If you want to offer your roses a natural fertilizer, you can also use horn shavings or horn meal. Both are good organic fertilizers that contain the nutrients roses need for healthy growth. But the main question here is the differences between the two fertilizers. Or is there no difference and there are two different names for the same fertilizer?
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differences
Horn meal and horn shavings both come from the same waste product, namely the horn of the slaughtered animals. Thus, both fertilizers also offer the same nutrients. However, there is one relevant difference that should be kept in mind when fertilizing the roses:
- Horn meal is a short-term fertilizer
- Horn shavings are a long-term fertilizer
This is because the nutrients in the flour have already been crushed and can therefore be absorbed more quickly by the roots through the irrigation water. This means that the nutrients are used up more quickly and the roses have to be fertilized more often. Chips, on the other hand, are a long-term fertilizer. The nutrients are only released slowly and are only absorbed by the plant later, but are also available in the soil for a longer period of time.
The right moment
The right time must be selected for fertilizing with horn fertilizer. As a long-term fertilizer, the shavings are always applied at the beginning of the vegetation phase or when the roses are planted. Since the nutrients are only released slowly, it is then completely sufficient to top up again after about three months. The flour, on the other hand, is an instant fertilizer that should be given when necessary. This can be the case in the following situations:
- in late winter
- in addition to the horn shavings
- this way, the plant can get started straight away with fertilizer
- whenever rose has not been fertilized for a long time
Instructions for fertilizing roses with horn
The flour is a short-term fertilizer, because the nutrients are broken up so far that they can penetrate directly into the soil and can be absorbed from here with the irrigation water via the roots. Horn shavings, on the other hand, are long-term fertilizers. For both types of fertilizer, however, the same procedure should be followed when fertilizing. So the flour as well as the shavings should not only be sprinkled on the ground but also folded under. Otherwise the contained nitrogen escapes into the air and the fertilization shows no success. Therefore, the fertilization should be done as follows:
- Sprinkle horn fertilizer around roses
- Soil should be moist
- Carefully fold in with a hand rake
- Put directly into the planting hole when planting
- alternatively mix into the compost
- then work everything together
Horn fertilizer as liquid fertilizer
If you find it too much work to mix the horn meal or the shavings under the ground regularly, you can also use liquid fertilizer that you can make yourself. The instructions for the extraction of liquid horn fertilizer are therefore as follows:
- Use horn shavings
- Put in a bowl or bottle
- Pour lukewarm water over them
- let it steep for several days
This liquid fertilizer can now be used like any other liquid fertilizer available on the market. It is fertilized every couple of weeks. For this purpose, a cap of horny liquid fertilizer is added to the irrigation water and given to the roses.
disadvantage
If you fertilize your roses with horn, regardless of whether it is shavings or flour, there are unfortunately not only advantages, but also some disadvantages that should be considered when fertilizing. Therefore, the following should also be considered:
- good nitrogen supplier
- must be worked into the ground
- otherwise the gas will escape
- Nitrogen does not get to the plant on the surface
- exclusive fertilization with horn too one-sided
- combine with mineral fertilizers
- alternatively organic fertilizers
- e.g. blood or bone meal
Conclusion
If you want to fertilize your roses with horn meal or shavings, you should know that the flour is intended for short-term fertilization, while the horn shavings act as a long-term fertilizer. In addition to other nutrients, horn also contains nitrogen, which stimulates the growth of plants. If the instructions for fertilization are followed exactly, beautiful and strong roses can be expected. However, horn should not be used as the only fertilizer and should always be mixed and added with other organic or mineral fertilizers.
