Organic gardening is no longer a fashionable topic. The question of how to overcome the shortcomings of conventional agriculture and thus also of conventional gardening has become a question of survival for our planet. Alarming indicators such as the continuous decline in biodiversity, the oceans being fished empty and the fields being over-fertilized are now at the top of the political agenda. Developing a sustainable way of life has become a priority for humankind.
Strong plants thanks to organic fertilizer
This is also noticeable in our gardens. More and more hobby gardeners are critical of conventional cultivation methods and are trying an ecological approach. Correct fertilization is an important part of a biologically cultivated garden.
Why fertilize at all?
The question of why fertilizer should be used at all is justified. After all, nature manages without any artificial fertilizers, forests and meadows grow in all their splendor without ever having seen any fertilizer. However, this is not the case for the garden. In the garden, we try to grow crops that would have little chance of surviving under real natural conditions in this composition and in a confined space. Although it is possible and desirable to design the cultivation conditions in such a way that they are modeled as closely as possible on natural processes (keyword: permaculture), it is difficult to create a completely self-sustaining system in the garden with many cultivated plants. Fertilizing is therefore justified in order to offer the different plants the best possible living conditions.
Why fertilize organically?
Artificial fertilizers have spread rapidly in gardens in the last century. The promise of achieving the maximum with the minimum effort is too tempting. However, chemical fertilizers have disadvantages: Within a very short time, they provide the plants with an oversupply of nutrients and food. The entire soil life is almost drowned in this benefit. Roots become weak because they are hardly needed anymore, soil creatures retreat because there is nothing more for them to do. As a result, the plants permanently lose vigor and health.
The organic fertilizer, on the other hand, does not offer the plants an oversupply. The nutrients are first absorbed by the soil organisms, which present them to the plants in the correct portions. This indirect fertilization means that the natural cycle is not interrupted, the fertility of the soil is permanently improved, the plants thrive, are resilient and improve their aroma.
Which fertilizer is appropriate
A detailed overview of the various fertilizers will be given in a separate article. Therefore, here is a short list of possible fertilization methods:
- compost
- cattle manure
- nettle manure
- compost tea
- Green manure (mustard, spinach etc.)