Lettuce and spinach are the “cut and come again” type of leafy green vegetables. So, they need plenty of plant food to grow more healthy leaves and there are many fertilizers available in the market today. But all may not be good for your lettuce and spinach.
And remember, the wrong fertilizer can burn the leaves and make the plant sensitive to diseases and insects. Now the question; what is the best fertilizer for lettuce, spinach, and other leafy vegetables?
In short, the specially formulated for herb and vegetable from the renowned brand are the best for lettuce and spinach. Also, the perfect fertilizer should contain the most required nutrients with the perfect ratio.
And here I will review the 7 best fertilizer for lettuce and spinach. You can pick any of these for your “cut and come again” vegetables
In a Hurry? Here is a quick recommendation for your different kinds of in-ground or container lettuce and spinach including butterhead lettuce, Batavia lettuce, green lettuce, Malabar spinach, Savoy, and semi savoy spinach.
Best Fertilizer for Lettuce and Spinach-Comparisons
| Fertilizer | NPK | Type | Form | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jobe’s Organics 9026 Fertilizer | 2-5-3 | Organic | Granular | |
| Espoma Garden-Tone Plant Food | 3-4-4 | Organic | Granular | |
| Dr. Earth Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer | 4-6-3 | Organic | Granular | |
| Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food | 18-18-21 | Inorganic | Granular | |
| General Hydroponics MaxiGro Food | 10-5-14 | Inorganic | Granular | |
| AeroGarden Liquid Nutrients | 4-3-6 | Inorganic | Liquid | |
| Jobe's Organics Herb Fertilizer | 4-3-3 | Organic | Spikes |
Best Fertilizer for Lettuce and Spinach-Reviews
1.Jobe’s Organics 9026 Fertilizer
The NPK ratio of this fertilizer is 2-5-3. That means it contains 2% nitrogen,5% phosphate, and 3% potash as the primary food of the vegetables. Also, the fertilizer contains a sufficient amount of other nutrients including calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.
The good news; the fertilizer has both water-soluble and water-insoluble nutrients. Water-soluble nutrients dissolve quickly and feed your most hungry vegetables quickly and water-insoluble nutrients dissolve slowly and feed the plant continuously.
You know, it is an OMRI-listed organic fertilizer. That means it has no toxic chemicals. Yes, it’s true. It is formulated from some natural and organic ingredients such as bone meal, poultry manure, and sulfate of potash.
Lastly; Biozome is the most likable feature of this fertilizer. This fertilizer has a healthy blend of bacteria, Mycorrhizal fungi, and Archaea that can protect your vegetable from disease, pest, and stress.
So, you can pick this biodegradable, sustainable, and environment-friendly fertilizer for all kinds of lettuce, spinach, and other vegetables. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoon per seedling of lettuce and spinach every 4-6 weeks to produce more green leaves.
2.Espoma GT4 Garden-Tone Plant Food
According to the NPK ratio, this fertilizer contains 3% nitrogen,4% phosphate, and 4% potash. You will be happy to know, the 2.2% nitrogen has been coated for slow release that can feed your vegetables slowly without doing any harm.
Plus, this fertilizer also contains 12 other nutrients including 5% calcium,1% magnesium,and 2% sulfur.All the 15 nutrients are enough to meet the nutritional demand of lettuce and spinach.
Like all good organic fertilizers, it is also derived from some natural and eco-friendly ingredients such as feather meal, bone meal, poultry manure, alfalfa meal, green sand, sulfate of potash, and sulfate of magnesia.
Want to know the best part of this fertilizer? Bio Tone formula is that part. Bio tone is the combination of 60 lakh colony-forming units per gram of soil that can make your plant healthy and disease and pest-resistant.
To apply this garden fertilizer for spinach and lettuce-
Sprinkle 1/3 cup per plant; For seedlings apply after 7-10 days and apply 30 days interval for the established plant. Read the label for more specific dosages and schedules.
