Regardless of whether they are in a pot or in the garden, zucchini plants must be sufficiently fertilized because they are heavy feeders and have an increased need for nutrients. Especially in pots, where space is very limited, you should not neglect this care measure if you want to harvest healthy and delicious fruit. Which natural remedies, ideally even from the household, are suitable? Before we get into that, let’s explain everything else important about “fertilizing zucchini”.
Properly care for the beginner plant in the garden
Since the zucchini itself is very easy to care for, it is also popular with beginners and is usually part of the vegetable beds. It is relatively insensitive and care is guaranteed to be successful, although it needs plenty of water to produce juicy fruits. Nutrient supply is also a point where you should always keep an eye on it, because due to its rapid growth it is always hungry. But that shouldn't put you off at all, because the zucchini plant is and remains a great option for your own garden.
By the way:If you lack space, you can also plant the plants verticallygrow to save space.
Ideally, you should prepare the bed the previous year by incorporating compost and/or manure. If you didn't do this last year, it's not a big deal, but you can remember it for the future.
The best way to fertilize zucchini plants for the first time in the new planting season is to plant them outdoors. The planting hole is ideally twice as large as the root ball. Pour compost into this hole, then place the plant in it and fill it with the garden soil you dug up. Ideally, fertilize again from above. You can use horn shavings for this. What is the purpose of this type of care?
- The compost can be used immediately by the plant and therefore acts like an instant fertilizer.
- The horn shavings still need a while to decompose. They are available to the plant approximately when the compost nutrients have been used up or overlap so that they serve as long-term fertilizer. For this purpose, it is also important to use shavings and not horn meal. The flour is finer and therefore decomposes much more quickly.
Tipp:You could also add compost to the bed three weeks before planting.
How often to fertilize zucchini?
Then fertilize the plants two more times between June and August. This is the growth phase in which they draw the most nutrients from the soil and you need to provide supplies.
What else is suitable besides compost and horn fertilizer?
The first fertilizer we have for zucchini is yesalready compost, livestock manureand horn fertilizer listed. You can also use these afterwards by working them into the soil. But you can get an even better instant fertilizer that really supplies the heavy feeder right away with liquid fertilizer. Of course, you can buy some from stores and you can also find natural, organic zucchini fertilizers there (cucumber fertilizer, for example, is very suitable).
However, if you feel like it, you can also make your own zucchini fertilizer in very simple steps and fertilize your zucchini naturally. The following remedies are particularly popular, including for other vegetable plants. You can use it both in the garden and for zucchini in the bucket:
- Nettle manure
When you fertilize vegetables with it, you not only provide the plants with nutrients, but also make the leaves more robust, which significantly reduces the risk of pest infestation. For this purpose, you can spray the plants with the fertilizer after watering them to fertilize.How to prepare the manurefind out here.
- coffee grounds
One thing that probably accumulates quickest in most households is coffee grounds. Fertilizer made from coffee grounds provides plants with, among other things, potassium, nitrogen and potassium, which are important for healthy growth. It is important that the coffee base is used as fertilizer completely dry, otherwise it will mold very quickly. Only use this product after flowers and fruits have formed. You can also make liquid fertilizer when fertilizing zucchini with coffee grounds. To do this, simply add two tablespoons of the powder to the water. Fertilization is carried out after two months.
- Eggshells
If you want to plant and fertilize your zucchini, you can also use eggshells. They are rich in calcium, which particularly strengthens the roots, which of course benefits the entire plant. However, the shells are not sufficient as the sole fertilizer, but are used as a supplement.
