We gardeners love our plants-- we spend huge parts of our summers watering, plucking weeds, pruning, and picking bugs off of every denizen of the garden, but when it comes to fertilizing, we often fall into bad habits. Overfertilization in the garden, caused by well-intended but automatic feeding, often results in fertilizer burn of plants. Too much fertilizer on plants is a serious problem, more damaging than too little fertilizer in many cases.
Can Overfertilized Gardens Be Saved?
Gardens that are overfertilized can sometimes be saved, depending on the amount of fertilizer you applied and how quickly you act. Managing fertilizer burn in the garden depends on your speed at recognizing the signs in your plants. Lightly damaged plants may simply wilt or look generally unwell, but plants that are seriously burned may appear to have actually burned-- their leaves will brown and collapse from the edges inward. This is due to the accumulation of fertilizer salts in tissues and a lack of water to flush them out due to root damage. When you realize you've overfertilized, either because of plant symptoms or due to a white, salty crust that forms on the soil's surface, immediately begin flooding the garden. A long, deep watering can move many types of fertilizer from the soil near the surface into deeper layers, where roots aren't currently penetrating. Much like flushing a potted plant that's had too much fertilizer, you're going to need to flood your garden with a volume of water equivalent to the cubic area of the fertilized area. Flushing the garden will take time and a careful eye to ensure that you're not creating standing puddles of water that will drown your already burned plants.
What to Do if You Over Fertilize the Lawn
Lawns need the same kind of fertilizer leaching that gardens do, but it can be much harder to deliver even water to the many grass plants in your yard. If a small area is damaged, but the rest seems okay, focus your efforts on those plants first. Flood the area with a soaker hose or sprinkler, but make sure to remove it before the ground gets boggy. Repeat every few days, until the plants appear to be recovering. There's always a risk of killing plants when you overfertilize; even the most intense leaching efforts could be too little, too late. You can prevent future problems with overfertilization by soil testing before applying fertilizer, using a broadcast spreader to more evenly distribute fertilizer over large areas, and always watering thoroughly immediately after applying an appropriate amount of fertilizer for your plants. Watering helps move fertilizers throughout the soil instead of keeping them close to the surface where delicate plant crowns and tender roots can be damaged.
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FAQs
Fix fertilizer burn by flushing excessive nutrients out with water for about a week. Excessive nutrients will leach below the root zone, making the soil environment safer for crops. Remember to avoid waterlogging as it is also critical to yields.
What happens if you give your plants too much fertilizer? ›
Too much fertilizer (applied too often or too much) can burn or desiccate roots, ultimately killing the plant. Too much fertilizer can also be harmful to the environment.
How do you neutralize too much fertilizer? ›
Yes, over fertilized plants can recover with proper care. To help them recover, you should flush the soil with water to remove excess nutrients. Adjusting the watering schedule and providing adequate sunlight can also aid in the recovery process.
What does too much fertilizer look like? ›
Symptoms and signs of over-fertilization
Crust of fertilizer on soil surface. Yellowing and wilting of lower leaves. Browning leaf tips and margins. Browned or blackened limp roots.
What is the problem with using too much fertilizer? ›
To grow, plants require nitrogen compounds from the soil, which can be produced naturally or be provided by fertilizers. However, applying excessive amounts of fertilizer leads to the release of harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and the eutrophication of our waterways.
How to recover a plant from too much fertilizer? ›
Flush the Pot
Dry, brown leaf tips and margins are an early sign of fertilizer burn. Flush the plant with cool, clean water several times, allowing excess to drain away. Hold the pot under a running faucet or allow the saucer to fill then dump it, wait a few minutes and repeat.
How long does it take to fix a burn from fertilizer? ›
How to Repair Burned Grass from Fertilizer. Burned lawns will need a generous amount of water to get back to green. It's important to water your lawn as soon as you spot any brown or yellow patches to prevent further damage. Slowly soak the affected areas every day for about a week to fully flush out the salt.
How do I get rid of extra fertilizer? ›
Safe disposal options:
- Community Sharing: Consider offering unused fertilizer to neighbors or through community platforms.
- Garden Supply Returns: Some local stores may accept returns for recycling or disposal.
- Hazardous Waste Events: Utilize local hazardous waste collection events for safe disposal.
- Leaching is a process where you “flush” away the excess nutrients with water. - Place your affected house plant in a tub, sink or outdoors then water your plants till you see the water drain out from the bottom, repeat this process 1 or 2 more times.
Can you put too much Miracle-Gro on plants? ›
MG is so strong that if used incorrectly, the fertilizer will actually burn the leaves and roots of your plants (you may have already experienced this). Imagine what it's doing to the healthy bacteria, fungi and other soil microbes that are working so hard to provide the nutrients your plants need.
What to Do if You Over-fertilized Your Lawn. Water, water, water. Extra water will help wash the extra fertilizer out of your lawn and dilute the excess nitrogen and salt. The sooner you catch this, the better.
What are the symptoms of fertilizer toxicity in plants? ›
Symptoms of fertilizer toxicity
The typical symptoms are browning or dieback of the leaf tips and margins. But can include reduced growth, lower leaf drop, dead root tips, and wilting. Sometimes yellowing or stunting may occur. The root systems will also show dieback and decay.
How do you fix too much fertilizer in soil? ›
Don't worry, most over fertilized plants can be saved by a few simple steps. Remove visible fertilizer from the plant and soil, and leach away the fertilizer by allowing water to run through the roots. Then, remove damaged foliage and wait about a month before feeding your plant again.
What happens if a plant gets too much fertilizer? ›
Too many soluble salts causes leaves to wilt and yellow, leaf margins and tips to turn brown, defoliation and slow or no growth. Too much fertilizing also causes plant stress and weakens them, making them susceptible to diseases and insect attacks, particularly sap- feeding insects.
What can happen when excessive amounts of fertilizer are used? ›
Too much fertilizer can actually kill the plant and excess fertilizer can runoff into streams and lakes causing toxic algal blooms that are harmful to aquatic life and even people and their pets. Excess fertilizer runoff from lawns and agricultural applications also contribute to aquatic “dead zones” in coastal areas.
What happens if you use too much Miracle-Gro? ›
MG is so strong that if used incorrectly, the fertilizer will actually burn the leaves and roots of your plants (you may have already experienced this). Imagine what it's doing to the healthy bacteria, fungi and other soil microbes that are working so hard to provide the nutrients your plants need.
How often should you fertilize plants? ›
It's typically recommended to apply fertilizer in clay soil about every four to six weeks after planting. For plants growing in organic soil that's rich with organic matter, only fertilize a little bit every three to four weeks.
