Fertilizers are very important in gardening to nourish the soil.
Except that the ones we usually buy in stores are filled with chemicals .
And I hate using harmful products when it comes to growing my plants!
So today, I'm going to show you how to make 100% organic homemade fertilizers much cheaper.
And don't worry, it's not hard to do.
All the necessary ingredients are already in the garden or in your cupboards.
The proof, I've only been doing this for years and it works really well.
Discover 10 natural and free fertilizers that are extremely effective for the garden. Watch:
If you have an organic lawn, collect your grass clippings to use in the garden.
2cm of grass clippings makes an excellent mulch to prevent weeds from growing.
This mulch is also rich in nitrogen, an essential nutrient for most plants.
Just like grass clippings, weeds are very rich in nitrogen.
They are therefore an excellent natural fertilizer.
The problem is that once they are uprooted, you obviously don't want to put them back in the garden.
We don't want to see the seeds germinate and give rise to new weeds!
The solution ? Make a weed tea .
Take a bucket with a capacity of 20 liters of water and fill it a quarter full of weeds.
Then add water to the top of the bucket and let the weeds soak for 1 week or 2.
Once the water has turned a nice brown color (like tea), pour the liquid into your garden.
Put your kitchen and garden waste to work by making your own compost.
Compost releases nutrients slowly, which means a well-composted garden can last a year or two!
No need to re-fertilize in the meantime.
Compost also helps the soil retain moisture.
And that's essential for vegetable gardens to thrive even in a hot, dry summer.
Manure comes from different sources:cows, horses, chickens and even bats.
Each type of manure is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients; however, you should use it with caution.
Raw manure is very acidic and may contain more nutrients than your plants need.
Too much manure could burn your plants.
It is therefore preferable to use composted manure.
Since it is lower in nutrients and less acidic, you can use more of it.
Composted manure allows better soil water retention without endangering your plants.
In addition, its effects are immediate.
The manure quickly turns into the perfect odorless soil fertilizer.
Instead of bagging up fall leaves and throwing them away, collect them for your garden instead.
Tree leaves have many benefits for your garden.
They are rich in trace elements , attract earthworms and retain moisture while aerating heavy soils.
You can use the sheets in 2 ways:
- Either you incorporate them into your soil (or mix the crushed leaves with potting soil).
- Either you use them as mulch to fertilize your plants and limit weeds.
Coffee grounds are useful in many cases.
But one of its best applications is to use it as fertilizer!
Be aware that many plants grow best in acidic soil.
This is particularly the case with blueberries, rhododendrons, roses and tomatoes.
Well, coffee grounds can acidify the soil .
There are several ways to use it:
- You can either spread the coffee grounds by mixing it with the soil on the surface of the soil.
- Either make "coffee" to pour over your plants.
To make "garden coffee", soak up to 6 cups of used coffee grounds for 1 week.
Then use the liquid to water your plants that need these acidifying substances.
If you've ever used lime in your garden, you know it has many benefits.
First, it helps reduce the acidity of your soil.
And that's perfect for plants that can't stand acidity.
Then, it provides plants with plenty of calcium, an essential nutrient for their development.
Lime is a totally natural fertilizer that you can simply buy in a garden center or here.
You're going to tell me, why talk about lime when the trick concerns eggshells?
Well, quite simply because eggshells provide the same benefits as lime!
But obviously for much less.
Just collect the eggshells, save them and crush them to use in your garden.
How is possible?
Eggshells are 93% calcium carbonate, which is the scientific name for lime!
And that's not all; click here for more amazing uses of eggshells.
We eat bananas for their potassium.
Well, know that roses also like potassium.
Simply bury the peels in a hole next to the rose bush and they will compost naturally.
As the rose bush grows, bury the peels in the top layer of soil.
These 2 methods provide the potassium necessary for the good growth of the plant.
Click here to discover the 7 uses of banana peel for the garden.
It may sound a bit gross, but human urine is sterile.
Urine is especially rich in nitrogen and urea contains more phosphorus and potassium than most fertilizers!
So instead of buying expensive products from the store, use urine.
And if serving tomatoes that have been fertilized with urine puts you off, urinate in the compost heap.
The correct ratio between the amount of urine and water is 1 to 8.
So collect 1 cup of urine and mix it with 8 cups of water in a plastic bucket.
You only have to use this mixture by pouring 2 cups around the perimeter of each small plant.
For medium plants, pour 4 cups instead.
For large plants, it deserves a good 6 cups of your personal blend.
This is my favorite homemade DIY fertilizer!
Vermicomposting is increasingly used in homes and schools.
It's fun and it produces the best fertilizer nature has to offer.
Worm castings are harmless to handle.
Above all, they are the purest form of vegetable food!
In addition, this method helps repel insects, fungi and does not burn the plants.
How to have vermicomposting?
Buy about 500 gr of red worms and put them in a 5 star hotel.
No, it is not a special tub with a worm bath, but a simple plastic tub.
Just make sure the bin is medium in size, tall horizontally, and doesn't let light in.
Drill small holes in the sides and bottom to create vents.
Place at the bottom of the bin 8 cm of cardboard, newspaper or slightly damp used paper.
Spread some garden soil and a little gravel on top, then lay your worms.
Cover again with 8 cm of moistened paper and the house is ready.
You just have to feed them by putting some food under the paper.
Peelings, eggshells, coffee grounds are perfect.
The worms will make compost every day. However, you have to wait 2 to 3 months to get the first results.
Mix the resulting castings with potting soil or put them directly in the garden for great results.
