The fact is, hedge plants should be fertilized regularly. But many amateur gardeners wonder whether a liquid fertilizer or a granulate is the better choice. The needs of the plants are the focus. But how do hedge plants best absorb nutrients?
Liquid or granulated? A fundamental question
If the Liquid hedge fertilizer, it is absorbed immediately and does not first have to be liquefied by a sufficient amount of watering. Even if granulate manufacturers promise a more intensive supply for the plants, a liquid fertilizer is the better choice, especially for hedge plants. But why is that? In most cases, hedges are exposed to particularly strong environmental influences. They serve as privacy screens along the road and do not always have the ideal soil they actually need. It is all the more important to enrich the soil with essential nutrients and accelerate their availability.
With liquid fertilizers, the gardener has the certainty that all nutrients reach the roots directly. With granulated fertilizer, there is a risk that it will remain unused in the soil until the next heavy rain, for example, if there is too little watering and the soil is dry. If you want to be on the safe side, you can check the soil quality with special tests. Most hedge plants appreciate loamy and loose soil that is enriched with a liquid fertilizer in spring and autumn.
The essential components of a high-quality fertilizer
Before reaching for fertilizer, you should check the hedge plants for possible deficiency symptoms. There are some indications that signal a nutrient deficiency and to which the gardener should react promptly and with the right fertilizer. A liquid fertilizer is recommended, especially in the case of nitrogen deficiency, as it is immediately absorbed by the roots and enters the plant. Nitrogen deficiency in hedges can be identified primarily by light green leaves and slow growth. If there is a suspicion, the necessary liquid fertilization with a nitrogen-rich fertilizer should by no means be postponed. If the energy boost comes too late, the plant dies and can no longer recover from the deficiency symptom. Flowering plants with low flower production may lack phosphorus. Wilted leaves and a high level of pest infestation often indicate a potassium deficiency. If the leaf veins are more visible than usual, it may be an iron deficiency. In all these cases, liquid fertilizers can provide a quick and easy remedy. It is, of course, important that the composition of the fertilizer matches the existing deficiencies and that the fertilizer compensates for the deficiency symptoms.
Too much or too little? The plant shows its needs
Not fertilizing or fertilizing too little is problematic. But gardeners who mean too well and fertilize too much are not doing their hedge plants any favors either. It is important to know the nature of your soil and to be able to "see" what the plants are missing and why the nutrient might be missing. Experienced gardeners recognize problems long before they arise and therefore have the most beautiful hedges without having to deal with the various fertilizers and their effects. Basically, you should fertilize hedge plants in the spring before they sprout and in the autumn before they overwinter. In summer, the plants are sufficiently supplied by the spring fertilization, and in winter, the hedge draws on the fertilization that took place in autumn before the first frosts and with the last pruning. Even if fertilizer sticks and the like are advertised as long-term nutrition, you always achieve the better effect with liquid fertilizers and can rely on the fact that the nutrients reach the roots directly.
Avoiding fertilization mistakes – what experienced gardeners pay attention to
In German-speaking countries, the hedge is the most popular privacy screen in allotment gardens, in residential housing estates, and for separating large properties. But hedge plants do not thrive everywhere without problems. Many amateur gardeners wonder why the neighbor's hedge grows magnificently while their own hedge plants apparently have problems. Long before you think about fertilization, the choice of optimal planting distances and knowledge of the soil properties play an important role. There are hedge plants that die if planted too closely and deprive each other of nutrients. With beeches, for example, overcrowding is a major problem that cannot be solved even with regular fertilization.
Anyone who tends to buy hedge plants that have been transplanted several times (and are therefore older) can rule out a large part of the problems that arise with young plants. Therefore, experienced gardeners say that buying a hedge plant that has been transplanted several times is more worthwhile than purchasing inexpensive young plants.
Conclusion:
Every hedge plant needs a certain amount of different nutrients. If the soil is rich in vital substances, you can be economical with fertilizers. If you plant the hedge in nutrient-poor soil or along a road, the need for vital substances increases. Here, balancing with liquid fertilizers is the best choice, as you can prevent all deficiencies and their consequences. Not long-term fertilizers in stick form recommended by the manufacturer, but liquid fertilizers ensure an effective and immediate supply for the plants. The consistency of the fertilizer alone determines how quickly and how well it is absorbed. Hedges have been proven to thrive particularly well with liquid fertilizers.