3.Dr. Earth Tomato, Vegetable & Herb Fertilizer
Specifically, it has 4% nitrogen,6% phosphate,3% potash, and 4.7% calcium as the plant nutrients. Also, it contains optimum levels of other nutrients but the manufacturer didn’t mention the ratio.
In my opinion, it is the best slow-release fertilizer for lettuce, spinach, and other growing vegetables. Want to know why? Because the total amount of nitrogen comes in a water-insoluble form which can feed the plants continuously up to a month.
All the fertilizers from Dr.Earth are formulated from some organic and no toxic ingredients. There is no exception to this fertilizer. It is formulated from fish bone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, kelp flour, kelp meal, potassium sulfate, and rock phosphate.
You will be happy to know that it is an OMRI, OIM, CCOF, NOP, and Non-GMO Project Verified fertilizer. So, there is no doubt about the organicness of the fertilizer.
Trubiotic inside formula is the signature feature of this fertilizer. A handcrafted blend of healthy soil microbes contains in the fertilizer that makes the plant healthy and helps to root formation.
To get the abundant yield-
Apply 1 ½ cups for every 10 square feet growing area and ½ cup for 5 gallons potting media. Apply every month throughout the growing season. Take a look backside of the fertilizer to know the dosages and schedule.
4.Miracle-Gro Water Soluble Plant Food Vegetables & Herbs
According to the granular analysis, this fertilizer has an 18-18-21 NPK ratio. That means, it contains 18% nitrogen,18% phosphate, and 21% potash as the primary plant nutrients. Also, it has an adequate amount of secondary nutrients including boron, copper, iron, zinc, manganese, and molybdenum.
All the nutrients come in a water-soluble form that can feed your most hungry vegetables instantly. Another good news; most of the micronutrients have a chelated coat that prevents them from different kinds of soil reaction and makes them always available for plants.
It is an inorganic fertilizer. But it is completely safe for edible vegetables and herbs. So, you can pick this fertilizer for your lettuce and spinach
But remember; it is a quick-release fertilizer. That’s why you will get results quickly but the nutrients don’t stay in the soil for a longer period of time. So, you need to apply this fertilizer frequently.
To get a healthy and beautiful result-
Pour 1 tablespoon per gallon of water and soak the base of the vegetables every 7 to 10 days.
5.General Hydroponics MaxiGro Plant Food For Vigorous Growth
The NPK ratio of this fertilizer is 10-5-4. As you saw, this fertilizer has a higher amount of nitrogen(10%) that will boost up the vegetative growth of your vegetables. Also, it has some other required nutrients for leafy vegetables such as calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and manganese.
It is a synthetic fertilizer. The manufacturer and users claim that it has no toxic and harmful chemicals for vegetables. It is derived from some safe and no toxic chemicals.
No matter what are the growing conditions, you apply this fertilizer to promote vegetative growth of leafy vegetables in hydroponic, pots, or soil media.
Mix 1-2 tablespoons into a gallon of water and apply to your vegetables once per week to get the vibrant and healthy leaves.
6.AeroGarden Liquid Nutrients
This fertilizer comes with a 4-3-6 NPK ratio. And this is the perfect ratio of primary nutrients for seedlings to established vegetables. Besides NPK, it also contains other plant food including calcium, magnesium.
It is an inorganic synthetic fertilizer and it is derived from some safe and no toxic chemicals such as potassium nitrate, calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate, and monopotassium phosphate. So, you don’t need to worry about the damage to your plant because of this fertilizer.
You can apply this fertilizer to hydroponics plants to outdoor plants. To apply this liquid fertilizer-
Mix 4 ml to a gallon of water and pour the solution around the base of the plants. Read the label to know the hydroponics dosages.
7.Jobe’s Organics Herb Fertilizer Spikes
According to the fertilizer analysis, it contains 4% nitrogen,3% phosphate, and 3% potash. The good news, this fertilizer has both water-soluble and insoluble nutrients that feed your plant instantly and continuously.
Also, the fertilizer may contain other plant nutrients. Sad but true the manufacturer didn’t mention the ratio.
