- The law of the minimum
- identify deficiencies
- A valuable helper for targeted fertilization: the soil analysis
- Which fertilizer is suitable?
- When should the ornamental garden be fertilized?
Not only in spring, when everything in the garden is green and sprouting, plants need a good and balanced fertilizer. The right remedy keeps the soil fertile and ensures that neither deficiencies nor overnutrition occur. But how is fertilization done professionally and which preparation is recommended in the ornamental garden?
Fertilizer is not just fertilizer
The law of the minimum
The agronomist Carl Sprengel published the most important fertilizer rule 200 years ago: the minimum law. It states that the growth of plants is constrained by the relatively least available resource (nutrients, light, air). This means that you cannot, for example, compensate for an existing iron deficiency by giving other minerals.
identify deficiencies
It is often not the lack of water or the lack of light that is to blame for the fact that the leaves of the ornamental plants turn yellow or that the abundant flowering is delayed. Yellowing of the leaves (chlorosis) is typical of the iron deficiency already mentioned. But too high a nutrient supply can also impair plant growth and have similar effects.
A valuable helper for targeted fertilization: the soil analysis
In order to be able to fertilize in a targeted manner, it is important to know the nutrient content of the soil. You can have this reliably determined by means of a soil sample. You should always remove the material for this before the first application of fertilizer and have it examined in a specialized laboratory. Depending on the scope, this costs between 20 and 50 EUR.
Which fertilizer is suitable?
The most valuable fertilizer for the ornamental garden is home-made compost. You can apply this throughout the garden year and supply the soil with all the important nutrients.
| kind | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Organic complete fertilizer | Consists of natural raw materials in an optimal composition. |
| calcium cyanamide | Is used before the actual fertilization and keeps the pH stable. |
| cow or horse manure | Relatively balanced nutritional content. However, this fertilizer smells a bit strong. |
| horn shavings | It takes up to three months for the nitrogen and trace elements to be released. Many animal rights activists reject this fertilizer because it is often not clear from which attitude the animals come. |
| blue grain | Long-term fertilizer that contains all the nutrients. This agent can pollute the groundwater with nitrate through seepage. |
| liquid fertilizer | These are administered with the irrigation water. The special products provide certain plants with nutrients that are precisely tailored to their needs. |
| Epsom salt | Should only be used in cases of acute magnesium deficiency. |
When should the ornamental garden be fertilized?
Ornamental plants only need specific nutrients in the growth phase from the end of March to the end of August. If you fertilize later, it can happen that the plants do not prepare for hibernation in time and become susceptible to cold damage.
- In spring from the end of March you can fertilize with a high nitrogen content. For this purpose, you can add horn grits or horn shavings (32.93€) to the compost.
- Potassium is important in late summer. How much of this trace element the fertilizer should contain depends on the soil conditions.
tips
If there is no space for a compost bin in your garden, you can alternatively think about purchasing a worm box. In this box, the little residents process almost everything that accumulates in the kitchen as compostable waste. Within a few months, valuable vermicompost is produced from this, which you can use as fertilizer in the ornamental garden.