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More and more plant lovers are looking for vegan fertilizers. We reveal why not every fertilizer is vegan and what advantages animal-free fertilizers bring.
Vegan nutrition is currently a big trend. It promises more he alth and at the same time it makes a contribution to nature and climate protection. Many vegans go even further and do without all animal products such as leather or down. Animal welfare and sustainability can also be put into practice in the garden: vegan fertilizers promise yields and do not require any animals at all. We'll tell you why not all fertilizers are vegan, why it's worth buying vegan fertilizers and what advantages they bring.
Why isn't every fertilizer vegan?
Fertilisers contain the three primary nutrients nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). However, these can come from a wide variety of sources. In classic agriculture, the main source of nutrients is of animal origin. The nutrients come from animal feces, i.e. urine and feces, or from other "waste products" from animals. Manure or liquid manure, for example, is then applied to the field. And hobby gardeners also like to use fertilizers of animal origin, such as horn meal. So all these fertilizers are not vegan as they are made of animal derived ingredients.
The following animal products may be in non-vegan fertilizer:
- Urea
- feces
- Bones
- Offal
- Horn
- Hair
- Feathers
However, there is an alternative: even purely vegetable fertilizers contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
Does vegan fertilizer make sense?
Vegan fertilizers are on the rise. This is because animal welfare and sustainability are becoming more and more important to many. But does fertilizer also have to be vegan? Does that even make sense? To answer this question is worthanother look at the ingredients of vegan fertilizers.
Basically, these can be divided into two categories: artificial and organic. Although chemical-synthetic or mineral-based fertilizers promise high yields, they are anything but environmentally friendly. Large amounts of resources are required for their production, a lot of CO2 is emitted and nature is overexploited because, for example, phosphorus or potassium are only available as minerals in finite quantities. In addition, artificial fertilizers are easily washed out and many fertilizers do not end up with the plants, but instead in the groundwater or in streams and rivers.
You can find out more about artificial fertilizers in our special article on the subject.
Organic fertilizers are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. However, the substances contained in the organic material must first be made available to the plants by microorganisms. Organic fertilizers therefore work more slowly than artificial fertilizers. However, the risk of leaching is not so great. The nutrients really get where they should: With the plant. A problem with purely organic fertilizers is that some important plant nutrients, especially phosphorus, are not available in sufficient quantities. Therefore, many fertilizers form a combination of mainly organic ingredients with a small amount of minerals. In this way, the plant's nutrient supply is ensured all round and at the same time care is taken to protect nature as best as possible.
If you want to learn more about organic fertilization in the garden, you can read more here.
Organic fertilizer or fertilizer with an organic long-term effect can consist of a wide variety of ingredients: For example, nitrogenous legumes, fermentation residues from the biogas plant, compost, green manure, algae, plant extracts or waste materials from the food and feed industry. If vegan fertilizers are made from by-products of the industry, no new resources have to be used for this, but the waste is recycled and reused.
In general, the nutrient concentration in vegan and especially organic fertilizers is lower than in conventional fertilizers. Therefore, you usually need a larger amount of vegan fertilizer. However, this can be just as effective as fertilizer with animal ingredients - it depends more on the nutrient composition and the amounts of nutrients contained.Organic vegan fertilizers release their nutrients slowly and gently to the plants. Our vegan organic fertilizers therefore have a three-month long-term effect. During this period you can sit back and relax and don't have to top up the fertilizer. On the other hand, vegan fertilizers are often a bit more expensive than their animal-based alternatives.
Benefits of Vegan Fertilizer
The biggest advantage of vegan fertilizer is obvious: No animal products are used, which are criticized for emitting large amounts of greenhouse gases and thus making a significant contribution to climate change. In addition, keeping animals consumes many more natural resources than growing crops, such as land or water. Vegan fertilizers that do not contain any animal ingredients protect the environment and have a lower CO2 footprint. Many gardeners are also deterred by the fact that many animal products could be contaminated with drug residues or germs. Especially when growing your own food, for example in a vegetable patch, there is a clear advantage with vegan fertilizer: the germ load is significantly lower and there are no residues of antibiotics or other medicines.
Vegan fertilizers with ingredients from organic farming also have the advantage that no chemical-synthetic fertilizers and no dangerous pesticides or plant protection products were used in their production. You get by without any chemicals. This is not only good for the environment, but also has a direct impact on the gardener: In contrast to many mineral alternatives, vegan fertilizers with organic long-term effects are absolutely harmless to humans and animals. This eliminates annoying waiting times after fertilization, for example by not walking on the lawn or not being able to harvest the vegetables.
Vegan fertilizers have additional advantages: They ensure the supply of all important plant nutrients. The organic components improve soil fertility, support soil life, improve the structure of the soil and increase the water and heat storage capacity of the soil. As a result of the slow conversion, there is little or no risk of over-fertilization or leaching. Last but not least, vegan fertilizers with organic long-term effects only release their nutrients to the plant when it really needs them. The conversion of the nutrients takes place depending on the temperature and humidity. This largely prevents a release from taking place when there is no plant growthdone.
The vegan fertilizer can have additional advantages, especially in use: Fertilizers of animal origin, such as guano or horn shavings, often have a penetrating odor that many gardeners find annoying. This is not the case with vegan fertilizer - the smell is usually much more subtle and is not perceived as unpleasant or penetrating after fertilization. At the same time, many vegan fertilizers are virtually dust-free - a great advantage, especially if you want to fertilize in dry summers.
Vegan fertilizers, which mainly consist of waste products from the feed or food industry, have an additional advantage in terms of sustainability: Here, resources are conserved and materials that would otherwise have ended up in the garbage are recycled. In some cases, these are full of valuable nutrients that you can use in the garden.
Benefits of organic vegan fertilizers with organic long-term effects at a glance:
- No ingredients derived from animals
- Lower CO2 footprint compared to animal and mineral fertilizers
- Lower germ load
- Free of antibiotic and drug residues
- Organic fertilizers are free from chemical pesticides and pesticides
- Environmentally friendly and harmless for humans and animals, as they do not require any chemicals
- Improve soil fertility and support active and he althy soil life
- Act gently and long-term exactly when the plant needs nutrients
- No obtrusive odor and almost dust-free
- Using waste products saves resources
Our Plantura organic fertilizers combine all these advantages. They are all 100% vegan, approved for organic farming, free of unnecessary chemicals, mainly organic with a low mineral content and consist largely of plant materials from recycling processes in food and feed production.
It is also possible to make your own vegan fertilizer. Kitchen waste can be used for this, for example. You can read all about the uses and benefits of coffee grounds as a fertilizer in our dedicated article on the subject.