Fertilize beans: professional tips for correct fertilization

Not all beans need additional nutrients after planting. We show which beans need them and what needs to be considered when fertilizing.

If Haricot beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) or Broad beans (Vicia faba) (also called broad beans) - Beans shouldn't be missing in any garden. They provide valuable vegetable protein and are good for the garden soil. They like it sunny and warm in the garden and prefer a humus-rich and deep soil. If you pay attention it should give you a rich one Bean harvest be certain. But in addition to the right location and ideal soil, a good supply of nutrients also plays a decisive role in the yield, because not all beans have the same nutritional requirements. And some species even need almost no fertilization at all.

So do you even have to fertilize beans? And when do you fertilize them? Which fertilizers are suitable and what is the best way to go about it? We have answered these questions for you in this article.

Do you have to fertilize beans?

Beans belong to the legume family (Fabaceae) and are legumes. Legumes have the wonderful property of entering into a symbiosis with nodule bacteria. These are able to fix atmospheric nitrogen and make it accessible to the plant. This means that low-nitrogen soils are improved and thus soil fertility is maintained. So do you have to fertilize beans at all?

Before beans can provide themselves with nitrogen, the plants should be helped through the first period of starvation after planting. Once it's a hand's breadth, the bean can provide the nitrogen supply on its own. Furthermore, beans not only need nitrogen, but also other important nutrients to grow, such as phosphorus and potassium. Fertilization can therefore be quite useful.

In addition, not all beans are created equal when it comes to their needs. The low growing French beans (Phaseolus vulgaris var. nanus) are weak eaters and therefore very frugal. You no longer need fertilizer after planting. The creeping ones and growing high upwards Runner beans (Phaseolus vulgaris var. vulgaris), on the other hand, are among the average consumers and are a bit more demanding. They also want to be fertilized a little during the growing season and will then bring you a rich harvest.

When to fertilize beans

Beans can be grown outdoors as well as in a greenhouse or in a pot. Already at the Planting the beans you should take care to enrich the soil with sufficient nutrients. In a location with poor soil, you can mature the soil before planting compost or enrich it with a fertilizer with organic long-term effects. With our Plantura organic tomato fertilizer create optimal conditions for your beans to grow right from the start. This not only has a positive and gentle effect on beans of all kinds, but also on the soil and the animals in your garden. The granules of our Plantura fertilizer dissolves when water is added during watering and is then broken down by hard-working microorganisms in the soil. These make the nutrients available to the plants and release them slowly and gently to the plant.

Bush beans and field beans no longer need fertilization afterwards. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria are now active and supply the plants with nutrients. It looks different with runner beans. They look forward to additional fertilizers during the growing season. Here you can fertilize again with the first flowering. If necessary, it is then re-fertilized until the harvest.

When are beans fertilized?

• All beans: basic fertilization in spring when planting in the garden
• French beans and field beans: No further fertilization
• Runner beans: again after flowering and, if necessary, until harvest

Fertilize the beans in the bed

From mid-May, after the ice saints, you can plant the frost-sensitive beans in the garden bed. Beans feel at home in the greenhouse from mid-April. Even if French beans and field beans need few nutrients, a basic fertilization before planting is part of it. This is absolutely necessary for the runner beans. In order to be able to fix nitrogen really well, the nodule bacteria need sufficient phosphorus. This is provided by the basic fertilization when planting in the garden.

So prepare the soil well for the beans before planting. Give some fertilizer in granulate form - for example our Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer - in the planting hole and do not forget to water it sufficiently. You can also add something to particularly poor or poorly structured soils compost enrich. These natural fertilizers not only provide your beans with valuable nutrients, they also carry them to improve the soil structure and thus also to the water retention capacity and heat storage of the soil at.

From now on, field and French beans no longer need any further fertilization. You fertilize runner beans again after flowering. Depending on requirements, the runner beans can then be supplied with a small amount of fertilizer after about six to eight weeks.

How are beans in the bed fertilized?

• When planting out, provide the beans with fertilizer with long-term organic effects
• Work compost into the soil in poor, structurally poor soils
• Pour well so that the granules can dissolve
• Re-fertilize runner beans with a little fertilizer after flowering
• If necessary, another application of fertilizer after 6 - 8 weeks

Fertilize the beans in the pot

If the substrate you are using in the pot or balcony box is not already pre-fertilized, It proves useful to add nutrients to the substrate before planting or sowing to enrich. To do this, simply use a long-term fertilizer in granular form - such as ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer - into the substrate. After planting or sowing, water the substrate well so that the plants can develop well and the granules can dissolve.

