When we think about houseplants, vegetable gardens or even the lawn, we can never forget that they need to be fertilized regularly to ensure their growth. Although we find mineral fertilizers available in the main gardening shops, there is an alternative to natural fertilization, which can be prepared in our home. Whether because of the environment or for economic reasons, homemade fertilizers offer several advantages.
If your choice is to produce your own fertilizer, here are some tips:
1 - Make your own fertilizer:
If you have a place to build your own homemade compost, this is the best way to make your natural fertilizer. You can incorporate garden waste and some household waste.
Then you let it decompose for a few months, stirring regularly. Once well degraded, you only have to apply it to the base of your plants, vegetable garden, etc.
2 - Natural fertilizers produced from household waste:
The simplest natural fertilizers come from household waste. The following are some of the household rubbish that you probably have on hand. Here's how to use them as a natural fertilizer for your plants or vegetable garden:
• Coffee Bean: make it a habit every morning to keep coffee grounds in a container. This powder is an excellent source of phosphorus and nitrogen, two essential ingredients to keep your indoor plants green and lettuce in the garden healthy. Incorporate regularly into the soil of your plants. On the other hand, avoid applying it during the flowering period, because nitrogen promotes the growth of leaves at the expense of flowers.
• Tea bags: make a second infusion with the used tea bags, which you will then add to the irrigation water of your plants. Tea residues contain carbohydrates, an element that promotes beautiful flowering.
• Egg shells: after cooking, wash and dry the egg shells completely before crushing them. You can apply it to the soil of your plants, providing them with the calcium, magnesium and potassium they need.
• Banana peels: another excellent source of potassium. Just cut into small pieces and add them to the soil of your plants, or make an infusion that will add to the irrigation water.
• Wood ash: in fact, wood ash is an excellent natural fertilizer for the lawn and vegetable garden. Apply a thin layer to the lawn or garden soil, and rain and watering will be responsible for incorporating this natural fertilizer.
3 - Nettle as fertilizer for the garden:
Although considered by many to be an undesirable plant, nettle can be very useful in the garden for plant feeding. Just cook and let the plant marinate for a few days in a bucket of water. Then, dilute this sludge with water and apply it to the base of your fruit trees and garden flowers.
4 - The use of comfrey:
Following the same principle as cooking nettle, cook comfrey leaves to make it a natural fertilizer for plants. You can then dilute it with water to feed and encourage the flowering of your ornamental plants.
5 - Other natural plant-based fertilizers:
Many ornamental plants or vegetables can be fed with their own waste. For example, if you grow geraniums in pots or in the garden, know that you can also use the stems to make a natural fertilizer. When pruning your geraniums, make it a habit to store the stems that you will soak for a few weeks in the water.
6 - Magnesium sulfate as a natural fertilizer:
An excellent source of magnesium and sulfur, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate can be used as a natural fertilizer for tomatoes and roses. Add a tablespoon of magnesium sulfate to four liters of water. Dilute well and water your tomatoes and roses, or any other plant whose foliage looks pale green.
7 - The cooking water of your vegetables:
Did you know that you can use the cooking water for your vegetables to make it a natural fertilizer for your plants? Rich in nutrients needed by plants, the cooking water of vegetables can be applied once cooled, without dilution, directly to the soil of your plants.
The proposed fertilizers are used to provide plants with the nutrients and minerals they need for their health. They nourish the plants and, thus, promote their growth, good flowering and fruiting. Plants with nutritional deficiencies show signs of deficiency, are more insignificant and more susceptible to disease.
