Hi there - looking for advice on fertilizing products for dwarf ixoras and pentas. Do I really need specific fertilizers for them or just a general Osmocote would do? Do you fertilize flax lilies, foxtail ferns and crotons or just blooming flowers? Do you dig in/water in the granular fertilizer or just sprinkle near plant? Thank you!

Hi Alina, please would you fill in your personal profile so that your posts will show your location? The climate where you live and your kind of soil as well as humidity and other conditions help you to pick the right fertilizer.

I'm in Florida so I use the Dynamite products that are available at Lowe's and HD. They are formulated to be slow-release and last about 6 months here, which is perfect for going over the summer months. Once it cools off again, we don't need much fert - most of the lusty growers are slowing down or going dormant then.

Warm welcome from the Pacific Northwest, alinadunc. I just use a general pelleted organic fertilizer in the early spring when plants are emerging (when I remember) and sometimes after I have cut my perennials back after blooming (again when I remember). I sprinkle it around the plant and either scratch it in or cover with a compost mulch. I tried being more specific (e.g., something wants bloodmeal, something else wants kelp) but found the boxes/sacks just slowly melted into my storage bench and became infested with weird bugs. I can't speak to your specific plants, which seem to be more tropical (way out of my zone), perhaps they need a better boost? I try to stick to natives or easy-care plants to cut down on coddling.