fertilizer

How to make fertilizer at home – 7 DIY Homemade Organic Fertilizers

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How to make fertilizer at home – 7 DIY Homemade Organic Fertilizers

How to make fertilizer at home

A lot of gardening beginners get disappointed at the beginning of their trials in gardening that their plants are dying and the reason behind it is unknown. Well, like each human is different, each variety of plants is different as well. Different types of plants need different levels of care and watering.

However, there’s one thing that is common for most plants is fertilizer. What if we tell you that making fertilizers at home is easier and more fruitful than buying them from the market? So, we are here with an article to tell you how to make fertilizer at home like a pro so you do not see a plant die in your garden!

There are 100s of organic fertilizers in the form of foliar sprays, potting mix amendments, etc. available these days commercially which makes it very easy to feed your plants in a variety of ways. So why would you want to make your organic fertilizers:

  • As your garden grows so does the need for fertilizers grow and that may get expensive over time or require a dedicated budget (Honestly you would still need a budget)
  • Purity and quality of fertilizers: Like any other commodity, cheap fertilizers can also be adulterated with harmful chemicals.
  • It is always good to have homemade alternatives.

So besides home composting, there are many types of fertilizers that you can make yourself but the following are some of the simple, tried, and tested organic fertilizers recipes.

Homemade Moringa Foliar Spray

Homemade Moringa Foliar Spray

Moringa (Sehjan in Hindi) has recently been gathering so much attention due to its amazing health benefits for humans. Flowers, leaves, and fruits all are edible and have amazing nutritional values thus making them a superfood for humans.

You can find Moringa trees almost anywhere in Indian homes, societies, roadside, highways, and even in forests and that makes the availability of moringa leaves super easy.

We can make an excellent foliar spray fertilizer (a plant growth promoter) for our plants using Moringa leaves. This is practically a free fertilizer for your Terrace garden.

A study published in 2000 shows that Juice from fresh moringa leaves can be used to produce an effective plant growth hormone, increasing yields by 25-30% for nearly any crop. One of the active substances is Zeatin: a plant hormone from the Cytokinines group.

Here is the original recipe from the study on how to make the spray:

  • Make an extract by grinding young moringa shoots (leaves) (not more than 40 days old) together with a bit of water (about one liter per 10 kg fresh material).
  • Filter the solid out of the solution. This can be done by placing the solution in a cloth and wringing out the liquid. The solid matter, which will contain 12-14% protein, can be used as livestock feed or can be put in compost making.
  • Dilute the extract with water at a 1:32 ratio and spray directly onto plants (if the extract is not going to be used within five hours, it is best stored in a freezer until needed). Apply about 25 ml per plant.
  • The foliar spray should be applied 10 days after the first shoots emerge from the soil, again about 30 days before plants begin to flower, again when seed appears, and finally once more during the maturation phase.

For container-grown plants, you can spray this on weekly basis for excellent growth.

Another alternative method is to boil the Moringa leaves in water and strain the leaves and spray this liquid on your plants on weekly basis. Take about 5 to 10 kg of leaves and boil them in water. The shelf life of this method is longer as you can keep the liquid for a few weeks. We suggest you make it on monthly basis.

DIY Plant Fertilizer With Coffee

DIY Plant Fertilizer With Coffee

Coffee works great as a fertilizer for acid loving plants like daffodils, marigolds, and some roots like sweet potatoes, potatoes, etc. This is because coffee is capable of regulating nitrogen and acidic levels in these kinds of plants. Also, you don’t have to follow tedious processes to use coffee as a fertilizer!

Well, there are two ways you can use coffee as a plant fertilizer. One, you can sprinkle the ground coffee powder on the soil evenly. Or two, you can mix 1 teaspoon of ground coffee powder in 1/2 liter of water and spray the diluted mixture over your plants.

Cow Dung and Cow Urine Foliar Spray

Cow Dung and Cow Urine Foliar Spray

While searching for a low-cost do-it-yourself organic fertilizer made using cow dung. This is a very simple recipe but it results in a great organic fertilizer. Here is the recipe.

