Buying fertilizer: Tips on buying & sources of supply

Not all fertilizers are created equal. We show what you should look for when buying the right fertilizer and name recommended sources for it.

Especially when spring awakens the garden, everything sprouts and blooms, many gardeners think about the nutrition of their plants. If you need a new fertilizer, you are quickly spoiled for choice: the shelves often extend endlessly in garden centers or hardware stores and the declaration is far too confusing to be able to make a decision. Below are the most important cornerstones that you should consider when choosing a fertilizer.

In order to be able to decide, you should learn about the differences between fertilizers. In the following paragraphs you will learn what to consider when buying, how to choose the right fertilizer and how to pay attention to quality. Then we will give you some recommended sources of supply.

This must be taken into account when buying fertilizer

Before buying fertilizers, there are a few important considerations to make in order to find the fertilizer that is right for you.

A needs-based fertilization can only be done with the help of a soil test

Soils are largely formed from the mineral subsoil. This contains many plant nutrients that are released when it is weathered. From the outside, one cannot see in the soil which nutrients it receives from the mineral part Are available so that a soil survey is always the basis for choosing a fertilizer should.

The types of fertilizers

If you roughly sort fertilizers according to their ingredients, you can mineral, organic and organic-mineral fertilizers differentiate. In addition, each fertilizer can be assigned to the “soil fertilizer” category or to that of the “plant fertilizer”. Above all, soil fertilizers contain many stable and carbon-rich compounds, which the Can increase soil fertility slowly but sustainably and thereby add nutrients over a long period of time deliver. Only organic fertilizers can be soil fertilizers. Plant fertilizers primarily provide pure nutrients that serve to nourish the plants, but can reduce the quality of the soil in the long term. Plant fertilizers include mineral fertilizers and some very nutrient-rich organic fertilizers. Within these groups there are also fertilizers with or without long-term effects, Liquid fertilizer or Fertilizer sticks.

NPK ratio

When making the declaration, you should pay attention to the nutrient information, especially the NPK ratio. This is always given in the following order:

Nitrogen (N) + phosphorus oxide (P) + potassium oxide (K) (+ magnesium oxide (MgO), + sulfur (S))

An example would be the declaration "8 + 4 + 3 (+2, +1)". A fertilizer labeled in this way would contain 8% nitrogen compounds, 4% phosphorus compounds, 3% potassium compounds, 2% magnesium compounds and 1% sulfur compounds. The form in which the respective nutrient is available is always based on the same, The above-mentioned reference values ​​have been adjusted, even if the chemical compounds contained are completely different are. Sometimes micro-nutrients are also given as minor components, of which organic fertilizers generally bring a small amount with them. So knowing the needs of your plants and the supply status of your soil is a great way to choose the right fertilizer.

Packaging and price

As in many cases, the package size and price are also directly related to fertilizers. Because fertilizer can usually be stored in a dry, cool and dark place without any problems, it can be worthwhile to choose a larger pack size and to use the fertilizer over a longer period of time. Of course, this does not apply to special fertilizers such as Epsom salt (Magnesium sulphate) or iron sulphate, which are only required in very small quantities.

Ease of use

Not everyone generally enjoys gardening and when plant nutrition becomes a nuisance, many people quickly lose their enthusiasm. For these reasons, it is sometimes worthwhile to look at the properties of fertilizers during application Pay attention: Granulated or pelletized fertilizers do not dust and are easier to grip and to distribute. Animal-free organic fertilizers stink less than those made from ground animal raw materials. And you should only distribute the highly concentrated mineral fertilizer salts with gloves. In addition, these must often not get onto the paved surfaces, as they lead to unsightly stains there. The specific information on use on the packaging is also an important aspect of user-friendliness. It is useful to provide information on when the fertilizer may be used on which crop and in what quantity - and of course whether this could pose a risk to the user or the environment.

Ethics and sustainability

Many gardening enthusiasts also love nature outside of their garden fence and want to help preserve it. For them, therefore, the sustainability and ethical justification of production can be decisive. While mineral fertilizers are always obtained with a high expenditure of energy or through the extraction of fossil fuels and their chemical processing, organic fertilizers are recycling products. So the latter are always the better choice if you are striving for sustainable use of the world's nutrients. Raw materials of animal or vegetable origin can be processed in the organic fertilizers. Vegetable raw materials are produced using less water and less land and often provide the right mix of nutrients for plants. In addition, most organic fertilizer manufacturers still make no distinction between commercial and organic, animal welfare-minded slaughterhouses. For a consistent animal lover or vegetarian, the use of animal organic fertilizers is out of the question. Our Plantura organic fertilizer are completely animal-free and therefore ideal for animal lovers, vegetarians and vegans.

Alternatives to buying fertilizer

It doesn't always have to be the manure bag from the trade. Composts also provide valuable nutrients in sufficient quantities and of good quality. You can Make compost yourselfor buy it at a composting facility for often outrageously little money per cubic meter. Also a worm box Compost worms supplies fertilizer produced from its own organic waste - without having to travel far. Sometimes you can also use natural home remedies to care for your plants, as you will see in this article Natural fertilizers can experience. And occasionally the seasoned one is too Horse manure of the neighbors sufficiently well suited to supply your bedding areas.

Choosing the right fertilizer

Which fertilizer is the right choice for you depends on a few factors: Do you want a specific plant or to fertilize a group of plants with similar needs, you can adapt to their needs orientate. Good books, some trustworthy websites and catalogs from tree nurseries or perennial nurseries provide information on the nutritional requirements of garden plants. The season and weather also play a role: If you want to fertilize in autumn for the coming year, all fertilizers with a large mineral content are eliminated, as otherwise a loss due to leaching is inevitable is. In particularly dry years, adjusting the fertilization can save your lawn: A more potassium-accentuated fertilization improves the water balance, while nitrogen-based lawn fertilization still solves the problem of water shortages tightened. So it is worthwhile to find out more about the Fertilizing the lawn to inform. In addition, many woody plants do not tolerate strong nitrogen fertilization in summer, because this hampers their shoot closure and the formation of frost hardness. Exact knowledge of the fertilizer recommendation can therefore be decisive if frost damage is to be prevented and good budding and flowering are to be achieved in the following year.

Pay attention to fertilizer quality

In fact, salmonella, uranium and various heavy metals have already been found in fertilizers in various price ranges. The performance of the fertilizer is also worth considering: a slow release fertilizer promises a lower risk of overfertilization and leaching. Organic fertilizers not only ensure that the plants shoot for a short time, but also that the soil is fertile and productive as the basis for healthy plant growth. These additional qualities should be kept in mind when considering what price one is willing to pay.

Where is the best place to buy fertilizer?

Before you actually buy it, you should already have decided what properties the fertilizer you need should show, because the choice should not be made on the basis of an impulse, but after weighing all of the necessary Information. You are sure to find what you are looking for in our Plantura shop.

Our Plantura organic fertilizers

The fertilizer range we have developed is fully committed to the sustainable and ethical production of animal-free organic fertilizers. Our Plantura organic fertilizer - like for example the Organic lawn fertilizer - are available for very different areas of application and offer a comprehensive information package for use in the form of suitable articles. Because we adhere to the current scientific opinion that the power for plant growth is in the earth our fertilizers are always also soil fertilizers that stimulate soil life and thus soil fertility increase.