You started your garden recently and you bought herb and flowers from the nursery nearby. It feels so good right? I agree. The feeling is amazing. But tending to your garden is like raising a new born. It needs all the TLC from nutrition to watering needs to sunlight. In one of our previous blogs, we talked about Soil Nutrition. Today, let’s look at the few fertilizers that are available in your everyday use at home and don’t need to bought from the store.
1.) Banana peels: Bananas are not only energy boosters for us but also for your plant babies. Potassium, one of the primary nutrients needed for photosynthesis and for hardy stem growth and flowering and fruiting is abundantly available in bananas. Throw the banana peels or a whole banana into the soil and mix them into the soil a little under the top layer for beautiful blooms and healthy plants.
2.) Egg shells: Simply wash them first and crush them to mix into your potting mix or just sprinkle them in the top layer of the soil for a calcium boost for new cell and root growth. As the plant grows, the calcium gets leeched from the soil and needs to be replenished which can be done through the egg shells which are rich in calcium.
3.) Wood Ash: Don’t throw away the ashes from your wood fire. An ample source of potassium and calcium carbonate, wood ash is ideal to increase the alkalinity in soil.
4.) Coffee Grounds: Just like us, even plants need that cuppa joe every now and then. Coffee grounds are specifically useful for plants that are a bit more acidic in nature like tomatoes, blueberries, avocados, roses etc. A good source of nitrogen, dry the coffee grounds and sprinkle them over the soil in your Garden Bed and mix them as mulch. Avoid adding them wet, as they can clump and get moldy.
5.) Epsom salts: A good source of Sulphur and magnesium, Epsom salts can be used to mix in water and added to plants for that nutrition boost. Magnesium helps in absorption of other nutrition like phosphorus, Sulphur and nitrogen and strengthening the cells. This is especially beneficial for tomatoes, potatoes and roses. Just add a tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water to use in the plants.
There are many other everyday homemade items that can used as organic fertilizers, rather than store bought chemically induced nutrition for your plants which can be heavy on your pockets as well as full of pesticides as well. Like Whey is an excellent source of amino acids for larger vegetable yields and better plants, or yard waste like pine needles, dried leaves, grass clippings are perfect organic matter that can used as mulch for your plants.