  • Things you will need: An earthen pot (matka), A 20-liter paint bucket, a piece of cotton string about a foot long, 10 kg fresh cow dung, 10 kg cow urine, about 1kg of neem leaves
  • Make a small hole in the earthen pot, about the thickness of a pencil, let the string pass through it, and tie a knot at the end so that it keeps hanging through the hole.
  • Mix cow urine and dung nicely. Make neem leaves paste by grinding the leaves and mixing them.
  • Place the earthen pot above the bucket and transfer the mixture to the pot. Cover the pot opening with something.
  • Over a while there won’t be much liquid left in the earthen pot, this is where you transfer the collected liquid to some air-tight plastic bottle and you may store it from 6 to 12 months. Also, you may add more cow urine to the mixture and let the process start all over again.
  • For spray dilute this mixture in a ratio of 1:10 parts of water and spray weekly.

Homemade Plant Fertilizer With Vinegar

Homemade Plant Fertilizer With Vinegar 

Did you know that you can use vinegar as your plant fertilizer? Well, like coffee is for regulating acidity and nitrogen in plants, vinegar is for regulating the alkaline levels of the plants. This can especially be used for small and container-based plants. Vinegar also helps plants in getting rid of ants and unnecessary weeds.

So, how to see this easy-peasy homemade plant fertilizer? We are here to help you with that as well! Do not make the mistake of pouring vinegar into the plants directly. Make sure to dilute 1 cup of white vinegar in 2 gallons of fresh filtered water and use the mixture for watering your plant.

Homemade Plant Food – How to make NPK fertilizer at home?

Homemade Plant Food 

Well, like we take plants as food, plants need food as well, don’t they?! So the most important elements in the food for plants are nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. This combination is also popularly known as NPK. Other elements like magnesium and calcium are also important for a few plant varieties.

To make this homemade plant food at home, you will need the following ingredients:

  1. 1 teaspoon baking soda
  2. 1 tablespoon Epsom salt
  3. ½ teaspoon of ammonia
  4. 1 gallon of water

Take an old plastic container, add all the ingredients mentioned above and rest the mixture for half an hour so that the solid ingredients are completely dissolved. You can add this to plants directly once a month and regulate the dose as per the requirements.

Banana Peel Fertilizer

Banana Peel Fertilizer

Have you been throwing away the banana peels each time you ate one? Well, you do not know the benefits of them in your beautiful garden! Some plants need more amounts of a particular element, like phosphorous. In that case, you need to use only phosphorus-rich fertilizer instead of an NPK. And banana peels are rich in phosphorous.

To use this ultimate phosphorus-rich banana peel fertilizer, chop the banana peels and add them to fresh water. Soak them in water for at least four days and spray the mixture into the soil. You can also directly borrow the chopped banana peels deep into the soil.

Organic Fertilizer Recipe – How to make organic fertilizer from kitchen waste?

Organic Fertilizer Recipe

Nothing benefits the plants in your beautiful garden more than organic manure or compost. So, how do you make one at home with something organic and not useful for you anymore? We are here to guide you on that. You will need to add one extra ingredient, i.e; the bokashi powder to ease the process of fermentation.

To make this ultra-easy compost, follow the steps below:

  • Take a drum (or a large plastic container will do the job).
  • Fit in a tap for it at the bottom or punch a few holes so that the excess water is drained out.
  • Add the kitchen waste to the container on a daily basis for a few days and add bokashi powder.
  • Around two weeks after adding the bokashi powder, you will notice a white fungus on the top layer.
  • Collect the kitchen waste for around a month and let it ferment for another 20 days and your compost is ready to use.

Does sulfur kill fungus – your ultimate guide to avoid fungi!

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Sulfur is a naturally occurring element that may be found in rocks and is found in many minerals. It’s a type of fertilizer that may be found in natural gas. It may be found in a variety of pesticides and insecticides. Sulfur poisons insects, reptiles, fish, and mammals. It is also used on food crops as a crop fungicide and fertilizer.

So, the real question is does it avoid fungus?

The question is how sulfur stops diseases such as fungi? Sulfur is an element that occurs naturally in soil, plants, foods, and water and have antifungal and antibacterial properties to kill fungi.

Sulfur is present in some proteins in the form of amino acids and products as a natural fungicide that kills on contact. Sulfur is an essential component of plants. Pesticides containing sulfur are recommended and used by gardeners all over the world. Sulfur kill pathogens through direct contact or fumigation (sulfur vapors).

