The deficiency of warmheartedness , acute sunlight and wet colligate with wintertime often determine plant drop parting , slowing growth or becoming fully dormant . Even plants that are grown in the tropical zone or indoors will slow down their growth in winter , even though there is no frost . Although a person ’s chemical reaction would be to fertilize a flora in winter to play it back to life , fecundate in spring and summer instead , when develop conditions are contributory to maturation . If fertilization must be done in winter , it is always in minute amount , such as 1/8 to 1/4 the intensity or dose list on intersection label .
Step 1
Add a small amount of compost or sweet topsoil or potting medium to the etymon zona of the plant . There are trace mineral in the compost or newfangled dirt that will keep any flora ’s pauperization until a regular fertilizer regimen can be made in the warmth and lengthen daylight of spring .
Step 2
implement a liquid or granular plant food to the plant ’s tooth root zona at a lessened charge per unit . confabulate the product recording label ’s directions and dilute the fertiliser to 1/8 to 1/4 the common dosage or dissipate chondritic fertilizer at very light pace , also at 1/8 to 1/4 the usual passport on the recording label .
Step 3
The following fall , fertilize your works accord to product label directions no later than October so the nutrients are absorb and available in the grunge before the winter ’s short days and weaker sunlight . These lingering nutrients will promptly sustain the plant until the spring when fertilizing should re-start .
Tip
confab with your local Cooperative Extension power to get wind if there are certain crops or plant case in your part that benefit from a particular fertilizer software in wintertime . In some mood a lawn fertilizer is applied in midwinter , for example . Plants still need nutrients in wintertime if they are still raise . However , to best educate these plants , they are give a plant food in autumn that is ample in K and phosphorus . These nutrients must be usable and imbibe before winter solidifying in .
Warning
Avoid fertilizing plants , in general , in winter as the watery sunshine , cool temperature and shorter sidereal day naturally causes flora to slack their growth rates . Fertilizing tropic plant in winter can ensue in an teemingness of new growth that is scraggly , weak or not fully green and succulent . Spreading fertilizer outdoors on turf , trees or other plants that are dormant in winter ’s coldness will not be suck at once , but will be available to plants in spring once their root growth resumes . Do n’t open fertilizers atop snowcover .
