Summer Feeding: What Your Plants Are Hungry For Right Now
February is the month where your garden is either thriving or looking a bit tired after the January heat. Either way, a well-timed feed can make a real difference — but only if you do it right.
The Golden Rule: Feed the Soil
The best fertiliser in the world is useless if your soil can’t hold onto it. On the Mornington Peninsula, our sandy soils let nutrients wash straight through. Before you even think about fertiliser, make sure your beds have a decent layer of compost or aged manure worked through them. This gives nutrients something to cling to.
If you haven’t added compost in a while, top-dress your beds with a couple of centimetres of good compost and water it in well. This alone will do more than any bag of fertiliser.
What to Feed in February
Roses — If your roses are repeat-flowering (and most modern roses are), give them a feed now to fuel the autumn flush. A handful of complete organic fertiliser around the base, watered in well. Some rose growers swear by a side-dressing of blood and bone with a sprinkle of potash. Either works.
Fruit trees — Citrus especially are hungry feeders. If your lemon tree’s leaves are looking pale or yellowish, it’s crying out for nitrogen. A good citrus fertiliser or well-rotted chook manure will sort it out.
Flowering perennials — Salvias, gauras, and other summer performers benefit from a light feed to keep them flowering into autumn.
Potted plants — Containers need feeding more often because nutrients wash out with every watering. A liquid seaweed solution every fortnight is gentle and effective.
What Not to Feed
Native plants — Most Australian natives, especially Banksias, Grevilleas, and Hakeas, are adapted to poor soil. Feeding them with phosphorus-rich fertiliser can actually kill them. If you want to feed natives, use a specific low-phosphorus native plant food.
Anything that’s heat-stressed — If a plant is wilting, brown, or clearly struggling in the heat, don’t feed it. Fertiliser stimulates growth, and a stressed plant doesn’t need to be pushed into growing. Let it recover first.
How Much Is Too Much
More fertiliser does not mean more flowers. Over-feeding causes soft, leggy growth that’s more susceptible to pests and diseases. It can also burn roots, especially in sandy soil where there’s less buffer.
A good rule of thumb: use half the amount recommended on the packet. You can always add more, but you can’t take it back.
Liquid vs Granular
Liquid feeds (like seaweed or fish emulsion) are fast-acting but short-lived. Good for a quick pick-me-up. Granular or pelletised organic fertilisers release slowly over weeks, which is better for sustained feeding. For most garden beds, granular in February with the occasional liquid feed through late summer gives the best results.