What are some examples that contain sulfur?

Specks of dust, fertilization liquids, and a few gas cartridges are examples of sulfur-containing items.

Field crops in agriculture, most of the tap and fibrous root crops, fruit-producing trees, indoor fruits and nuts, vegetables, etc., are among the crops that use sulfur and benefit from it. They are also beneficial for food and non-food crops, as well as in outdoor landscaping areas.

There are around 200 active sulfur-containing products on the market and several among these are a part of a beautiful garden.

So the real question is does sulfur kill fungus?

Some of the products are okay and fit for use in organic gardening. Non-pesticide sulfur-containing compounds are used as soil amendments or fertilizers.

How does it kill fungi?

Sulfur kills fungi when they come into touch with it.

Some specialists do believe that sulfur may react with plants or fungi to generate a dangerous poison. Sulphur kills the fungal disease-spreading spores by disrupting respiration within their cells. Insects can be dead by sulfur if they come into touch with it or consume it. It disrupts their natural biological systems, reducing their ability to generate energy.

Is this an effective fungicide for plants?

Sulfur is one of the effective pests when applied appropriately. It is an effective fungicide when used against soil-borne infections. It also protects against the vast majority of plant diseases. It can help prevent airborne illnesses like powdery mildew if used before symptoms emerge on the plant.

Sulfur is also advantageous in crop parts that are not in direct contact with the soil. This is because sulfur may spray it on plant leaves, which then convey it to the soil.

Is sulfur an effective fungicide?

Sulfur application as a fungicide

Sulfur may destroy infections like fungus by direct touch or fumigation with sulfur gases. As a result, use sulfur fungicides as frequently as a spray on plants. Here are some of the stages in the making of sulfur as a fungicide:

You first need to buy it and mix it with water. In general, three tablespoons of fungicide dust to one gallon of water is the mixing ratio. Mix thoroughly, but remember sulfur does not dissolve completely in water. Also for your comfort, there are already pre-mixes available in the market.

Sulfur application as a fungicide

Spray the sulfur on your plant’s leaves or stems. This fungicide will aid in the management and prevention of illnesses.

Some sulfur fungicide spray residue will remain on the plants. So no need to be panicking, since it implies your plants will be pest-free for a time after treatment. There’s also no need to be concerned about this residue washing into the soil and potentially harming the ecosystem as it is natural.

To keep your sulfur fungicide from washing away, spray it 10-14 days after rain.

Remember to have these things handy- water, the skin covering clothes, covered shoes, gloves, etc.

Considerations while using sulfur to kill fungus

Considerations while using sulfur to kill fungus

It is vital to monitor the conditions in which the sulfur fungicide is applied. If you live in a hot climate, for example, do not use it when the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius otherwise your plants will soon turn dry.

It is totally safe to use it with a pesticide like neem oil. Give proper intervals between the reapplications.

Use care while applying sulfur to plants. Although it is only mildly toxic, it can be hazardous to humans and animals. As a result, when spraying, use protective equipment to avoid any air-related diseases. Keep your pets away from this solution after spraying as it is toxic for them.

Benefits of sulfur as it kills fungus

As we know how harmful pesticides are these days for both, the plant and our environment, however, sulfur is not hazardous to honeybees, birds, etc.  You don’t have to be concerned about organic sulfur plant fungicides harming pollinators or killing them, so you may use it with confidence in your garden.

Because sulfur occurs naturally in the environment, it is not a serious worry if it enters the soil. It will decay and rejoin the natural sulfur cycle of the Earth. However, water drainage is an issue while using sulfur, as it doesn’t dissolve readily.

 Sulphur Treatment – diseases and results

Sulfur fungicides are effective against a wide range of diseases in fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants. You can use it to treat Alternaria leaf spots, powdery mildew, rust, black rot, brown rot, scab, and blossom blight. Be cautious that if the plant already has rust, scab, rot, or leaf spot damage, it will not restore the damaged tissue, and you should definitely clip off any severely damaged leaves.

This can be challenging in the case of rot since you must remove the whole thing or at least five or six inches below the visible rot. Although it is still preferable to remove severely damaged leaves. Regardless of treatment, blossom blight usually causes the blossom to drop, however, the plant may flower again.

