How To Feed Your Native Plants
Posted:
February 25, 2021
Categories:
How To

Many Australian native plants evolved in very poor, dry, ancient soils which are low in mineral and organic matter. As a result they have adapted to grow best with low nutrient needs, especially for the element phosphorus. If you read the side of a commercially-produced fertiliser packet, tub, or bottle, you’ll see three key letters – NPK – and a number or percentage beside them. P stands for Phosphorus, commonly known as phosphate. These numbers show the balance of key nutrients in the fertiliser; the higher the number, the more of that nutrient the fertiliser contains. Many Australian native plants - especially acacia, banksia, hakea - don’t like all-purpose fertilisers that have a lot of phosphate. Look for a low or zero P number, or a specialist native fertiliser, to feed your native plants with, and they'll stay healthier for longer. Not all Australian natives are fussy about their nutrient needs and you can feed those with your preferred all-purpose plant food.
The following natives have been shown to be sensitive to phosphorus and will benefit from low-P fertilisers or those formulated for native plants :
Fussy about Phosphorus
- Acacia species, especially baileyana, iteaphylla
- Banksia ericifolia
- Banksia integrifolia
- Banksia oblongifolia
- Banksia paludosa
- Crotalaria cunninghamii
- Dodonaea viscosa
- Grevillea banksii
- Grevillea thelemanniana
- Hakea species
- Hardenbergia violacea
- Leptospermum laevigatum
