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Snail eggs or just small stones? What are the little globules in the potting soil really? We solve the mystery.
Oh my God - you open a new package of potting soil and suddenly little yellow balls look at you. But what is that? Surely not a home delivery of fresh eggs from snails, which soon become voracious vegetable destroyers? Don't worry, it is of course not a question of a pest delivery free domicile. The small balls are depot fertilizers that do not damage your plants but even help them. After all, it provides the plants with nutrients for several months - without you even realizing it.
Depot fertilizer: Nutrients out of thin air?
Depot fertilizers supply our plants with nutrients over a long period of time. The small beads are actually nutrient s alts that are coated with a synthetic resin coat (coated). This shell protects the nutrient s alts from water so that they are not washed out within a few days. But how do the nutrient s alts get to the plant in the first place? This secret also lies in the shell. This has countless small micropores through which water can penetrate into the interior of the beads as steam. This loosens the nutrients inside. Gradually, the nutrient solution gets back out through the permeable resin coating into the plant substrate. Due to the small size of the pores, however, the water takes much longer to wash the nutrient s alts out of the synthetic resin shell: This results in an even escape of nutrients and the plant is continuously supplied with nutrients over a longer period of time, as if by magic - you have to just water regularly.
"Another advantage of many slow-release fertilizers is that the nutrient release depends on the temperature. Since the extent of plant growth is also temperature-dependent, it is convenient if the release of the depot fertilizer also increases with rising temperatures. However, even this can have its limits: at some point, excessive heat will cause problems for the plants. Is the nutrient release of theDepot fertilizer is purely temperature-dependent, which can lead to salinization of the substrate and, as a result, permanent damage to the plants. Nobody wants that, which is why there are depot fertilizers that do not exceed the optimal range of nutrient release, especially at high temperatures, and thus preventively counteract plant damage.
But there aren't just yellow-whitish grains: some potting soil also contains red, green or blue balls. These beads are also depot fertilizers. But why the bright colors? This is not about a fashionable appearance or a joke - the colored coating is intended as a guide for manufacturers and gardeners and reflects how long the depot effect of the fertilizer lasts. This is very different: the small balls can reliably supply your plants with nutrients between two months and more than a year. It is of course crucial how long the plants to be fertilized have:
- Potted plants that have been standing for several years:
Use depot fertilizer with a long release period - Seasonal goods such as bedding and balcony plants:
Mix release fertilizer into the substrate with a release period of around 4 to 5 months
Test: snail eggs or depot fertilizer?
Especially when the flowers have been outside in the pot for a long time, it can happen that the soil also offers a home for offspring snails. But how do I tell if depot fertilizer or snail eggs share space with my flower? The test is very easy: simply take the suspicious ball between two fingers and crush it. You will hear a cracking sound from a depot fertilizer ball as the synthetic resin shell breaks. In addition, the ball fills dry even after crushing. Snail eggs, on the other hand, do not have a solid shell and therefore do not make any noise. They also feel slippery and damp between the fingers. So if it's hard to tell with the naked eye whether it's friend or foe, even a layman can do it with a simple finger test. Furthermore, the eggs of the snail are usually never found alone, but lie together in groups. The depot fertilizer, on the other hand, should be as even as possible in the substrate useddistributed, so that it is more of a coincidence that two depot fertilizer pellets are found next to each other.
How to distinguish slow release fertilizer from snail eggs:
- Depot fertilizer pellets are…
- Coated with a synthetic resin that has a distinctive cracking sound when crushed between the fingers.
- Usually found solitary and well distributed in the substrate.
- Snail eggs are…
- not encased in a solid shell.
- slippery and wet.
- usually found in a clutch of several eggs in one spot.
Various properties are crucial for a high-quality potting soil. In our special article, we reveal why high-quality soil is worthwhile.