Fertilising guide
How to fertilise Baby's Tears (Soleirolia soleirolii)— schedule & NPK
Also called Baby's tears, Mind-your-own-business, Paddy's wig, Angel's tears, Corsican creeper, Irish moss, Peace-in-the-home.
More about baby's tears
About Baby's Tears
Soleirolia soleirolii · also called Baby's tears, Mind-your-own-business · houseplant
Baby's tears is a fast-growing, mat-forming perennial in the nettle family, prized indoors as a lush carpet of tiny round leaves spilling over pots and terrariums. It wants bright indirect light, constantly moist soil and high humidity. The ASPCA lists it as non-toxic to cats and dogs, making it a genuinely pet-safe pick.
Growth habit: Fast-growing, mat-forming evergreen perennial with creeping, rooting stems and tiny rounded leaves; cascading and spreading habit that quickly carpets a pot or trails over the rim.
What fertiliser baby's tears actually wants — and why
Baby's Tears is an easy, light foliage feeder — a half-strength balanced liquid feed through the growing months keeps it green without forcing weak, sappy growth.
A balanced general houseplant feed (roughly even N-P-K) is exactly right — it is grown for foliage, so steady, moderate nitrogen for healthy leaves is the goal, not a bloom or root formula.
For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for baby's tears: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.
How often to feed baby's tears, and which months
Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For baby's tears:
Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser diluted to half strength every 4-6 weeks during the spring and summer growing season. It is a light feeder, so avoid over-fertilising, which can burn the fine roots and foliage. Stop feeding in autumn and winter when growth slows. Treat that as every 4-6 weeks between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September); ease off in autumn and stop entirely in the low light of winter.
The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when baby's tears is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.
What strength to mix for baby's tears
Half strength is the safe default for baby's tears — houseplant feeds are formulated strong, and the diluted dose is gentler on the roots while still ample for foliage.
Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water baby's tears first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the baby's tears watering schedule.
Signs you are over-feeding baby's tears
Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for baby's tears:
- Brown, crispy leaf tips and edges with no sign of underwatering.
- A white, crusty salt deposit on the soil surface or pot rim.
- Weak, pale, stretched new growth that flops.
- Lower leaves yellow and drop while the soil is correctly watered.
Signs you are under-feeding baby's tears
- Uniformly pale or yellow-green leaves, oldest first.
- Noticeably small new leaves and stalled growth in good light and season.
- A generally tired, lacklustre look despite correct watering and light.
If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full baby's tears care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.
Flushing and leaching the salts
Flush the pot of baby's tears with plain water until it runs freely from the base every couple of months in the feeding season — it washes out the fertiliser salts that cause brown tips.
Organic vs synthetic feeds for baby's tears
Organic options
A diluted seaweed or worm-casting feed, or fish emulsion if you can tolerate the smell indoors. UK: Westland or Baby Bio Organic, dilute seaweed; US: Espoma Indoor! or Neptune's Harvest fish & seaweed. Slow, gentle and hard to overdo.
Synthetic / liquid feeds
A general-purpose houseplant liquid at half strength — UK: Baby Bio, Westland Houseplant Feed or Phostrogen; US: Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food or Schultz. Convenient and fast-acting; the only risk is overdoing it.
Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.
Fertilising baby's tears — frequently asked questions
What fertiliser does baby's tears need?
A balanced general houseplant feed (roughly even N-P-K) is exactly right — it is grown for foliage, so steady, moderate nitrogen for healthy leaves is the goal, not a bloom or root formula. Baby's Tears is an easy, light foliage feeder — a half-strength balanced liquid feed through the growing months keeps it green without forcing weak, sappy growth.
How often should I feed baby's tears?
Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser diluted to half strength every 4-6 weeks during the spring and summer growing season. It is a light feeder, so avoid over-fertilising, which can burn the fine roots and foliage. Stop feeding in autumn and winter when growth slows. Feed with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser diluted to half strength every 4-6 weeks during the spring and summer growing season. It is a light feeder, so avoid over-fertilising, which can burn the fine roots and foliage. Stop feeding in autumn and winter when growth slows. Treat that as every 4-6 weeks between spring through early autumn (roughly March to September); ease off in autumn and stop entirely in the low light of winter.
What strength of feed for baby's tears?
Half strength is the safe default for baby's tears — houseplant feeds are formulated strong, and the diluted dose is gentler on the roots while still ample for foliage.
What does over-feeding baby's tears look like?
Brown, crispy leaf tips and edges with no sign of underwatering. A white, crusty salt deposit on the soil surface or pot rim. Weak, pale, stretched new growth that flops. Lower leaves yellow and drop while the soil is correctly watered. Feeding baby's tears year-round on a fixed schedule, including dark winter months, is the most common mistake — it cannot use the nutrients in low light and the surplus simply burns the roots and crusts the soil.
Should I flush the soil of baby's tears?
Flush the pot of baby's tears with plain water until it runs freely from the base every couple of months in the feeding season — it washes out the fertiliser salts that cause brown tips.
Keep reading
- Baby's Tears care — the full brief (light, soil, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water baby's tears — the watering schedule
- The houseplant fertiliser schedule — feeding through the year
- NPK ratio explained — what the three numbers on the bottle mean
- How to fertilise snake plant
- How to fertilise dracaena
- How to fertilise peperomia
- All 609 fertilising guides in the Growli library