The most important natural fertilizers at a glance

 If you don't want chemicals in your garden, you can't avoid natural fertilizers. They provide plants with nutrients and improve the soil. With these tips you use the usual natural fertilizers correctly.

Young vegetable plants are pleased about the nutrients contained in natural fertilizers, like plant manure or compost water

with spraying means ever more gardners do without chemistry 

and also when fertilizing the trend goes clearly toward the natural fertilizer: 

One does without ever more industrially converted or artificially compounded substances, 

which are not intended in such a way in nature. Decomposed plant residues 

and the like have been fertilizing the soil for millions of years and are part 

of the natural nutrient cycle to which nature has adapted. However, 

if nutrients such as nitrogen are artificially fished out of the air using the so-called Haber-Bosch process, 

converted to ammonia and ammonium and released onto the soil in masses, 

this can be too much of a good thing. Can. You don't have to demonize mineral fertilizers. 

It was only through these fertilizers that countless people were finally saved from starvation. 

Mineral fertilizers are much richer in content than natural fertilizers and act faster, 

which is why mineral fertilizers should be used in a targeted manner so that 

the nutrients - above all nitrate - do not accumulate in the soil and thus 

in the groundwater and pollute it. This is a problem almost worldwide.

Natural fertilizer: The most important facts in brief

Natural fertilizers do not work immediately compared to mineral fertilizers. 

Microorganisms in the soil must first decompose them in heat and moisture. 

But there is hardly any danger of overdosing. 

The classic natural fertilizers on the market include guano, horn shavings, horn meal and compost. 

But also self-made plant manure, stable manure and coffee grounds can serve as natural fertilizers.

What are natural fertilizers?

Natural fertilizers are used to apply substances that occur in nature - just as nature itself does. 

However, the natural fertilizers available on the market also come from factories. 

This is no different if the fertilizers are always to have an identical composition. 

This is, by the way, also the only serious disadvantage of the inexpensive, 

home-made natural fertilizers - they are a kind of surprise package with always different nutrient composition. 

Targeted fertilizing and dosing as with fertilizers from the trade is not possible with them. 

In addition to the main nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, 

natural fertilizers also contain trace elements and often vitamins or proteins. 

They are part of the natural material cycle, 

they do not bring any additional nitrogen into the soil, 

which is why their use is not only economically but also ecologically sensible.

Complete mineral fertilizers such as blue grain can easily be overdosed and should only be used when plants have an acute lack of nutrients

What advantages do natural fertilizers have?

If you follow the manufacturer's instructions for natural fertilizers, 

there is no danger of burns and overdosing is not possible or at least not as easy as with mineral fertilizers. 

This is because they release their nutrients and thus also the nitrogen 

as soon as the granulate dissolves in a damp environment - whether 

the plants can use the nutrients at the moment or not. 

The ambient temperature plays only a secondary role.

The situation is different with natural fertilizers: 

Before the plants can even begin to use the nutrients and absorb them, 

the fertilizers must first be broken down into their individual components by microorganisms in the soil. 

Before that, the plants have nothing of it. 

But the soil organisms are only active when the soil is warm 

and damp - exactly the kind of weather in which the plants grow and can then also absorb the nutrients released. 

Since the microorganisms need a certain time for this, it always takes a while until the fertilizers take effect. 

Whether as water storage, 

soil loosening or feed for microorganisms: 

Natural fertilizers improve the soil. 

No mineral fertilizer can do this. 

An overfertilization with organic fertilizer is practically impossible 

in the home garden, since an excessive spreading is necessary for it.

Which natural fertilizers can be bought?

Natural fertilizers have long been available in garden centers, especially horn shavings or guano. 

But whether universal, tomato, wood or lawn fertilizers - in the meantime, 

all well-known manufacturers also offer organic solid or liquid fertilizers with natural, 

but industrially processed ingredients, which are sold as organic fertilizers or organic fertilizers. 

For example, fertilizers from Compo contain sheep's wool. 

