might suspect, N is the most important for CPs because they photosynthesize to get most of their energy and the N allows them to produce more chlorophyll to better photosynthesize with. P is the least important for carnivorous plants because most of them have relatively small root systems and don't take in many nutrients from the soil.

Thank you! Here's hoping my cold dissipates by the weekend and I can go out and pick some up.