 Sulphur Treatment- diseases and results

So, to sum up, if you apply neem oil to your plants like roses in your gardens, wait at least two weeks before adding sulfur, or the two will combine to burn the leaves of your plants in a way similar to sunscald.

Although sulfur is safe for bees, birds and a few other animals it is dangerous to humans and pets! If you come into contact with it, it can irritate your eyes, and if you breathe it in, it can irritate your respiratory system.

What plants benefit from chicken manure?

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Growing delicious fruits and vegetables is a passion project, and after emerging from the roots, your plants will want a nutrient-rich boost to assist support leaf development, bloom, and fruit formation. So, with so many alternatives available in the market, which is the best? People nowadays prefer chicken manure mostly, so is chicken manure the finest fertilizer option? Which plants benefit from chicken manure? All of these questions will find answer in this article!

Chicken manure has been used to nourish plants for decades, but part of what makes it so successful is also what makes it potentially damaging to plants. Fresh chicken manure is a wet, smelly mixture of faeces and ammonia-rich fluids.

It is the ammonia that may be broken down into nitrogen and is responsible for the odor of chicken dung. Nitrogen is required by all plants as a growth stimulant. Too much nitrogen in plants and trees promotes robust branch development at the price of flowering; hence there will be no fruits.

Using raw and uncomposted chicken manure to fertilize plants is, therefore, not a smart idea.

As the chicken manure rests for a while, microorganisms in the soil break it down into nutrients that our plants can absorb and use. During this remarkable composting process, some of the excess nitrogen evaporates as ammonia gas.

The compost must be churned several times, and experts advise waiting at least six months before planting fruit trees and plants.

Following composting, the chicken dung will include trace amounts of the three fundamental elements necessary by all plants: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

So, it appears that spreading a modest amount of composted chicken manure over the roots of your fruit trees has a lot to gain and little to lose for your garden.

Which plants benefit from chicken manure?

Which plants benefit from chicken manure?

As a result, the appropriate answer to the question “what plants benefit from chicken manure” is almost all flowering, fruiting, and vegetable plants.

It’s probable that grass trees won’t appreciate being treated with chicken manure.

This aversion originates from their inability to thrive in rich soils. Although grass trees are resistant, nutrient-rich soil might burn them or limit their development. Grass trees detest dealing with chicken manure because it improves soil quality.

Is chicken manure good for tomatoes?

People generally ask that is chicken manure good for tomatoes? Chicken dung fertilization benefits a wide range of plants. Among the most popular are tomatoes, chilies, eggplants, potatoes, cucumbers, and beans.

Fruit trees of citrus nature can benefit from chicken manure fertilization as well. Along with these common plants, you can use chicken manure on ornamental plants as well.

As a general rule, any plant that uses organic chicken manure or compost will gain from chicken manure.

Is chicken manure good for tomatoes?

Leafy vegetable plant gets benefits from manure.

Making chicken manure is suitable for cultivating leaves-only plants as it reduces dried leaves. Greens that we cook widely in soups and salads include kale, lettuce, and arugula. Manure provides the nitrogen for these plants.

These vegetables do not require a lot of food, and chicken manure encourages the growth of their leaves. Add chicken manure during planting and bloom time for ensuring green plants. Because you don’t need the blooms or fruit from these plants, you should concentrate on the healthy leaves that chicken manure compost provides.

Leafy vegetables benefit from chicken manure

Roses and other flowers benefit from chicken manure

The manure is helpful to roses for the outdoor gardener and flower admirer. Rose flowers demand a lot of nutrients in order to produce healthy blossoms. To suit their nutritional needs, one should use chicken manure as a top dressing.

When watered, this works well around the base of the bloom and seeps to the roots.

Flowers thrive when the plant as a whole thrives. If you don’t have enough manure when planting, use chicken manure as a top dressing. Along with roses, several other summer-blooming flowers benefit from chicken manure.

Roses and other flowers benefit from chicken manure

Indoor plants like chicken manure.

One of the reasons you are shying away from using manure is the odor. To reduce odors, brew manure “tea” for your indoor potted plants.

