Sasha CampbellNatural fertilizers can help plants grow. They supply nutrients that the crops need and improve soil quality.
With some creativity, you can make nutrient-rich fertilizers at home using simple ingredients. Below are examples of natural and homemade plant fertilizers.
1. Manure
Most manure used on a farm comes from animal feces and urine [1]. They come from animals such as cows, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and horses. These make excellent organic fertilizers for vegetable gardens.
Farmers mainly use cow manure on tomato plants because it acts as a balanced organic fertilizer. Poultry manure is also excellent for squash, cucumbers, peppers, and leafy greens.
However, always use aged manure, as fresh manure can burn plants.
2. Earthworm Castings
You will find a variety of essential plant nutrients you want for your garden in earthworm castings. They are also mild, so you can use them on flowers, cannabis, vegetables, houseplants, seedlings, and more.
3. Kelp
Kelp meal contains many macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and is easy to apply. So, it’s bound to give any gardener a much-needed helping hand.
4. Organic Mulch
Mulch is any material placed on the soil surface to cover it. Organic mulch adds nutrients to the soil.
Bury sawdust, plant leaves, pine needles, or grass clippings under a layer of topsoil and let them decompose. Organic mulches also help retain soil moisture.
5. Compost
Compost is an excellent soil amendment for vegetable gardens. It is made of kitchen scraps, such as vegetable peels, fruit rinds, grass trimmings, coffee grounds, and other organic materials.
It is very versatile. You can use it as an organic soil conditioner for your garden or make compost tea.
Make compost by filling a bucket with kitchen and yard scraps and mixing it up.
6. Shell Meal
Shellfish meal is made from the crushed shells of crabs, shrimp, or lobsters. It contains calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients that benefit your plants.
7. Bat Guano
Bat guano contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. This organic fertilizer is outstanding for seedlings and feeding lawns, houseplants, flowers, and ornamentals.
You can use it at any time of the year as a top dress. Moreover, you can dilute it and make a ‘tea’ for a foliar spray. However, use it carefully and according to the package instructions.
8. Fish Bone Meal
Fishbone meal is made from dehydrated fish bones containing phosphorus, calcium, and a little nitrogen. It’s great for flowering plants.
9. Eggshells
You can also crush calcium-rich eggshells and add them to your homemade fertilizer mix. They will provide nutrients and improve soil structure.
To make your eggshell fertilizer, rinse and dry the eggshells thoroughly. Next, crush them into tiny bits or grind them into a fine powder using a blender.
Finally, sprinkle the powder around the base of your plants or mix it into the soil. Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers will enjoy this treat.
10. Vinegar
Plants that like vinegar include rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, and gardenias.
Mix one cup of household vinegar with a gallon of water to water these plants. Give them a dose once every three months.
A low pH can harm plants that thrive in highly acidic soil. Just be sure to test your soil before altering the pH.
11. Epsom Salt
Epsom salt contains magnesium, which is an essential nutrient for plant growth.
It benefits onions, broccoli, and cabbage. Peppers, tomatoes, and roses blossom and grow stronger when fertilized with Epsom salt.
To replace depleted magnesium levels in the soil, use two tablespoons dissolved in one gallon of water.
12. Bone Meal
As the name implies, bone meal is finely ground bone from slaughterhouses. It is a fantastic source of calcium and phosphorus.
Bone meal fertilizer can be used for bulbs, flowers, and fruiting trees. It helps establish a strong root system.
13. Rock Phosphate
Rock phosphate contains generous amounts of calcium and phosphorus. It works well on vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs.
14. Greensand
Greensand is a popular type of mineral from the seabed.
It is heavily rich in glauconite, which is high in minerals such as potassium, magnesium, and iron. All these nutrients are good for plants.
15. Alfalfa Meal
Alfalfa meal is usually a significant part of livestock diets. However, grinding it up results in a fertilizer mixture containing the three key macronutrients (NPK).
It also contains other nutrients.
16. Cottonseed Meal
Cottonseed meal contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potash, and other plant food elements. It is excellent for conditioning the soil and improving its structure.