Even in pots, French beans and field beans are satisfied with the basic fertilization and grow very well even without further administration. As in the bed, runner beans want to be fertilized in the pot throughout the growing season. The first fertilizer application takes place after flowering. Depending on which type of fertilizer you choose, the fertilization intervals vary. With a fertilizer with organic long-term effects like our Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer it is sufficient if you re-fertilize in small amounts every five to seven weeks. With a mineral liquid fertilizer, the intervals are shorter and should be re-fertilized every three to five weeks.

How are beans fertilized in the pot?

• Work in some slow release fertilizer when planting
• Keep the substrate moist so that the granules can loosen
• Stop fertilizing French beans and broad beans
• Fertilize runner beans every 5 - 7 weeks with fertilizer with an organic long-term effect
• Alternatively, re-fertilize every 3 - 5 weeks with a mineral liquid fertilizer

The right fertilizer for beans

Which fertilizer is used for your beans is of course up to you. After all, there are many different ways in which you can optimally supply your beans with nutrients. In order to help you make a decision, we have summarized some aspects for you below that you should consider when choosing a fertilizer.

Mainly fertilize beans organically

If runner beans are not fertilized enough, this has a negative effect on the harvest. Over-fertilization or an unbalanced and incorrect supply of nutrients harms both the plant and the environment. In addition, the nodule bacteria on the roots of all types of beans require sufficient nutrients to be able to fix enough nitrogen. For this purpose, phosphorus should be available for as long as possible - even after fertilization. A fertilizer with an organic long-term effect offers a great advantage with regard to these aspects. Thanks to the granulate form, it can be dosed well and thus reduces the risk of over-fertilization. Due to the long-term effect, the phosphorus and the other nutrients are gradually released and are available to both the plant and the bacteria for a longer period of time.

Further advantages of fertilizers with organic long-term effects:

• Activation of soil life and sustainable improvement of the soil structure
• Particularly gentle on the environment by not using chemicals

Our Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer with organic long-term effect fulfills these criteria to the fullest satisfaction and thus offers the ideal nutrient supply for your beans. In addition to nitrogen, it also contains sufficient potassium and phosphorus. These are responsible for good root formation and the resistance of the beans. In addition, the fertilizer is particularly resource-saving and sustainable thanks to the use of residues from the food, luxury and animal feed industries. By not using synthetic ingredients, the fertilizer is also climate-friendly.

Fertilization with organic long-term effects - Instructions and dosage quantities for beans:

1. Before planting: 15-35 g / m² (1 to 3 tablespoons) of ours Plantura organic tomato fertilizer work into the top soil layers or mix about 1 g / liter (1/4 teaspoon) into the substrate for a pot culture
2. After setting, water the soil well so that the granules can loosen
3. In the case of runner beans, you should add another 10 - 30 g / m² (1 to 2 heaped tablespoons) or fertilize about 1 g / liter for a pot culture
4. Repeat these fertilizers in the garden bed after 6 - 8 months, in the pot after 5 - 7 weeks

Fertilize beans with minerals

Blue grain, Liquid fertilizer and Co. offer the advantage that the nutrients from the fertilizer are immediately available for the plants and do not have to be converted by bacteria first, which are for beans mineral fertilizers but not suitable. Most of the time, they contain far too much nitrogen that the beans don't even need. The superfluous nutrients cannot be absorbed and then pollute the soil and water. Ultimately, this also harms the plant. Organic fertilizer With a long-term effect, on the other hand, beans provide all the important nutrients over a longer period of time and are significantly more gentle on animals, people and the environment.

Fertilize beans with home remedies

Home remedies for fertilizing beans are unfortunately mostly unsuitable. Crap or Nettle manure are not good for beans because they contain too much nitrogen that the plants don't need. Well rotten one is better suited compost. This not only contains important nutrients for your beans, but also ensures a better soil structure and active soil life.

Before you can fertilize your beans, they must of course first be planted. You can find out how to do this and what to look out for in our special article on Planting beans.