Liquefied manure aids plant nutrient absorption and has no side effects. Furthermore, your plants directly absorb it, and you may choose which plants want additional manure.

The size of the container governs the root system of indoor plants, which lowers manure waste. If you’= don’t know how to dispose of your chicken excretion, composting it and feeding it to your indoor plants is a terrific solution.

Indoor plants that get benefits by manure include the Chinese money plant, air plant, peace lily, etc.

Indoor plants likes chicken manure

How much shall you use chicken manure?

Chicken excrement can be in compost form or applied directly to the soil. The amount of chicken manure you should use in your garden depends on the type of plants you’re cultivating as well as the condition of your soil. However, in general, chicken excrement is best as a side or top dressing for vegetables. This suggests that you should use it on the soil around your plants rather than on the plants themselves.

Because raw manure can injure plant roots, it is vital to remember that chicken manure should be thoroughly composted before being applied to plants. If your soil is mainly sandy, you may need to apply less manure since too much may cause drainage concerns. In contrast, if your soil is mostly clay, you may need to use more manure.

The soil type and root structure of plants that enjoy chicken manure must be clear in your mind. This manure is great for fibrous and adventitious roots.

Taproot plants may not benefit significantly from chicken manure unless it is put as a top dressing for branch roots to obtain additional nutrients from the top soil.

Aged chicken manure

Aged chicken manure refers to chicken feces that have been allowed to decompose and age for a period of time, generally several months to a time or further. This process breaks down the organic matter in the manure, making it more stable and easier to handle, as well as reducing the situations of nitrogen and other nutrients that can burn or damage shops if applied in their raw form.

This manure is generally used as a natural fertilizers and soil correction in gardening and farming, as it contains a variety of nutrients, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as trace minerals and salutary microorganisms that can improve soil health and factory growth.

Fresh chicken manure

This manure refers to the excrement of chickens that has not experienced any significant decomposition or aging. It’s a high- nitrogen fertilizer that can be veritably salutary for shops, but it can also be veritably strong and potentially damaging if used inaptly.

This manure generally contains high levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, as well as other trace minerals and organic matter. still, because it has not yet decomposed, it can also contain high levels of ammonia, which can be dangerous to plants and people if not duly handled.

To use fresh manure as a toxin, it should be composted or progressed for several months to allow the high ammonia situations to dissipate and the nutrients to come more stable.

 

Key Takeaways

You can use chicken manure to manage plant pests along with its elements that help in growing the plant. Plants that grow on chicken compost or manure are resistant to pests and common illnesses. This is a bonus because you won’t need pesticides in your garden. So why wait? Go get chicken manure from your local market or even order online.

How to Care for Your Garden – DIY Fertilizer like Bone meal and Worm Castings

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How to Care for Your Garden

Once you have set up your garden and planted all your seeds, you will need to take care of it to ensure that the garden proves fruitful and abundant.

Watering

  • The first thing you can do is begin ensuring that your plants receive enough water since it is one of the most important ways to nurture them. When plants transpire, they lose moisture that needs to be replenished by watering the soil so that they can absorb moisture back in through the roots.
    • You should water your plants more during the summer months, as they lose more moisture and less during the winter months.
    • Also, try to water your plants in the evening during the warmer months so that your plants can obtain moisture throughout the night.
    • Young plants and seeds require more frequent watering like a human child breastfeeding all day.
    • Plants that are placed in containers have restricted access to the soil, so they demand extra watering for adequate growth.

Fertilizing

Just like humans, plants need to eat. Plants absorb nutrients through their roots as well, which, in turn, help the flowers and fruits develop. The main nutrients required for the growth of plants are potassium (K), phosphorus (P), and nitrogen (N).

Plants obtain these nutrients from the soil through the decomposing plant materials that are released back into the soil. Still, this process tends to be disrupted in home gardens, negatively affecting the soil’s nutritional density.

You want to replace these processes in your plants’ soil with fertilizers. You can use organic or inorganic fertilizer to feed your plants, with the added benefit of promoting earthworm activity. Examples of this are nettle or well-rotted manure.

Pruning

Another plant care practice you can adopt and benefit from is pruning, which involves trimming the excess from plants for better growth and size management. This process can also help remove any diseased or dead material that could corrupt the entire plant if left unchecked.

