Vegetable fertilizer: properties, use & Co.

Again and again you come across special vegetable fertilizers in the trade. What makes them so special, how do they work and what are they suitable for? We'll enlighten you.

Homemade vegetables from your own garden taste best for everyone. Therefore, you should pay attention to an optimal supply of nutrients in the vegetable patch in order to benefit from it. Special vegetable fertilizers can help us to optimally supply our vegetable patches with nutrients.

The different types of vegetables in our gardens also require individual care and fertilization. This is one of the reasons why there is a large amount of vegetable fertilizer on the market. These differ in their nutrient composition and are therefore suitable for a wide variety of vegetable crops.

Vegetable fertilizer: composition and peculiarities

Vegetable fertilizers contain a balanced ratio of the main nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). These nutrients are indispensable for vegetables, because the nitrogen is important for the build-up of protein, phosphorus is, among other things necessary for the construction of the DNA as well as for the formation of carbohydrates and the potassium is an important component of the cell sap represent. However, each of these nutrients fulfills many other functions in plants.

Vegetable fertilizers are offered in a wide variety of forms, because they are available in solid form, as granules or as Fertilizer sticks. But a liquid version is also available on the market. Mineral vegetable fertilizers and vegetable fertilizers that have an organic basis are also available. A lot of vegetable fertilizer even has a long-term effect for several months. If you know more about Slow release fertilizer you can find more information on this topic in our special article here.

Which types of vegetables need special vegetable fertilizers?

Certain vegetables require more nutrients. This includes types of cabbage like cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. batrytis) or broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica), but also fruit vegetables like tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) or paprika (Capsicum). Vegetables like tomatoes, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), Pumpkins (Curcurbitaceae) or Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) also need an extra portion of potassium in order to grow optimally. Therefore, the special vegetable fertilizers always contain a larger proportion of this substance.

Liquid fertilizers like that Plantura organic tomato & vegetable fertilizer act the fastest and are therefore suitable to compensate for acute deficiency symptoms.

Vegetable fertilizer: effects and benefits

Vegetable fertilizers should guarantee balanced growth and an optimal supply of nutrients for a wide variety of vegetables. We therefore have to pay special attention to the heavily consuming vegetables, because these plants need an extra portion of nutrients in order to be productive.

Many vegetable fertilizers on the market have a long-term effect to provide the vegetables with nutrients for several months. This way you don't have to re-fertilize as often and the vegetable plants are guaranteed to grow evenly and vigorously. For vegetable fertilizers, you should always use fertilizers that contain potassium, as this nutrient is very important for vegetables. An optimal vegetable fertilization with potassium guarantees a firm tissue of the vegetable.

When you rely on organic fertilizers, you not only strengthen the plants, but also take care of the soil at the same time. Natural fertilizers ensure the best possible humus formation and protect the environment.

Use of vegetable fertilizer for tomatoes and Co.

If you want to bring in a decent vegetable harvest, it is necessary to use vegetable fertilizer. You can use for this Fertilizer stick, organic natural fertilizers, Mineral fertilizers or Liquid fertilizer. The choice of fertilizers is ultimately very large.

Organic vegetable fertilizer

With organic vegetable fertilizers, we not only supply the vegetables with nutrients, but also create an optimal environment for the organisms in the soil and promote the structure of the soil. Organic fertilizers largely consist of plant and / or animal products and are exactly the right choice for a sustainable way of working. Manure from different animals and compost are also considered organic fertilizers.

Our organic vegetable fertilizers also include ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer, which consists mainly of organic raw materials and is completely animal-free. It has an NPK ratio of 4 - 3 - 8 and contains an additional 2% magnesium. Therefore, it is not only ideal for tomatoes, but is also suitable for Pumpkins (Cucurbita), paprika (Capsicum), Radish (Raphanus), cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) and many other vegetables.

Mineral vegetable fertilizer

Since the nutrients in mineral fertilizers are usually present in such a form that they can be obtained directly from the plants can be absorbed, they act faster than organic fertilizers, which are first broken down by microorganisms Need to become. Acute deficiency symptoms can be quickly compensated with mineral fertilizers, but mineral fertilizers are also washed out more easily. In addition, mineral fertilizers do not build up any humus compared to organic fertilizers. Without such a humus build-up, the fertility of the soil will decrease over time. We therefore recommend that you only use mineral fertilizers in the event of an emergency.

Make vegetable fertilizer yourself

It is not very complicated to make vegetable fertilizers yourself, because as such they are especially suitable compost and Herbal manure. To make a compost, you only need kitchen waste such as vegetable scraps, fruit scraps or coffee grounds, and lawn clippings can also be optimally composted.

The more you shred the material, the faster the composting will proceed. This way, you will get an excellent vegetable fertilizer. If you want to know more about the Making a compost want to find out, read our special article on the subject.

Plant manure is another vegetable fertilizer that we produce ourselves. Parts of the plant are placed in water and fermented in it. Liquid manure from nettles, comfrey and marigolds, for example, are suitable as vegetable fertilizer. These supply vegetables with nutrients and also have a strengthening effect on the plants. More to Nettle manure can be found here.

Various manure, teas and broths can be used as vegetable fertilizer:

• Valerian tea as foliar fertilization strengthens blooming and fruit-bearing vegetables. You need 30 to 50 g of valerian flowers (Valeriana officinalis), which you brew with 2 liters of boiling water. Let the tea brew and dilute it with another 8 liters of water.
• Comfrey manure is made from 1 kg of crushed comfrey leaves (Symphytum officinalis) which are fermented in 10 liters of water. The manure is diluted here in a ratio of 1:10 and the plants are watered with it. This liquid manure is rich in minerals as well as nitrogen and potassium. Therefore comfrey manure is ideal for tomatoes and cabbage vegetables. But it is also suitable as an addition to compost, because it promotes the conversion processes in the compost.
• Fennel manure can achieve a good fertilizing effect if you use it alternately with nettle and comfrey manure. To do this, 1 kg of fresh fennel shoots are fermented (Foeniculum vulgare) in 10 liters of water and then dilute this 1:20.

• Dandelion manure is particularly suitable for fertilizing tomatoes and cabbage vegetables. To do this, about 2 kg of dandelion plants are fermented (Taraxacum Ruderalia) in 10 liters of water. After two weeks you can finally use it. You can use the liquid manure either undiluted or diluted in a ratio of 1: 5. Dandelion manure is also an ideal addition to compost.
• Marigold manure is also suitable for fertilizing cabbage vegetables and tomatoes and should be used diluted in a ratio of 1:10. For this you need 1 kg of marigold petals and stems (Calendula officinalis), which are fermented in 10 liters of water. But other vegetables and herbs are also happy to be fertilized with marigold manure.

So you can find many useful plants in your garden as well as in meadows that you can use to make manure. These strengthen your plants and can support fertilization with special vegetable fertilizers.