What is a Bloom Fertilizer?

Bloom fertilizer is a plant nutrient or additive that is specially formulated to enhance a plant’s blooming potential. Like all fertilizers, bloom fertilizer is designed to maximize a plant’s growing potential by delivering certain nutrients and vitamins through the soil. Bloom fertilizer is typically integrated into potting or planting soil, though it can also come in liquid form. It is available both to commercial and recreational gardeners and can vary by plant species or size.

The goal of most fertilizers is to deliver a high dose of readily-absorbed nutrients in order to prompt rapid growth. Fertilizers rarely contain nutrients that plants do not naturally derive from the soil. The trick to their success is in their proportions, rate of absorption, and consistent delivery over time. Many fertilizers contain “time capsule” beads of nutrients that wear down with watering and deliver consistent bursts of nutrients. In most bloom fertilizers, the primary nutrient additive is nitrogen.

Nitrogen increases a plant’s ability to grow greenery, to photosynthesize, and to produce flowers. The more nitrogen-rich the soil, the more hearty and prosperous a plant is likely to be. Of course, too much of anything can cause negative effects, but administered properly, nitrogen-based bloom fertilizer can positively influence a plant’s overall health, as well as its ability to produce fragrant, healthy, and long-lasting flowers. Bloom fertilizer can be a relatively low-cost way to get plants to bloom faster, longer, and stronger than they would in natural conditions, particularly if the starting soil is weak.

Many bloom fertilizer products come packaged in a bag that resembles a rich soil. This type of fertilizer can be used to plant a shrub or tree initially or to supplement the soil surrounding the base of plant that is already established. Most of the time, this kind of fertilizer carries enough nutrients that it only needs to be re-applied every six months or so.

Liquid bloom fertilizer is another option and is a popular choice as a fertilizer for houseplants. In liquid form, the fertilizer often comes hyper-concentrated and is designed to be added to a plant’s soil during regular watering. Like soil-based options, liquid fertilizer should only be used periodically. While plant roots typically respond well to sudden bursts of nutrients and slow streams of nutrients over time, constantly high volumes can erode roots and ultimately stunt plant growth.

When it comes to bloom maximization, there are many different types of fertilizer from which to choose. Some fertilizers are generally marketed to flowering plants of a certain size, while others are optimized for certain types of blooms—roses, say, or orchids. Choosing flower fertilizer depends in part on what type of plant you will be feeding, how much you are willing to spend, and whether the plant is living indoors or out.

Some of the choice necessarily also depends on personal preference. Many fertilizers are chemical-based, while others are formulated exclusively with all-natural, non-synthetic components. An organic flower fertilizer usually costs more than a mass-produced fertilizer, and many people claim that the quality of blooms engendered from an organic solution is more robust and long-lasting than that produced with a chemical-based product. Much of a bloom fertilizer’s efficacy depends on the initial quality of the plant, however, as well as the quality of the soil to start, the concentration of fertilizer applied, and the timing sequence of fertilizer applications.