Pesticides

You want to ensure that your garden is weed-free by weeding the bed weekly or whenever you find weeds trespassing the mulch layer. Keep a keen eye on pests and diseases that may be attempting to corrupt your garden. Apply the appropriate pesticide and remove any infected plants from the bunch to avoid spreading.

You can apply some Bacillus thuringiens to any plants with bugs. The bugs will ingest it and die while your plants stay unharmed. It helps to ensure you analyze the quality of your plants carefully before purchasing them because some may already be infected. Pay close attention to the quality of the plant’s roots, when purchasing them from a store.

  • Your garden will benefit from using fertilizers because this keeps the soil’s nutritional content high. You can use inorganic fertilizers, but organic ones tend to be the best as they contribute to the health of the soil for a longer time than their inorganic counterparts.
  • One of the best organic fertilizers you can use is compost. This is comprised of decomposed materials like vegetable scraps and leaves. You can blend this material with garden soil to boost the nutritional profile.
  • Manure is another wonderful and widely utilized fertilizer. It is essentially the waste of animals that can be decomposed into the soil. This fertilizer is generally used when it is aged, as the fresher version can be too hot for plants and eventually burn them.
  • You can use the manure of a vast array of animals, such as cows, chickens, horses, goats, and even rabbits.
  • Bone meal is another fertilizing agent. It is essentially smoked or cooked bones that are granulated or in powder form. This type provides an excellent amount of phosphorus and is easy to locate at your local garden store.
  • You can also use a blood meal as a fertilizer. This type is made from dried animal blood and can be beneficial for your garden when nitrogen is required. You can use it in the fertilizer or dissolve it with water to create a spray.
  • A blood meal is effective for dark leafy greens.
  • Worm castings are an alternative form of manure, and it is generated when worms consume compost.
  • Guano (also known as bat manure) is another fertilizing agent that can be utilized to correct the soil profile or directly feed the plants.
  • Other fertilizers are seaweed, fish emulsion, and kelp meal.

All these fertilizers can be purchased at a garden store, but they may become an expensive investment over time. The good news is that you can create some of these fertilizers in the comfort of your own home. Let’s take the bone meal as an example.

Bone meal

  • This fertilizer is not cheap in stores, and it can be quite shocking to realize that you are spending all this money purchasing bare bones.
  • What you can do is preserve all the bones from the food that you eat. These include chicken bones, lamb bones, turkey bones, and more.
  • Remove the excess meat from the bones and submerge them in water.
  • Simmer them on low to medium heat in a pot.
  • Rinse the bones under warm water and place them on a tray where they can dry (uncovered) for up to 30 days.
  • The size and density of the bones will determine their drying time. If you are in a rush, you can place these rinsed bones in an oven set to low degrees for a few hours.
  • Once the bones are all dry, you can ground them into powder form.
  • A mortar and pestle or a blender are great for this grinding process.
  • Once you obtain your powder, store it in an airtight container for immediate and long-term use.

Worm castings

Another example of a great fertilizer that you can make at home is worm castings.

  • This organic fertilizer is created by earthworms.
  • The casting (also known as vermicast) is the manure of worms that eat through compost. The soil becomes richer during this process of consumption and excretion.
  • Vermicomposting is easy and can be done in your own home. You can begin this process by constructing or purchasing worm boxes or bins.
  • Ensure that you have shallow bins (no more than 8-12 inches deep) and that they contain drainage holes in the bottom.
  • The worm bedding can be made with compost. Place your worms in and let them do their magic.
  • Red wiggler worms are the best for this process as they enjoy staying in the top part of the soil.
  • You want to feed your worms at least once a week to ensure they continue reproducing and thriving.
  • If you add in kitchen scraps, make sure they are cut up or blended so the worms can easily digest them.
  • You can harvest worm castings by emptying the contents of your bin on a newspaper or piece of plastic.
  • Remove the worms from your material and transfer them to another vermicompost bin.
  • You can reuse your worms and maintain them, depending on how well you feed them.
  • You can also do the rotate system for one bin.
  • The first week you add compost to the left side of the bin.
  • All the worms move to that side after a day or so.
  • Then the following week you add the compost to the right side of the bin. The left side is now good soil you can take out and use. You would do this rotation every week.