Since the BSE scandal, blood or bone meal has no longer been sold as fertilizer.

Guano is concentrated seabird droppings and can only be removed with great effort by hand

Guano is rich in phosphate and nitrogen as bird or bat droppings. 

In addition, guano is very productive, which is why relatively small amounts are needed. 

Guano is mostly used as powder or granules, but it is also available as a liquid. 

This is in contrast to the fine powder also no longer corrosive and is simply poured over the plants with a watering can. 

Anyone who fertilizes powdery guano should wear gloves and not inhale the dust. 

Guano is a natural product, but it is still criticized: 

Transportation is anything but ecological, 

since guano first has to be shipped halfway around the world 

and excessive mining also destroys the nesting holes of penguins. 

In addition, guano mining is very hard, pure backbreaking work.

Horn meal and horn shavings

Horn meal and horn shavings are crushed hooves and horns of slaughter animals. 

The difference between horn meal and horn shavings is only the degree of grinding. 

The finer the horn is ground, the faster it releases its nutrients. 

Or better, its nutrient. In principle, horn is almost a pure nitrogen fertilizer. 

Its other components are of no importance for plant growth. 

In contrast to other organic fertilizers, 

horn shavings have virtually no effect on the soil - their mass is simply too small to improve it.

Horn shavings are rich in nitrogen

Finished compost or horse manure in bags

Compost is the natural fertilizer par excellence. 

You can not only produce it yourself, but also buy it in bags. 

Advantage: Purchased compost is weed-free. 

Even horse manure is available in bags - as pressed pellets. 

These do not smell and are easy to dose, but they are pure food for the plants. 

They do not improve the soil. In addition, they often have long distances behind them, 

since dung pellets are unfortunately often flown in from New Zealand or even South America.

How can you make natural fertilizer yourself?

They cost nothing and, unlike most natural fertilizers on the market, 

they are real soil conditioners with a sustainable effect. 

From an ecological point of view, home-made natural fertilizers also have 

a decisive advantage - they do not consume energy during production, 

nor are long transport routes necessary. The fertilizers are produced in your own garden. 

The starting material for the fertilizers can be plant and garden residues, 

but also a number of household wastes.

Plant manure

For plant manure, finely chopped nettles, horsetail, onions or garlic are placed in a tub or tub, 

doused with water and fermented in the garden for a good two weeks. 

Stinging nettle liquid manure is best known and has proven to be a natural nitrogen fertilizer. 

For each kilogram of chopped up plant mass, you add ten liters of water and mix everything with a wooden stick. 

After a few days, fermentation begins, 

recognizable by light foam on the surface of the water. Not too bad - in contrast to the putrid smell. 

To soften it, add one or two handfuls of rock flour to the broth. 

As soon as no more bubbles rise after about two weeks, 

the broth is ready and can be used as a natural fertilizer and poured onto the ground around the plants. 

However, only sieved and diluted with water. 

A ratio of 1:10 has proven to be best, so give 900 milliliters of liquid 

manure - that is two large drinking glasses for a 10-liter watering can and fill it up with water. 

Diluted plant liquid manure is a low-dose fertilizer that can be applied weekly.

Manure and broth from nettles are ideal for plant protection in organic gardens

Own compost

Home-made compost is the prime example of natural fertilizer 

and soil conditioner from your own garden - the superfood for the garden, 

of which you spread a good four liters per square meter in spring. 

Compost is sufficient as the sole fertilizer for weakly consuming 

herbs, diet-conscious grasses or plants in the rock garden, 

otherwise you can reduce the application rate of other fertilizers by a third.

Horse and cow dung

With straw or bedding, with whole horse droppings or dry cow dung: 

Stable manure is a perfect natural fertilizer and ideal soil conditioner. 

Horse manure is quite low in nutrients, 

but the ratio of nutrients is always balanced and 

corresponds approximately to an NPK fertilizer with 0.6-0.3-0.5. 

Further advantage: 

In addition to nutrients and trace elements, 

manure also contains valuable structural material in the form of various dietary fibers. 

