Growing your own fruits, veggies, and flowers is a rewarding and fruitful experience. It can be an especially good learning lesson if you have kids- they get to learn how their food grows and gain a newfound responsibility. One thing that you probably don’t want in your homegrown food and definitely don’t want near your kids is harsh chemicals.
Instead, you can use natural fertilizers that you can make at home yourself. Fertilizers provides plants with three things they need to grow and thrive: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. With one of these DIY fertilizers, you can get your plants the nutrients they need without any harsh chemicals.
Coffee Grounds
If you are one of those people who can’t start their day without a few fresh cups of coffee, you should try sharing with your plants! If you have some plants, especially flowers like hydrangeas, roses, and magnolias, that need to perk up, try using coffee grounds. Coffee grounds make a good chemical-free fertilizer, and all you have to do is work the grounds into the soil at the base of your plants and watch them grow!
Eggshells
If you continue with your morning routine, you can find another item you probably thought was trash to help your fruits and veggies grow. That’s right, instead of throwing out your eggshells, crush them up and work them into the plant’s soil. Eggshells contain lots of calcium which helps with the cellular growth of a plant. Does your tomato plant continue to produce fruit with blossom end rot? Your soil is likely calcium deficient and this DIY fertilizer should fix that problem!
Molasses Tea
Molasses tea fertilizer helps microbes and beneficial bacteria that are necessary for plant growth. It’s easy to make, too. All you have to do is stir one to three tablespoons of organic molasses into a gallon of water. Add this tea to your plants maybe once a week or so and you should start to see improvement in their growth.
Epsom Salts
For humans, taking a bath in epsom salts is a good remedy for sore muscles. For plants, adding some DIY fertilizer with epsom salts into your routine give your plants a good source of magnesium and sulfur it needs to grow. Epsom salts are really inexpensive as well, so they aren’t just a good natural fertilizer option for your plants, they are also great for your wallets. All you have to do is add a tablespoon of epsom salt to a gallon of water and feed it to your plants.
Bananas
Bananas are rich in potassium, making them a great choice for humans to snack on. Plants like bananas, and banana peels! Instead of throwing away your banana peel when you enjoy a healthy snack, try burying them by the base of your plant. Do you need something to do with your overripe bananas other than making banana bread? Try freezing them and planting them next to your plants. Flowering plants and trees like the calcium, phosphorus, and potassium found in bananas.
White Vinegar
If you have roses, various house plants, or veggies that are in need of a little help, try using white vinegar as a chemical-free fertilizer. White vinegar contains acetic acid that will help these plants grow. All you have to do is add a tablespoon of white vinegar to a gallon of water. Try using this natural fertilizer once every three months or so to give your plants a boost.
Grass Clipping Tea
When you’re done mowing your lawn, don’t let those grass clippings go to waste! Grass clippings are full of nitrogen, something necessary for plant growth. It came from plants, so you know its all natural! All you have to do is fill a five gallon bucket with two thirds grass clippings, then top it off with water. Let your solution steep for approximately five days, then strain the grass out. You will then need to dilute the tea- ten cups of water to one cup of tea. This can either be poured directly onto the plants or used as a spray for the leaves.
Not only are these natural fertilizers better for the environment, most of them are better for your wallet too! Lot’s of household items can be used to help your plants flourish. While you wait for your flowers to get the boost they need to blossom, fill your home with a fresh delivery from Bouqs!
Shop All
