Containing a moderate amount of essential nutrients plants need to grow, organic fertilizers help improve the soil. They support plant growth naturally, allowing your crops to flourish.
While you still need to exercise care with these natural fertilizers, they are less likely to burn plants if used correctly.
Below are some of the most widely-used types of organic and homemade plant fertilizers.
1. Manure
Most manures used on a farm come from animal feces and urine [1]. They come from animals such as cows, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and horses. These fertilizers are great sources of vital plant nutrients.
Farmers mainly use cow manure on tomato plants because it acts as a balanced organic fertilizer. However, be careful when using, as fresh manure can burn plants.
2. Earthworm Castings
A variety of essential plant nutrients you’re going to want for your garden can be found 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 a good amount of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium). Besides, it 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 mulches add nutrients back to the soil.
Bury sawdust, plant leaves, pine needles, or even grass clippings under a layer of topsoil and let it decompose. Organic mulches also help retain soil moisture.
5. Compost
Compost is an excellent soil amendment for vegetable gardens. It is composed of kitchen scraps from plants, grass trimmings, coffee grounds, and other organic materials.
It is very versatile. You can use it as an organic soil conditioner for your garden. You can even make compost tea and use it as a foliar spray.
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 lobster. It contains calcium, phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium, and other nutrients that benefit your plants.
7. Bat Guano
Bat guano contains nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. It is great for seedlings, as well as to feed the lawn, houseplants, flowers, and ornamentals.
Use it at any time of the year as a top dress. Moreover, you can dilute it and make a ‘tea’ to use as a foliar spray. However, use it carefully and according to the package instructions.
8. Fish Bone Meal
Fishbone meal is dehydrated fish bones, containing phosphorus, calcium, and a little bit of nitrogen. It’s great for flowering plants.
9. Egg Shells
Eggshells are rich in calcium carbonate [2]. This means that you can use it as a fertilizer for certain plants. They decompose slowly, but they work faster if you grind them up.
Tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers will enjoy some eggshell fertilizer.
10. Vinegar
Plants that like vinegar include rhododendrons, azaleas, hydrangeas, and gardenias.
Simply mix one cup of household vinegar with a gallon of water and use it to water these plants. Give them a dose once every three months.
A low pH can be harmful to plants that thrive in highly acidic soil. Just be sure to test your soil before you alter the pH.
11. Epsom Salt
Epsom salt contains magnesium, which is an important nutrient for plant growth.
Onions, broccoli, and cabbages will all benefit from the use of Epsom salt. Besides, peppers, tomatoes, and roses will blossom and grow stronger when fertilized with Epsom salt.
Use it in a solution of 2 tablespoons dissolved in one gallon of water to replace depleted levels of magnesium in the soil.
12. Bone Meal
As the name implies, bone meal is finely ground bone that comes from slaughterhouses. It is an amazing source of calcium and phosphorus.
So, you can use it 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 great 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 normally a major 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 great for conditioning the soil and improving its structure.
17. Soybean Meal
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 great on tomatoes and corn.
19. Seabird Guano
This is a unique fertilizer gathered from islands that are home to seabirds. Seabird guano is good for most indoor and outdoor flowering plants.
Strawberries, melons, and other plants with large blooms love it.
20. Seaweed
Seaweed fertilizer contains potassium, zinc, iron, and small amounts of other nutrients. It is a great crop fertilizer.
Flowering plants that like seaweed fertilizer include geraniums, camellias, roses, and gardenias.
21. Grass Clippings
You can get grass clippings for free as long as you own a lawnmower and use it. However, avoid cuttings from herbicide-treated lawns.
Grass clippings contain some amount of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus.
To use grass clippings as fertilizer, place the clippings into 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 the acidity of the soil.
Plants that benefit from lime include peas, spinach, parsnip, 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 a great organic soil amendment.
Plants that benefit from wood ashes include lettuce, parsnips, garlic, chives, carrots, and asparagus. It also helps keep away pests like slugs, snails, and ants.
24. Coffee Grounds
Used coffee grounds help improve soil fertility, entice earthworms, and work great in the compost. It also contains several nutrients needed for plant health.
Sprinkle your used coffee grounds around the base of acid-loving plants. For best results, mix it with crushed eggshells.
25. Green Tea
Green tea leaves act as manure. It benefits the overall health of a plant when added to the soil. Just sprinkle it on top of the soil around your plants.
Alternatively, make a DIY liquid fertilizer by soaking a few used green tea bags in water for 24 hours. Afterward, 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 molasses types have different nutrient contents.
Blackstrap molasses has the most sulfur, magnesium, iron, calcium, and potassium and gives plants a power boost when applied.
To make a homemade plant fertilizer using molasses, combine 3 tablespoons of dry molasses with 1 gallon of warm water. Use it to spray on plant leaves or pour around plant roots.
Unsulphured blackstrap molasses can also be added 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 [3].
Urine is about 95% water and contains nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus. These nutrients are extremely beneficial to growing plants.
If you’re a little squeamish, it’s okay — there are plenty of other healthy plant fertilizers options on this list.
28. Gypsum
Gypsum is an excellent source of calcium and sulfur. Both these are important elements for improving crop yield and plant growth. It also helps prevent erosion.
29. Azomite
Azomite is a natural mineral substance that you can use as a soil amendment to improve plant growth and yields. It is mined from volcanic deposits from a source in Utah, USA.
Takeaway
As most of these are slow-release, the timing of when you use them is not as important as it is with inorganic fertilizers.
As with all the foods we eat, organic is best. Therefore, nourish your plants as you would your body.
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