The more people expand their gardens, the better. There are less and less organic foods in stores nowadays which makes growing your own veggies an even greater priority for many families.
The best way to avoid disease is by not eating bad foods and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. One important step in this process is organic gardening!
Growing organic food means using a healthy mix of fertilizers, instead of resorting to chemicals and hazardous ones that might kill your plants.
There are three things that plants need to survive and thrive: potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Store bought chemical fertilizers typically provide these nutrients but you can also give your plant plenty of those without the harsh chemical by just making it yourself with stuff from around the house!
Take a look at these recipes on how to make the best organic fertilizers and help yourself by helping your plants grow strong!
1. Coffee Grounds Fertilizer
When you drink your morning coffee, don’t forget that it’s full of nutrients for the garden. Coffee grounds work as a fertilizer and can be used to increase acidity in soil which will make roses grow healthier than ever before!
Add your leftover coffee grounds in the soil and see how your plants grow healthier and happier.
2. DIY Molasses Fertilizer
In order to help your plants grow bigger and healthier, it is necessary that they have a thorough diet.
One way of doing this is by adding molasses compost tea once per week in the form of 1-3 tablespoons mixed with water for each plant you want to fertilize as well as maintain its growth patterns throughout all seasons – not just winter!
3. Organic Tea Fertilizer
Gardeners have been using this simple tea fertilizer for centuries. It’s easy to make and provides nutrients; simply mix 1/4 cup of Epsom salt with 2 cups urine (I know it sounds odd, but it works wonders), then fill 5-gallon bucket up with grass clippings or weeds that you pull from the garden!
Fill the bucket with water to the top and allow your tea leaves to steep for 3 days. Strain them afterwards, dilute by half then add it into a small container of soil around each plant that requires more nutrients.
4. Straight Epsom Salt Fertilizer
If you want something more simple, mix Epsom salt with water. This is a great way to give your plants the basic nutrients they need without adding unnecessary chemicals or fertilizers!
Add one tablespoon of Epsom salt in a gallon of water and add this solution to both indoor and outdoor plants.
5. Seaweed Fertilizer
This recipe has been used for centuries in people’s gardens. Seaweed contains mannitol which will help you increase the ability of your plants, especially those that prefer dry soil or poor drainage conditions like cacti and succulents! You will need 8 cups chopped seaweed (dry or fresh).
Fill a 5 gallon halfway with water and add the seaweed. Let it stay for 3 weeks, strain then mix half your Seaweed Tea into 2 liters of tap water to use on plants!
6. Grass Clippings Tea
The most famous organic fertilizer is grass clippings tea. Place fresh cuttings in a 5 gallon bucket and cover with water for five days, then dilute the mixture by adding 10 cups of fresh water to 1 cup of tea and pour over your garden soil.
7. Gelatin Fertilizer
Gelatin is a great source of nitrogen that your soil needs to produce healthy plants.
Dissolve plain gelatin in hot water, then add 3 cups cold and pour on top once every month! This is a great recipe for indoor plants as well!
8. Banana Peel Fertilizer
Bury your banana peels in the soil at the base of plants, and allow them to decompose. You can also freeze overripe bananas and bury next to or on top of plantings for another nutrition boost!
You can also make a spray by soaking banana peels in water for about 2-3 days and spray this solution on your plants.
9. DIY Fish Emulsion Fertilizer
Fish waste and the water where your fish are swimming in is a great fertilizer for plants. This has been used for centuries and it takes more time to create, but provides surprising results!
Remember that if you decide use this recipe as a fertilizer the smell won’t be pleasant – so be prepared. Pour 2 parts water and 1 part of fish into a 55-gallon drum. Leave it overnight, before filling with more fresh water until the drum is filled to the top, then cover tightly for 3 weeks.
Fertilize your garden with this organic fertilizer, which can be diluted in 3 gallons of water per 100 square feet. Apply around plants to repel weeds and encourage lush growth!
10. Egg Shell Fertilizer
In addition to being a great source of calcium, egg shells also have trace minerals that help plants grow. As coffee grounds you might have them every day at your house!
The shell contain plenty in there for cellular development and growth so it’s no wonder gardeners love this fertilizer too.
Crush up some eggshells and add them to the soil. If you want to make an eggshell spray, add 20 eggshells into 1 gallon of water.
Boil the shells in water for a few minutes and leave this mixture to sit for 24 hours. The next day, strain the shells and spray over your plants with your egg shell fertilizer.
11. Quick Fix Fertilizer Tea
If you have only a few minutes to spare, you can make this simple and quick fertilizer tea. Simply add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of ammonia, 3 teaspoons of instant iced tea, and 3 teaspoons of molasses into a gallon of water.
Then, add 3 tablespoons of molasses and 3 tablespoons of 3% hydrogen peroxide with 1/4 cup of crushed bone scraps, 1 crushed egg shell, and 1/2 dried banana peel. Once everything is added, fill the gallon with water and, let it stay for an hour and water your plants.
12. Fireplace Ash Fertilizer
Fireplace ash contains calcium carbonate and potassium, which are necessary for plants. Add it to your garden bed before planting!
13. Manure Tea
Manure from any farm can be used for fertilizing and many people have been using it in their gardens ever since.
You will need a shovel full of aged manure, so don’t get anything too fresh or else your tea may taste wrong! You can make this fertilizer by soaking old manure in tea for two weeks. Just dilute the solution with water and use it as an organic alternative!
14. Vinegar Fertilizer
Vinegar can be a powerful tool for gardeners. It’s acetic acid works great on roses and other houseplants as well as vegetables in your yard!
To make this homemade fertilizer, just combine one tablespoon of white vinegar with water to create gallon solution that you apply about once every three months – it’s guaranteed good luck!
15. DIY Bone Meal Fertilizer
Bone meal is an amazing organic fertilizer and another way to use up things that you would probably throw out otherwise.
You can make your own bone meal by boiling chicken bones for two days (turn it of at night, let them sit). After days of boiling, the bones will be soft enough to grind up with water in a blender.
Add this solution beneath plants for an enriched soil that provides nutrients and keeps them healthy