17. Soybean Meal
As a slow-release fertilizer, soybean meal releases a good amount of nitrogen and potassium into the soil as it breaks down.
18. Feather Meal
Feather meal is another slow-release nitrogen fertilizer. For best results, apply it to the soil well in advance. It works well on tomatoes and corn.
19. Seabird Guano
This unique fertilizer is gathered from islands that are home to seabirds. Seabird guano is suitable for most indoor and outdoor flowering plants.
Strawberries, melons, and other plants with large blooms love seabird guano.
20. Seaweed
Seaweed fertilizer contains potassium, zinc, iron, and small amounts of other nutrients. It is an excellent crop fertilizer.
Flowering plants that like seaweed fertilizer include geraniums, camellias, roses, and gardenias.
21. Grass Clippings
You can get grass clippings for free if you own and use a lawn mower. However, avoid cuttings from herbicide-treated lawns.
Grass clippings contain some nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
To use grass clippings as fertilizer, place them in a bucket of water and allow them to steep for a few days. Afterward, strain and use the solution to water your plants.
22. Ag Lime
Agricultural lime adds calcium and magnesium to the soil. It also improves soil pH and neutralizes its acidity.
Plants that benefit from lime include peas, spinach, parsnips, onions, and apple trees. Be sure to test your soil before using it.
23. Wood Ash
Ashes from the fire pit can be used as an excellent organic soil amendment.
Plants that benefit from wood ashes include lettuce, parsnips, garlic, chives, carrots, and asparagus. Wood ash also helps keep pests like slugs, snails, and ants away.
24. Coffee Grounds
Used coffee grounds help improve soil fertility and entice earthworms. They contain several nutrients needed for plant health.
Sprinkle coffee grounds around the base of acid-loving plants. For the best results, mix them with crushed eggshells.
Coffee grounds also work great in compost and can be added to make nitrogen-rich fertilizers.
To make a homemade nitrogen fertilizer for plants, add two cups of coffee grounds to five gallons of water and leave it overnight. Afterward, strain the liquid and spray the plant leaves with it.
25. Green Tea
Green tea leaves act as manure. When added to the soil, they benefit a plant’s overall health. Just sprinkle them on top of the soil around your plants.
Alternatively, you can make a DIY liquid fertilizer by soaking a few used green tea bags in water for 24 hours. Afterward, you can use it to water your plant beds and houseplants.
Plants that like tea leaves include berry bushes, ferns, African violets, jade plants, and hydrangeas.
26. Molasses
People have been using molasses in gardening practices for years. However, different types of molasses have different nutrient contents.
Blackstrap molasses contains the most sulfur, magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium, which give plants a power boost when applied.
To make homemade plant fertilizer, combine three tablespoons of dry molasses with one gallon of warm water. Spray the mixture on plant leaves or pour it around the plant roots.
You can also add unsulfured blackstrap molasses to fertilizer mixes.
27. Urine
You read that right! It’s been proven that urine from a healthy person can be used as a highly clean and beneficial agricultural fertilizer [2].
Urine is about 95% water and contains nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. These nutrients are highly beneficial to plants.
If you’re a little squeamish, it’s okay; plenty of other healthy plant fertilizer options are on this list.
28. Gypsum
Gypsum is an excellent source of calcium and sulfur. Both of these are essential elements for improving crop yield and plant growth. It also helps to prevent erosion.
29. Azomite
Azomite is a natural mineral mined from volcanic deposits in Utah, USA, and used as a soil amendment to improve plant growth and yields.
30. Banana Peels
Banana peels have a lot of potassium, which promotes flowering and fruiting in plants. They also have a good amount of magnesium and calcium.
Therefore, you can use them to make liquid banana-peel fertilizer.
Just cut the peels into small pieces and place them in a container. Next, cover the peels with water and let them steep for a few days.
Finally, strain your banana peel tea and dilute it with five parts of water before using it to water your plants.
Takeaway
As most of these are slow-release, the time you use them is less important than that of inorganic fertilizers.
As with all foods, organic food is best. Therefore, nourish your plants as you would your body.
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