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With this provocative title, we want to take you into the world of plant nutrients and the two different ways in which plants can be supplied with nutrients. Most gardening enthusiasts and most gardening channels still think that it is necessary to supply plants with nutrients directly. This classic "fertilizer theory" is actually still relatively new (a few decades old) and only really gained momentum after the Second World War. This fertilizer theory states that a plant can only feed on nutrients dissolved in water. Due to the regular removal through harvesting, these nutrients must therefore be regularly replaced. This fertilizer theory is correct for dead soil - if you only consider the soil as a plant location. In our case, however, the soil feeds the plant - or, to put it more precisely, this task is carried out by the microorganisms in the soil, which constantly transport nutrients in exchange for an exchange of energy (root excretions). If the biology in the soil works perfectly, the main nutrient nitrogen can be synthesized directly from the air and made available to the plants. This is not only due to the nodule bacteria in the soil, but also to a large number of other releasing bacteria and fungi. Phosphorus, on the other hand, is mainly mobilized by the root fungi (mycorrhiza) and can be transported to the plants from a distance of up to 200m. Potassium, on the other hand, is released from the rock minerals mainly by bacteria. This biological plant nutrition works much more reliably and better - the prerequisite for this is that you constantly look after this soil biology - that is, it is protected (mulching), not disturbed (no soil cultivation) and constantly supplied with energy (living plant roots). In pots, the situation is somewhat different - here, perfect biology can very rarely be established, or the nutrient supply for the biology must be significantly larger. Incidentally, with all potting soils from Sonnenerde, the nutrient supply is sufficient for the entire season - so you only need to water the plants in Sonnenerde and never fertilize them. The absolute highlight in this context is our organic black soil, where the microbiology has been precisely tailored to the functions described and fertilization is no longer necessary throughout the plant's life. Nature always works in cycles and the organic gardener therefore also returns the nutrients in a well-bound form - e.g. in the form of compost or in the form of mulch material. However, this is not "fertilization" in the classic sense, but rather feeding and promoting soil biology.