This organic and kid-friendly fertilizer is derived from natural and organic sources such as feather meal, bone meal, and sulfate of potash.
Like all other Jobe’s Organics, it also has a combination of some beneficial soil microbes that are called Biozome.
The best part of the spike fertilizer is easy to apply and lower the chance of runoff by surface water. There is no exception to Jobe’s Organic Spike fertilizer.
To apply the spike- Simply insert a spike fertilizer edge on the pot for potted vegetables and insert 8 spikes for a square foot vegetable bed.
What Nutrients Does Lettuce & Spinach Need to Grow?
Plants need almost 17 nutrients to complete the life cycle. But all the nutrients are not required in the same amount for all plants. Three nutrients are primary nutrients out of 17 nutrients. Those are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Now let’s see what is the role of the primary nutrients in the plants.
Nitrogen is the main component for chlorophyll and you know chlorophyll absorbs sunlight and produces sugar for plants. That’s why nitrogen needs to produce green leaves.
Phosphorus needs for root development, new growth, and plant maturity.Potassium required for overall plant health and fruit formation.
Lettuce and spinach are leafy vegetables. We don’t need fruit. So, the balanced amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium(example 4-4-4), or the lower potassium fertilizer (example 2-5-3) is perfect for lettuce and spinach.
But some water-soluble fertilizer has higher potash that also can be perfect for leafy vegetables. Because water-soluble nutrients wash out quickly.
Besides, those vegetables need little amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron, boron, zinc, and manganese.
How often Should You Fertilize lettuce & Spinach?
The best time to feed lettuce and spinach is the growing season. You can apply fertilizer to your growing lettuce and spinach once per month or twice per month.
The application schedule must depend on the type of fertilizer. Slow-release granular fertilizer can feed a longer period of time. In contrast, water-soluble liquid fertilizer feeds quickly. So, you need to apply fast-release fertilizer frequently.
Read the label of your fertilizer to know the exact schedule to apply fertilizer.
Best Homemade Fertilizer For Lettuce and Spinach
You know leafy vegetables need higher nitrogen than potassium. Now I will give you a recipe that helps you to make the fertilizer for lettuce, spinach, and other leafy vegetables at home-
Items Required-
- 2 cups of coffee grounds
- 1 cup bone meal
- 1 cup crushed banana peel(dry the peels in sun and grind)
- 1 tablespoon Epsom salt
Steps-
- Mix all the ingredients together.
- Apply 1-2 tablespoons to your vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to eat vegetables grown with Miracle-Gro?
Yes, it is safe to eat vegetables grown with Miracle-Gro. Miracle-Gro is a well-known brand of inorganic fertilizer. They have been formulating their fertilizer from some non-toxic chemicals. So, you can apply Miracle-Gro without hesitation.
Are coffee grounds good for lettuce and Spinach?
Coffee grounds are the natural and organic source of nitrogen for the plant. And you know leafy vegetables need extra nitrogen to produce more green and vibrant leaves. So, you can apply coffee grounds to lettuce and Spinach as good plant food.
But remember; too much nitrogen burns the plant leaves and increases the attack of pests and diseases.
Is Epsom salt good for lettuce and Spinach?
Epsom salt provides magnesium to the plant and you know magnesium is an essential plant nutrient. So, you can mix 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt per gallon of water and apply to your vegetables once per month.
Can I use tomato feed on lettuce?
Yes! You can feed tomato and vegetable fertilizer to your lettuce. Because some fertilizers are specially formulated for both tomato and lettuce. You can check the fertilizer label to know where you can apply besides tomato.
Conclusion
Lettuce and spinach are leafy green vegetables that have lots of health benefits. But to cultivate those successfully you must take good care. Plant them in moist and well-draining soil and apply water and fertilizer regularly.
After tons of research, I found the best fertilizer for spinach and lettuce. I have reviewed those fertilizers for you. I will be glad if you find the perfect fertilizer for your lettuce, spinach, and other green vegetables from this article. Happy Gardening!
