 Let's debunk some fertilizer myths. I've heard this one so many times, fertilizer is plant food. And this is not true. One of the main things that amazes me about plants is that they don't eat food. They get their energy from the sunlight. So the sunlight heats the leaves, they convert this light into usable energy. Isn't that pretty amazing? I think it's really cool. So no, fertilizer is not plant food. However, we can see fertilizer as a supplement for nutrition. So just like in the morning that we take our vitamins, for example, for me, I take my spirulina, vitamin B, and zinc. Plants also need extra nutrients to grow, especially if they are in pots. So they're not outside in the wild, but we have rain and beneficial bacteria and insects and fungi and many other things that provide nutrients to the plants. Our plants are in pots, so the nutrients are limited in the soil. And fertilizers help us supplement those nutrients to our plants. So it is like a multivitamin. The principal macronutrients that we want to provide to our plants are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. So you will see many fertilizers having these three elements. And again, this is like a multivitamin for our plants, but not plant food. Number two, my houseplant doesn't eat fertilizer. Again, this is not true, especially with houseplants, because as I said, we have our plants in a pot. So nutrients in the soil are scarce. And actually, as you water your plants, some of the nutrients are gonna drain down through the drainage holes. So we need to fertilize our houseplants in order for them to thrive and grow healthy. Of course, the amount of fertilizer that you give your plant will depend on the plant that you have and the type of fertilizer that you're using. So don't give your plant so much fertilizer because you can risk over fertilizing her and this can burn the roots. Always get to know the requirements for your plant and also what kind of fertilizer you're giving to her, which takes me to the next myth, which is that we don't have to fertilize our plants during the winter. Now, I can tell you with most of my plants, I don't fertilize them during the winter because most of them go dormant. And we want to provide fertilizer to our plants when they are growing. This is usually during the growing season. So for example, here in Berlin, most of my plants grow between spring and fall. This is the growing season for them. So this is usually when I fertilize them. And how often I fertilize them during this period depends on the plant. But if you live closer to the equator, that means that your plants may be growing the whole year. And this includes the winter season. So in this case, you may want to fertilize your plant even during winter. So yes, always know the growing season for your plant and if you see that your plant is not dormant and growing many new leaves, this may be a good time to fertilize her. The next myth I have seen in this channel many times as a myth or a question and this is that we should fertilize our plants when they are damaged or sick. And the answer is no, and let me explain. Of course it will depend. Some plants may be actually lacking nitrogen or potassium and there may be signs that the plant is damaged because it is lacking this nutrient. In this case, yes, we could provide some fertilizer for our plants. This is especially with plants with lots of foliage. For example, the paliapepermiores has lots of leaves and this plant can suffer from nitrogen deficiency. You may see that the leaves are yellowing and falling and this can be a sign that the plant needs more nitrogen. If this is the case, we can add some fertilizer to our plant that is rich in nitrogen. However, yellow leaves, brown edges, droopy leaves can mean many other things. So it's always good to do our research. For example, yellow leaves generally can mean over watering but of course always get to know your plant and see what exactly yellow leaves mean with that specific plant. Brown edges on the other side can mean over watering, under watering, even over fertilizing your plant or even lack of humidity. So before jumping into conclusions, always get to know your plant and really check the soil, check for pests and analyze the situation. So then you know if she is missing fertilizer or you need to do something else such as stopping watering or increase humidity or treat the plant against a pest that is attacking her. So if you have a damaged plant, always do your research and treat accordingly. Number five, the more fertilizer, the better. No, this is not true. Remember, there is a big risk here because we don't want to over fertilize a plant because this can burn the leaves and even kill your plant. Especially as a plant beginner because I still consider myself a plant beginner, I'm still learning every day as I go, I try to use very diluted fertilizer because I really want to prevent over fertilizing my plants and I think with fertilizer less is more. So as a plant beginner, I prefer organic fertilizers instead of synthetic fertilizers because these come way less concentrated. So they help me provide the nutrients that my plant needs and at the same time prevent over fertilization. What I always recommend is that you read the instructions on your fertilizer and also always observe your plant. If you see that the plant is not responding really well to the fertilizer, just stop fertilizing and observe her again, maybe for a couple of weeks. Also, if you buy a new plant, I would recommend not to fertilize her. First, observe for some months because sometimes in the nurseries, they fertilize them already. So it's good to just observe her and then see if she needs fertilizer and if you think that she does, I will start with very diluted fertilizer and see how she responds and then go ahead and continue doing it. But yeah, my biggest advice is to always observe your plant and just go step by step with the fertilizer. Don't fertilize a lot because this can burn the roots and we don't want that. Number six, and I'm guilty of believing this for a long time, is that liquid fertilizers are best. And now that I have been doing more research, I have discovered some downsides to liquid fertilizers. It is true that when we use liquid fertilizer, it is easier to stop when we see that the plant is not responding so well. We just stop adding the liquid fertilizer to the water and that's fine. However, the way that liquid fertilizers work is that for example, let's say that we buy an organic liquid fertilizer that is 10, 10, 10. That means that we have 10% nitrogen, 10% potassium and 10% phosphorus. The rest in the bottle is gonna be a filler. So this can be water or any other substance that is not gonna have any effect on your plant. But if you think about it, then the majority of the liquid inside of that bottle is actually filler and this has been transported around the world. So these are big plastic bottles most of the time transporting water or filler, which is not super eco-friendly and also you don't get as much fertilizer as you would like. So there are other formats in which you can get fertilizer. There's a little bit more cost-effective and also more environmentally friendly. You can for example, get pellets or tablets that you stick into the soil. For me as a plant beginner, I don't like these ones the best because after I stick them in the soil, it's hard for me to stop the fertilization process. And if the plant is not happy with the fertilizer, this may be a problem. But two months ago, I found an option that I really like. This one is called Instant Plant Food and it's this one right here. These ones are also small tablets and all we need to do is to put the tablet in a glass of water and water our plants. What I love about this option is that it works as liquid fertilizer. We don't have the big plastic bottles or the filler. We basically buy the fertilizer in a tablet and then add it to our water. So it is more eco-friendly and also very much cost-effective because we're only paying for the nutrients for the plant. So yes, I have changed my opinion. I think liquid fertilizers have their advantages, but I think this one actually comes with the advantages of liquid fertilizers and is also more cost-effective and environmentally friendly. I have tried this fertilizer with my plants and they seem to be really happy. So if you would like to try it out, I have added the link to their website in the description down below and they have offered a discount to all of you guys. Do you know any other myths related to fertilizers? If you do, make sure to comment down below and debunk that. That way we can all learn together about fertilizers. And as always, I will see you in the next one. Okay, ciao.