This is especially good for sandy soils with a low humus content.

Fresh horse dung is not for the fancy nose - but for many garden plants it is an excellent source of nutrients with a lasting effect

Manure remains in the earth for a relatively long time, 

for pure soil improvement one dose every two years is sufficient. 

As a fertilizer, you spread a good four kilograms of manure per square meter. 

To use dung as a natural fertilizer, it should only be a few months old, 

as the nutrient content will drop relatively quickly afterwards. 

Horse manure generates heat during rotting - perfect as floor heating for cold frames.

Wood ash

The use of pure wood ash as a natural fertilizer is much disputed. 

One is itself united against it that ashes of grill coal are not a useful 

fertilizer - their origin is uncertain and burned fat residues 

can contain health-endangering materials such as acrylamide, 

which one does not want to have in the garden. 

In principle, all nutrients and minerals, but also heavy metals, 

which the tree has absorbed during its life and which have not evaporated as 

combustion gases like nitrogen or sulfur, are concentrated in wood ash. 

What remains is a high concentration of calcium, which as quicklime 

(calcium oxide) loosely makes up 30 to 40 percent of the total ash. 

Potassium and various trace elements make up the remainder - all of which is very useful for plants. 

The problem is the high pH-value of about twelve of the ashes as well 

as the aggressiveness of quicklime - leaf burns are quite possible and especially 

in hardly buffered sandy soils quicklime can even damage 

the soil life if the ashes are spread over a large area.

As fertilizer you can use wood ashes if you can be sure that 

the trees were not located next to a highway or an industrial area. 

Otherwise the risk of heavy metal pollution is high. 

Fertilize only loamy soils and then only ornamental plants with the ashes, no vegetables. 

Do not overdo it with the ashes, two handfuls per year and square meter are enough.

Coffee grounds

The rest in the coffee filter contains all the main nutrients, 

i.e. nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 

Coffee grounds as a natural fertilizer are particularly 

suitable as a supplement to normal fertilization with an organic fertilizer. 

Since coffee grounds have an acidic effect, hydrangeas, azaleas and other bog plants are particularly welcome. 

Do not simply dump the coffee grounds into the bed, 

but collect the coffee residues, dry them and then work them into the soil.

Coffee grounds are an excellent fertilizer for rhododendron and other plants that like acidic soils

Eggshells and banana skins

Eggshells accumulate in abundance as kitchen waste, but are far too good for organic waste. 

Because they are - nicely chopped - a valuable additional fertilizer, 

especially for individual bedding plants and potted plants. 

Banana peels contain many minerals - up to twelve percent. 

The lion's share is potassium, magnesium and calcium. 

Egg shells consist almost completely of calcium carbonate, 

which is also available in the trade under the name "carbonated lime". 

Eggshells can therefore raise the pH value and, just like lime, 

loosen the soil in combination with humus particles. 

This is also the main effect, because in order to influence the pH value over a large area, 

you would have to eat a lot of eggs and collect the shells every day.

Green manure

Green manure refers to special plants such as bee friend, 

yellow mustard or clover species, which are sown on fallow land and later simply worked into the soil. 

This is not so much about nutrients as about protecting bare soil 

and loosening deep layers of soil - although legumes such as clover species 

in particular can bind atmospheric nitrogen and accumulate it in the soil.

Bee friend can be sown between September and October as green manure

How to apply natural fertilizer correctly?

Organic commercial fertilizer is spread in the spring from 

the end of February/beginning of March and is easily worked in with a rake. 

This way the fertilizer has a firm ground contact from all sides and 

the microorganisms can get hold of the material. 

If you spread natural fertilizer only superficially, 

only its nitrogen content is converted and the fertilizer wastes its full potential. 

The microorganisms need heat, otherwise they will not work. 

In a dry, cold spring, organic fertilizer therefore only works slowly or very little. 

Horn shavings or compost can also be added to newly planted perennials and woody plants. 

When you have fertilized, you should water the soil and thus start the decomposition process.