Currently, chemical fertilizers are widely present in the market. These products negatively affect the environment and can sometimes be a bit expensive. Preferable to chemical fertilizers, organic fertilizers are natural boosters for all your plants, do not burn the roots, do not contaminate the soil and are made from recycled organic matter. Moreover, by using them, you don’t have to buy expensive fertilizers and you can make them by using common items from your pantry or your backyard.
There are many different natural organic fertilizers that you can use in your garden or for your indoor plants. Let’s discover in this article the best organic fertilizers and how to make them.
What are natural fertilizers?
Natural organic fertilizers are made from plant or animal raw materials, more rarely from rocks such as limestone or basalt. The advantage of these fertilizers is that they are not directly assimilable, but they nourish or improve the soil, which in turn nourishes the plants. The action of soil bacteria gradually releases food for plants, allowing plants to absorb them for a long time.
The best organic fertilizer for plants
1- Plant manure
Plant manure is made from any green plant, especially from leaves, weeds and pruning waste. To obtain organic plant fertilizer, the plant parts are soaked in water, count 1 kg of greenery for 10 L of water. Then, after fermentation, filter the preparation with a fine mesh sieve and dilute this natural fertilizer to 10th (one volume of fertilizer for 9 of water) and water the base of the plants. The soil should not be dry when you apply the fertilizer. You can use nettle, rich in nutrients and a very good growth activator or comfrey which is also good manure and brings a lot of potash.
2- Banana peels
Banana peel contains a lot of potassium, phosphorus and calcium, so it is ideal for plant flowering and reproduction. To use it, bury peels in the soil at the base of a plant so they can compost naturally. You also can freeze overripe bananas instead of throwing them away. Then bury them near a plant that needs them. Also, you can steep a banana peel in water for 2-3 days, then spray the water on plants or seedlings.
3- Eggshells as natural fertilizers
Eggshells are rich in Calcium and therefore good for plant growth. They help lower the acidity of the soil for plants that don’t like acid and provide plants with lots of calcium, which is an essential nutrient. To use this homemade fertilizer, all you have to do is crush some eggshells and bury them under the surface of the soil. Moreover, for optimal efficiency, you can also use a spray by mixing about twenty eggshells and 4 liters of water. Boil everything for a few minutes, and let it steep in the water overnight. Use a strainer and pour the liquid into a spray bottle. Spray directly on the ground.
4- Coffee ground
Coffee grounds are a good natural fertilizer used at planting time so that they release Nitrogen slowly. Also, many plants, such as rhododendron, blueberries, roses, and tomatoes, thrive best in acidic soil. So, recycle your coffee grounds to help acidify the soil. To use this soil fertilizer, sprinkle the grounds around the base of your acid-loving plants, or simply make coffee for your plants and use it to water them.
5- Cooking water
Cooking water is rich in nutrients and mineral salts, which are useful for plant growth. This water can be used as a natural fertilizer. To use it, just remember to let it cool before applying it to your soil or your garden vegetables.
6- Wood ashes as natural fertilizers
If you have a wood-burning fireplace or barbecue, save the burnt wood ashes for recycling. Indeed, they can be used as fertilizer since they have strong nutritive power, necessary for the good development of plants. However, don’t use ash in areas where you are trying to maintain acid-loving plants. To use it mix the ashes with the water in the watering can and water your garden with this mixture. You will scare away slugs and snails while protecting the shrubs from disease.
7- Tea bags as natural fertilizers
Tea bags contain carbohydrates. This boosts vegetable and fruit tree plantings and improves the flowering of flowering plants. You can then use them, by macerating them in water. Use the mixture by diluting it in the irrigation water.
8- Aquarium Water
The fish waste is a great plant fertilizer. So, water your plants with the aquarium water taken right out of the tank when cleaning it. Don’t use non-fresh water because it can harm and contaminate your plants.
9- Seaweed as an organic fertilizer
Seaweed contains trace elements and actually serves as a food source for soil microbes. So, if you have the opportunity, collect seaweed on the beaches and prepare a sea-flavoured fertilizer. All seaweeds are usable, so do not hesitate. To use these natural fertilizers, rinse algae thoroughly to eliminate as much salt as possible, and dry them in the sun throughout the summer period. After that, all you have to do is reduce them to powder and sow them at the base of the plants.
10- Human urine
Human urine is an effective fertilizer according to scientists. It sounds disgusting, but it is very useful and rich in nitrogen, potassium and even phosphorus, favorable to the growth of plants. To use it, collect a cup of urine and pour it into 8 cups of water in a plastic bucket used outside for fertilizing plants. Then use 2 cups for small plants, 4 for medium plants and 6 cups for large plants.
