Fertilizing herbs properly is an art. Most kitchen herbs need rather few nutrients, which is why regular fertilization is not advisable. This is not the case with chives: the popular leek plant has a very high nutrient requirement and should therefore not only stand on humus-rich soil, but also be supplied with additional nutrients.
Prefer organic fertilizers
Culinary herbs are primarily grown for consumption and should therefore come into contact with as few chemicals as possible. This applies in particular to chives, which are usually eaten raw. However, the high nutrient requirements of this herb can be easily met without expensive synthetic fertilizers from the garden center. Mature compost - this is dark brown, rather crumbly and has a pleasant earthy smell - as well as stable manure (be careful with chicken or pigeon manure, this is particularly nitrogenous and therefore only to be used moderately) and horn shavings (32.93€) are ideal for removing the Supply the plant with it at the beginning of the growing season in spring. During the summer you can use an organic liquid fertilizer for vegetables.
Use kitchen waste for fertilization?
You may have heard this tip from your grandmother: Certain kitchen waste is ideal for fertilizing herbs. For example, you don't have to throw away egg shells; instead, you can crush them and dissolve them in the irrigation water. They are a great fertilizer for lime-hungry plants. Coffee grounds also work well for chives, it is a mild fertilizer that is simply incorporated into the soil. However, you should use coffee grounds very sparingly, because they make the soil acidic - but chives need a more alkaline pH value.
Chives fertilize in the garden and in the pot
Basically, herbs planted in the garden need to be fertilized much less frequently than potted plants - however, this also depends heavily on how long the chives have been in the soil in question. Potted chives, which are repotted once a year, usually do not need fertilizer - commercial soil is heavily pre-fertilized, so that an additional supply is not necessary. If, on the other hand, the plant is not repotted regularly or has been in the same place in the garden for several years, fertilization is indicated about every three to four weeks. You can use special herb fertilizer or liquid vegetable fertilizer (7.49€) for this.
tips and tricks
Instead of liquid fertilizer, you can also use organic long-term fertilizers - so-called fertilizer pellets. These are simply worked into the soil in spring and release nutrients at regular intervals - so you can't forget to fertilize and your plants are taken care of.
IJA