- A balanced nutrient content is mandatory
- Also regularly fertilize greenhouse soil organically
- Fertilize minerally or organically?
Especially when you create your first greenhouse floor, it is important that the soil has a balanced nutrient content. A structure that is as crumbly as possible not only stimulates plant growth, but also makes correct planting and regular soil care much easier.
Proper preparation of the soil is a prerequisite for a high harvest success
The basis for healthy and productive growth of your greenhouse plants, especially vegetables and herbs, is fertile soil that also has a deep pH value of between 6 and 7. A slightly sandy loamy soil is well suited, the humus content of which can be a little higher, especially when cultivating young plants. Sieved and too fine in structure, plants don't like it that much, then rather crumbly, which in turn is good for strong rooting.
A balanced nutrient content is mandatory
When creating a new greenhouse floor, the exact values always depend on the type of planting. They also do not have to be general for the entire area if your greenhouse is divided into different zones and beds. The guideline values to aim for in relation to the nutrient content are based on 100 grams of dry soil for:
- Phosphate: 15 to 25 mg
- Potassium Oxide: 15 to 25 mg
- Magnesium: 10 to 15 mg
If you want to manage your greenhouse professionally and value healthy growing vegetable crops, you should have your current soil conditions checked in a laboratory and repeat the analysis every four to five years.
Also regularly fertilize greenhouse soil organically
Garden compost, one of the best organic fertilizers out there, is also great for improving soil fertility in the greenhouse. However, he should if possible free from weed seeds being. If the self-produced compost does not contain the required nutrients, commercial fertilizer must be used to help. How large the proportion of compost is on the entire greenhouse floor depends on whether weak, medium or even heavy consumers are to be grown. The table shows some examples:
Heavy to weak consumers of vegetable crops and herbs
| need for nutrients | vegetables | types of herbs |
|---|---|---|
| Low | Peas, radishes, lamb's lettuce, French beans, chicory | Spoonwort, chervil, caraway, oregano, wormwood, thyme |
| medium | Carrots, lettuce, peppers, asparagus, onions, spinach | Parsley, chives, sage, tarragon, savory, dill |
| High | Kale, savoy cabbage, leek, zucchini, eggplant, potatoes |
Fertilize minerally or organically?
Especially when laying out a new greenhouse floor, it is advisable to give preference to organic fertilization. However, it does not work immediately in the soil, since the components only slowly be unlocked in the ground need to be available to the plants. For plants with a longer cultivation time, the fertilizer doses can be staggered into the soil. Mineral fertilizers help faster and especially when there is an acute lack of nutrients. They are best added to the soil together with irrigation water.
tips
Manure as fertilizer is not required for the nutrient cycle in the greenhouse. Studies have repeatedly confirmed that many vegetable gardens were downright over-fertilized with the introduction of manure, which has an unfavorable effect on plants and soil.