Use These 7 Homemade Fertilizer Recipes in Your Garden (2024)

FAQs

How do you make homemade garden fertilizer? ›

Quick how to: Add banana peels, coffee grounds, vegetable scraps, tea bags, and any other organic waste to a large, glass jar using a 1:10 ratio of compost to water. Mix in fresh or dried seaweed as an added nutritional bonus. Seal and shake the mixture once a day to agitate the tea.

Most gardeners should use a complete fertilizer with twice as much phosphorus as nitrogen or potassium. An example would be 10-20-10 or 12-24-12. These fertilizers usually are easy to find. Some soils contain enough potassium for good plant growth and don't need more.

You'll need four to six tablespoons of coffee grounds, one teaspoon of cinnamon and one cup of club soda. Simply mix the ingredients until well combined and use on a bi-weekly basis for a slow release of nutrients without causing the soil's acidity levels to rise too much.

Fertilizers provide plants with the necessary nutrients required for them to grow. Homemade fertilizer should contain nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Lack of essential nutrients can have a negative effect on the growth of plants.

Compost. Compost reigns supreme in the world of natural fertilizers. This nutrient-rich material is created by the decomposition of organic matter like food scraps, yard waste, and leaves.

You can use kitchen waste to make compost. Combine scraps with grass clippings and leaves, and you've got one rich source of natural fertilizers. Coffee grounds, eggshells and fruit and vegetable peelings are great choices for composting.

A common recommendation for vegetables is to apply 1 pound of a 10-10-10 fertilizer or 2 pounds of a 5-10-5 (or 5-10-10) fertilizer per 100 feet of row.

You can broadcast dry fertilizer (1 pound for each 100 square feet of garden or 100 feet of row) over the entire garden plot before planting. Then after planting, side-dress along the plant rows. The fertilizer should be applied 2–3 inches to the side of, and 1–2 inches below, the seed level or plant row.

Some plants do not benefit from adding coffee grounds to their soil. Plants like lilacs and lavender prefer alkaline soil, so the slight acidity will harm them. The caffeine in coffee grounds can also harm some herbs and geraniums.

Can I use leftover coffee to water plants? ›

It's okay to water plants with leftover coffee or to add coffee grounds to the compost pile but learning when and why to use coffee in the garden will protect your plants. Only use black, unflavored coffee with this method to offer plants a source of nitrogen which can fertilize certain indoor and outdoor plants.

To use coffee grounds as fertilizer, simply sprinkle them onto the soil surrounding your plants. Summary Coffee grounds make great fertilizer because they contain several key nutrients required for plant growth. They can also help attract worms and decrease the concentrations of heavy metals in the soil.

When applied to plant leaves and stems, baking soda does slow or stop the growth of fungi. However, the benefits are fleeting at best. Studies have shown that while baking soda impacts the growth of fungal spores, the spores and actively growing fungi are not killed.

Though vinegar can be fatal to many common plants, others, like rhododendrons, hydrangeas and gardenias, thrive on acidity which makes a bit of vinegar the best pick-me-up. Combine one cup of plain white vinegar with a gallon of water and use the next time you water these plants to see some amazing results.

Simply collect yard waste and kitchen scraps and mix them with leaves, grass clippings, and other organic matter. Over time, this mixture will decompose into nutrient-rich compost that you can use to amend your garden soil. Mulching: Mulching is another great way to add organic matter and nutrients to your garden.

Homemade fertilizers, such as compost, well-rotted manure, or compost tea, can be effective in providing essential nutrients to your plants. Just ensure that your homemade fertilizer is well-balanced and not too concentrated, as excessive nutrients can harm your plants.