Organic fertilizers are made of animal and plant waste. You can also make them from highly-refined products with a manure or compost base. These materials are beneficial to the soil; they increase the nutrient levels and enhance the soils’ ability to hold water.
10 Natural Fertilizers Which You Can Make on Your Own
You can make several natural fertilizers for your garden and yard. Before you start wondering what you need and how to make natural fertilizers, the items are readily available. Here are 10 organic fertilizers you can start making right now:
Green Tea
Who knew that green tea bags could be used as fertilizers for plants? Don’t throw away your tea bags; recycle them. Green tea contains antioxidants which are useful for the plants. It helps the roots to grow by improving nutrient content in the soil.
Eggshells
Eggshells contain high calcium content necessary for cell growth; this means they make the best fertilizers for vegetables. They also contain traces of sodium and phosphorus. Crush or soak them overnight and add to the soil.
Coffee Grounds
If you love espresso coffee, you have potential fertilizers for flowers. You can utilize the leftovers by putting them into the soil or compost. Coffee grounds are effective, not only because they contain nitrogen, but because they release it with time. To get the best results, do this in spring.
Molasses
The best thing about utilizing home made lawn fertilizers is that you know exactly what you are using. Molasses are beneficial to the soil and plants because they increase microbes and provide bacteria for the microbes to feed. This makes your plants healthy, and they grow faster. Molasses tea is easy to make, mix 1-3 tablespoons of organic molasses in a water gallon. Add this to your plants weekly.
Grass Clippings
Having an organic lawn provides many benefits, like making natural fertilizers. You don’t need to throw away your grass clippings; they make the best organic lawn fertilizer. Recycle them by returning them in your yard. You can also add organic materials to the clippings to improve the soil, especially if it consists of heavy clay or sand. Leaving your clippings on the lawn will not increase thatch.
Manure
Manure has multiple sources such as cows, bats, chicken, and horses. Although each contains high nitrogen levels, you need to be cautious. This is because raw manure contains high acidic levels and can be more than your vegetables and plants need. Too much is harmful and can burn the vegetation. The best thing to do is to utilize compost manure, which is less acidic and nutrient-dense. This means you can use as much as you want without risking your plants, and it helps the soil to retain water.
Weeds
Using weeds is an inexpensive way of making organic fertilizer. The materials are growing in your yard— for instance, chickweed, yellow dock, nettles, burdock, among others. You can utilize these materials in different ways; you can mix them or use them to boost your compost. Also, if the weeds had not started on the flowering stage, you can cut, dry, and then use them as mulch.
Seaweed
You don’t need to wash seaweed to get rid of salt. You can buy dry ones from the stall; however, both fresh and dried varieties are excellent for use. Seaweed is an excellent product for your soil because it contains trace elements used by soil microbes as food.
Banana Peels
When going organic, nothing is wasted. Bananas contain not only potassium but also phosphorus and calcium, which make excellent fertilizers for fruit plants and trees as well as flowering plants. You can put the banana peels in the soil; for that, decompose or freeze overripe bananas and bury them close to your vegetation.
Wood Ash
Wood ash is easy to get, especially if you have a fireplace. It is an excellent organic fertilizer because of its alkaline nature. However, if you have berries, don’t use this fertilizer near them because they thrive in acidic conditions.
Conclusion
Organic fertilizers are beneficial for us, the soil, and the environment. If you try one of the mentioned, you will know what organic fruits and vegetables taste like.
Which natural fertilizers would you like to try? Let us know in the comments!
Author’s Bio: Rae-Rae is a freelance blogger who loves nature and everything about being outdoors. Her articles enlighten people on the importance of embracing organic plants and fertilizers, and she knows how to choose the best gas weed eater or what flowers will be perfect for your gardens. She spends her free time reading magazines in her organic backyard.
