Spring is here, and it’s the single best window to get your garden’s nutrition sorted for the season ahead. A well-timed feed now sets plants up with the energy reserves they need to power through flowering, fruiting and the heat stress of summer — and stronger, better-fed plants are naturally more resistant to pests, disease and frost damage too.
Fertilising doesn’t need to be complicated. Match the right product to the right plant at the right time, and you’re most of the way there. Here’s our updated season-by-season breakdown.
What to Feed, and When
Vegetables & Herbs
Tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to grow, whether in the ground or in a pot — just give them at least 6 hours of sun a day and stake them early so they don’t sprawl. Keep pests and disease in check with an easy-to-apply dust such as Yates Tomato & Vegetable Dust.
As temperatures climb through spring, both watering and feeding frequency should increase. For Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food:
- Young seedlings: 1 cap per 9L of water, applied weekly for the first 3–4 weeks after germination or planting.
- Active growth phase (early spring to early summer): 2 caps per 9L of water, weekly.
No veggie patch is complete without basil — great in salads, on bruschetta, or blitzed into pesto. Sweet Genovese Basil grows easily from seed directly in the patch or in a pot of potting mix, germinating in around 10–12 days. Watch for caterpillars early on; a garden cloche and OCP Eco-Caterpillar Killer will keep seedlings protected while they establish.
Flowering Plants
Give orchids a boost with Yates Thrive Liquid Orchid Plant Food for cascades of colour through spring and summer.
Roses start flowering from early spring — feed them with Yates Acticote Roses & Flowering Plants Controlled Release Fertiliser, and water it in with OCP Eco-Seaweed to help the plant take up nutrients faster.
Spring also brings out aphids and caterpillars, both of which love roses – aphids cluster on buds, stems and new growth, while caterpillars chew through leaves, buds and petals. OCP Eco-Oil covers aphids, scale, mites and whitefly, and OCP Eco-Caterpillar Killer deals with caterpillars directly.
Fruit Trees
For citrus (orange, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, lemon), spring is about three things: feeding, watering, and staying ahead of common pests like citrus leaf miner, aphids and bronze orange (stink) bugs.
Citrus are heavy feeders. Yates Thrive Citrus & Fruit Liquid Plant Food — 1–2 capfuls per 9L watering can, applied around the root zone every 1–2 weeks – is a solid liquid option, or use the pelletised Yates Acticote Fruit, Citrus, Trees & Shrubs every 6–8 weeks for a slower-release approach.
Citrus have shallow root systems and drink a lot. Young trees need daily watering for their first six weeks in spring while they establish; mature in-ground trees generally do well on 2–3 waters a week, while potted citrus dry out faster and need more frequent attention.
To help water actually penetrate (rather than run off), apply Seasol Super Soil Wetter and Conditioner around the root zone during spring, and top with a layer of organic mulch (bark chips work well) to lock in moisture – keeping mulch a few centimetres clear of the trunk to reduce disease risk.
Natives
Once natives finish flowering, prune back by up to a third and feed with OCP Eco-Seaweed to support strong new growth.
Lawns
Spring is when lawns kick back into active growth. Start by scarifying to remove thatch — it’ll look rough at first, but this opens the lawn up so water and nutrients can actually reach the roots. Follow with a feed of OCP Eco-Aminogro and OCP Eco-Seaweed to speed up recovery.
Pest Watch for Spring
Warmer weather that wakes up your garden also wakes up the pests. Keep an eye out for:
- Aphids — small sap-suckers (brown, green, yellow or black) that target tender new growth, causing yellowing and distortion.
- Caterpillars — chew through leaves, stems and flower buds.
- Bronze orange (stink) bugs — a common citrus pest on Australia’s east coast during spring.
OCP Eco-Caterpillar Killer and Yates Pyrethrum Insect Pest Gun are both good non-toxic options to have on hand this season.
Read more in our full guide: How to Identify & Get Rid of Garden Pests.
We hope you found this guide useful, to see what you can plant based on where you live, check out our What to Plant guides:
