$aving your hard-earned dollar with homemade fertilizers
Installing a home garden can be very rewarding as you connect with nature on the great outdoors, Some of the benefits of constructing a garden involve increasing your properties value, providing foods such as editable gardens, gardening for beautification, installing plants for security purpose, wildlife gardening which is so amazing and so much more.
But one thing to keep in mind is garden plants no matter what type need nutrients in order to grow healthy. Plant nutrients are the building blocks of garden plants, therefore, it’s of utmost importance that we give our garden plants what they need.
There are many types of fertilizers that are sold on that market which have proven to get the job done fertilizers such as quick and control release which are synthetics or inorganics and organics such as horse cow, or chicken manure which are a bi-product of their excrement. For more on quick and slow-release fertilizers follow the links which are provided.
A different approach has been taken, however, these approaches are not new but have been around for some time and have proven to be effective, what makes this approach more inviting is that it will not cause you a thing (your earned dollar) but a part of your time.
What you have growing in your backyard or stored in your refrigerator can save you on that hard-earned dollar while benefiting your garden plants. Let’s take a closer look at how this is done, stick around this will be worth your time.
11 Homemade Fertilizers that will not cause you a Penny
Below is a list of items that can be found in your kitchen or backyard which can be used as plant nutrients.
Grass Clippings
1. Grass clippings can be used to fertilize our lawns and our garden plants. Ensure that the grass is disease and insects-free first before recycling back into the lawn, lightly rake, or place by spreading around your flower plants.
Plant Leaves
2. Plant leaves will also enrich your soil, leaves which have fallen to the ground either because of pruning or through natural means by shedding can be gathered and raked or place at the base of garden plants will work wonders. Ensure that the leaves are disease and insect free otherwise using leaves which has any one of these conditions can affect healthy plants.
Eggshells
3. The use of eggshells has proven to be very effective when it’s used in the garden. After you have that sumptuous breakfast of scramble eggs save the eggshells, as you include eggs in your favorite recipes save those shells also.
When you have sufficient eggshells that are dried place these shells in a plastic bag and with your fist or some other hard object lightly break the eggshells up, once done take the eggshells into your garden and sprinkle around your plants. This eggshell serves two purposes, first the jagged edges from the eggshell will keep snails and slugs out of your garden by cutting into their bodies which is very painful secondly as the eggshells break down will add calcium to your garden soil which in turn is taken up by your plants.
Creating a compost pile with kitchen scraps
4. The use of kitchen scraps has become a common thing when it comes to organic gardening, scraps should include leftover vegetables and fruits and or their peels. Meat products should be avoided, eggshells can also be used, with these products build your very own compost pile. This natural organic will help your veggies, herbs, fruits and flowering plants grow their best. For more on how this is done follow these links. Creating a compost pile and Indoor composting.
Manures
5. If you have access to or maybe you might own animals such as a horse, cow, or chickens, the excrement or the manure from these animals have been used for years on garden plants. This manure is a great organic, will do your plants so much good, before using manures from these animals ensure that the manure is dried because fresh manure will burn the plant’s roots.
Banana Peels
6. Banana peels are loaded with potassium, potassium is one of the primary or major elements which garden plants needs. After you peel that banana don’t trash the peels rather provided that you have a rose bush dig a hole at the base of your rose bush and bury the peels, as the peel breaks down or decomposes will add potassium to your rose bush.
Epsom Salt
7. Epsom Salt is used to take away pain after a hard day of work but do you know that Epsom salt is beneficial for plant growth. Place one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a one-gallon jug of water shaken well and add to a 32 oz spray bottle and apply to your garden plants foliage (leaves) once a month will supply your garden plants with the needed sulfur and magnesium.
Cooking Water
8. The use of cooking water is said to be beneficial, vegetables which are boiled in water can be poured around garden plants once cool. This water has some nutrients and will benefit your garden plants.
Coffee Grounds
9. A hot beverage that can be found mostly during the morning hours is coffee, it is so amazing how a fresh pot of coffee smells in the morning. This drink is a favorite of many worldwide, do you know that the coffee grounds can be used to give your garden plants a boost.
Simply work coffee grounds into the first few inches of soil around your garden plants at the base. Coffee grounds are great to add to a vegetable garden and garden plants such as roses and magnolias. Coffee grounds are loaded with nutrients and will increase the soil’s acid level.
FirePlace Ash
10. Fireplace ash also has its place in the garden, simply work the ash in the few top inches of soil around your garden plants and you are good to go. Fireplace ash will provide your garden plants with potassium and calcium carbonate.
Weed Tea
11. The presence of weeds can turn a dream garden or landscape into a nightmare so we do all that we can to ensure that they don’t ruin our gardens taking away from their beauty, weeds also compete with our garden plants for moisture, sunlight, and nutrients.
Weeds harbor garden insect pests and help to encourage disease but do you know that even though there are so many negatives against weeds there is a silver lining or positive when it comes to weeds, make no mistake about it there is a bright side to having weeds in your garden.
Garden weeds are loaded with nitrogen and guess what your garden plants can benefit from this abundance of nitrogen simply add weeds to a five-gallon bucket, the bucket should be half full or a little more than half.
Fill the bucket with water and let sit for 2 weeks, the water should take on a brownish appearance with an odor that is not that pleasant. Remove the weeds from the bucket and pour this water at the soil surface around your garden plants this weed tea will work wonders.
The final word
What you need for your garden plants to flourish does not have to cause you an arm and a leg so to speak, fertilizers can be very expensive and some of them can do much damage if they are not applied correctly. But going organic by using what is found in your kitchen and back yard has proven to be very beneficial and it won’t cause you a dime except a little of your time so give these proven methods a try I assure you you will be glad that you did.
About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.