The plants that don't like fertilizer include succulents, cacti, air plants, ZZ plants, and snake plants. These species grew up in places where soil had few nutrients. They do best when you feed them little to nothing at all.
I learned this with my first collection of succulents about three years ago. I fed them the same way I fed my tropical plants and watched them stretch tall and lose their colors. The leaves got thin and the stems went soft. Once I stopped the fertilizer, they bounced back within two months.
My cacti taught me the same lesson in a different way. I gave them a standard feeding in spring and the growth looked wrong all summer. The new parts were light green and weak looking. Now I feed my cacti once a year at most with a very weak mix. They look much better this way.
These low-nutrient houseplants grew over thousands of years in poor soil. Deserts have sandy ground with few minerals. Forest floors under heavy shade have most nutrients locked up in the trees above. Plants from these spots learned to grow slow and use what little they find.
When you give these plants too much food, they grow in ways that hurt them. Succulents stretch toward light and lose their compact shape. Snake plants grow thin leaves that flop over. ZZ plants push out weak stems that can't hold themselves up. These are signs of fertilizer-sensitive plants getting more than they need.
Air plants need almost no feeding since they grab nutrients from dust and humidity in the air. I mist mine with plain water twice a week and they've been thriving for two years now. If you want to feed them, use a spray at quarter strength once a month during summer.
The best approach for minimal feeding houseplants is to start with none and add only if you see a problem. These plants show hunger through pale color or no growth at all. If your succulent or cactus looks healthy and holds its shape, it doesn't need any extra food from you.
Feed these types once or twice per growing season at most. Use quarter strength or even less of whatever fertilizer you have on hand. Water first, then add the weak mix. Watch for signs of too much food like stretched growth or soft tissue and stop right away if you see them.
Read the full article: Fertilizing Indoor Plants for Healthy Growth
