Growth nutrients

During the growth phase, also known as the vegi phase (i.e. the vegetative phase of plant life), plants need a particularly large amount of specially tailored nutrients.Only with the right growth fertiliser for the vegetative phase can plants grow and thrive and thus produce an abundant harvest later on.

NPK Vegi fertiliser

When it comes to growth fertilisers, i.e. nutrients for the growing phase, common NPK fertilisers are generally used, whereby the nitrogen (N) content plays a major role in the growth phase of plants. For this reason, veg nutrients for growth are usually provided with an extra portion of nitrogen. The information on fertilisers regarding the exact composition should be understood in relation to each other. A grow fertiliser with e.g. NPK 6-3-3 contains 6 parts nitrogen with 3 parts each of potassium and phosphorus. However, this does not provide any information about the exact quantity of nutrients.

Fertiliser forms

Almost all of the vegi fertilisers available on the market for the growth phase are completely normal liquid fertilisers, as we know them from normal flower fertilisers, for example. This makes it easier to dose the nutrients and apply the fertiliser. As a rule, the fertiliser is added to the Irrigation water and added to the plants as a nutrient solution. All manufacturers offer clear fertiliser schemes with precise information on quantities, concentrations and application times. Nevertheless, you should not slavishly follow these instructions, but rather make the supply of growth fertilisers dependent not least on the condition of the plants and any deficiency symptoms that may be present.

When should growth fertilisers be used?

Depending on how large the growing pots are and whether a pre-fertilised substrate is used, the first application of veg fertiliser may be delayed - in general, it can be said that fertilising too early is harmful and that the plants should show initial deficiencies before fertilising.