feeding houseplants

When do you start feeding indoor houseplants. My spider plants look as though they could do with a little tonic.Can I start now?

Well it wont do any harm.

When I grew spider plants I found the pot rapidly became  all roots-might also need re-potting or propagate from one of the babies and start again-but I would leave that task for a few weeks though

I had to look after a large amount of superb house plants once for a landscape gardener. She insisted (but nicely!) that the plants had to be fed 'baby bio' in exact amounts every week. I have never seen, except in good nurserys, plants in such amazing condition. Another plant expert suggested that house plants 'like' to be well groomed, i.e. remove all dead or dying material on a regular basis.

Have to admit, I am a bit of a houseplant fanatic - I spend a good few hours a week fussing over them. The ones with large leaves even get a shower in the bathroom every now and then for a treat

Jean R, some of my house plants would like to come and live with you

Make sure you water in winter once a month and feed when and if spring starts about once a month,they like even in winter to be misted,and cut of any dead off spring and leaves.

not sure if this will help but in one of this months gardening mags a pro gardener says he feeds very often but only half the suggested amount

I'm not a pro gardener, Alan, but I do that with the foliage houseplants. A very weak feed from April to Sept. Usually with every other watering. The flowering houseplants have a different regime.

Thanks for all your advice, it has been very helpful.

@ Jean - I do the same!

I think most houseplants (with exception of Christmas flowering varieties) need a period of calm, during which they are not growing) to just do nothing - so that's when I hardly water mine and stop feeding.

I normally only start feeding them as their season starts - normally March - October.

Since I stopped pushing them all year with feeds and water, they have thrived.