ok, i have a quick question.

i have a few types of plants that i am trying to raise in my dismally dark basement apartment. i want to buy some fertilizer for them, but i'm not sure if there is a special type i should be buying. the types of plants i have are a poinsetta, a jade plant, and some cactuses. what type of fertilizer do i need for these? also, i want to re-pot the cactuses- what kind of soil should i buy?

thanks!

Hi VegBunny!

Anyone can feel free to correct me on this but I have had great success with a combination of fertilizers, including seaweed and manure tea. There is some debate about whether manure counts as an animal byproduct, so you can make your own decision there...

I have a container garden on my deck and a lot of sun, to contrast with yours. I also have some bonemeal plant food that I bought before committing to veganism and am using that up [yuck...even the word is nasty]. Apparently bat guano is an excellent fertilizer. It is ESPECIALLY important to fertilize a container garden regularly because the nutrients drain out the bottoms of the pots and there isn't enough soil mass [in smaller pots] for the natural biodegrading process to go on the way it does in the real ground outside. The poinsettia and the jade plant in particular should respond to fertilization. I've had a whole bunch of magazines and TV specials and assorted jazz say to not fertilize in the spring or fall or some such nonsense...my advice to you is just try it out according to the package directions, wait a week and see what happens. All gardens are different.

As far as soil goes, they have cactus potting mix and general potting mix at our local hardware store and I'm sure you can find some too. I believe the cactus mix is a little sandier and less rich.

Good luck....let me know how it goes.