Organic fertilization is increasingly being used in strawberry cultivation. Therefore, purely mineral fertilization with the a- and b-tank seems to be somewhat on the decline in strawberry cultivation. If a grower switches to this, what will it mean for managing their strawberry cultivation? What should be taken into account? This is a question that Bart Nelen, account manager at DCM, often hears. "Well, to begin with, it's good to know that we have mapped out the nutrients of our organic fertilizers very well. We know exactly what's in them and growers can fully rely on that. The crop remains, of course, leading: the visual appearance of the plant is and remains very important, just like with mineral fertilization."
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Plant Sap Analysis
"Additionally, you can also think about plant sap analyses," he continues. These analyses show at a very early stage what the plant needs. This is not yet visible in the crop, but the plant sap already shows it. Bart compares a plant sap analysis to an extensive blood analysis. "In that, you also see exactly what's lacking."
Plant sap analyses are no longer new in strawberry cultivation. It's being done more and more. Having an analysis carried out every two weeks is then the standard. And in critical periods, it's advisable to increase that frequency to, for example, every week.
Ecor
Back to the release of organic fertilizers. Bart talks about Ecor at DCM. Ecor stands for 'Efficient Controlled Organic Release'. So that's good for a continuous and controlled duration of action, over several months. He shows that DCM's organic fertilizers consist of various products such as grape seeds, bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, cocoa shells, hoof meal, vinasse extract. Each raw material has its own nutrient value and release pattern. "Thanks to that knowledge, we can cleverly combine raw materials with a balanced release over several months as a result," Bart concludes. "No worries."
For more information:
Bart Nelen
DCM
Tel.: +31 (0)6 12909147
bne@dcm-info.nl
www.dcm-info.nl