How to Make Your Own Fertilizer
Creating your own homemade organic fertilizer can be as easy as making a pot of coffee. There are numerous options, and you can choose from formulas for your lawn or garden. Give your garden or yard an edge with these various types of helpful fertilizers.
Lawn Fertilizers
Make a fertilizer out of two parts water and one part each of ammonia, beer, and Epsom salts. The beer will feed the roots, Epsom salts will aerate your lawn allowing air to circulate, and ammonia will kill bacteria in your lawn. Sprinkle the solution evenly over your lawn as if you were watering. You should see improvement in two weeks. If not, reapply the fertilizer.
Sprinkle used coffee grounds on your lawn to increase the nitrogen and phosphorus levels, both necessary for healthy growth. Many coffee shops will give you their used grounds for free just for the asking.
Build a compost pile by putting organic vegetable and fruit materials, grass clippings, and other lawn debris in a pile or a compost barrel.Turn occasional and add new kitchen scraps—except meat products—and eventually you will have rich soil-like compost. Sprinkle over your yard, use a broom to break up clumps and distribute compost evenly, then water well to help it absorb into the roots.
A Complete Organic Fertilizer
This is an all-around fertilizer good for flower gardens, ornamental plants, and lawns. Mix together four parts seed meal, one part dolomite lime, and one-half part each of bone meal and kelp meal. Make sure you measure by volume and not by weight. The seed meal provides nitrogen, the lime balances out the alkaline nature of the seed meal, bone meal provided phosphorus, and kelp meal contributes potassium and many micronutrients. This makes a balance N-P-K fertilizer. To use, mix it with your garden soil or sprinkle on individual plants. Combine with good organic compost for best results. In the spring, before planting, sprinkle 4 to 6 quarts in each 100 square foot planting area. Once the crops are established, side dress with more fertilizer as needed.
Seed meal is readily available at farm stores. The other ingredients are available in small quantities at garden shops. For the best prices, order online or buy in bulk.
Liquid Fertilizer
Liquid fertilizer adds a nice boost to house plants and the garden by providing nutrients and trace elements. You can make your own liquid fertilizer using green plants. Put grass clippings, weeds, green leaves from trees, and the leaves of other plants in a large bin. Make sure all the ingredients are fresh. Fill the bin with water, and let sit for about a month in warm weather. Once it takes on a barnyard smell, it is ready to use. Don't worry about rat-tailed weevils that may be floating in the bin. This is just another sign that it's ready to use. Before use, dilute to the look of weak tea.
Using these ideas for homemade fertilizer, you can help your plants grow beautifully.
