5 OF THE WORLD’S BEST HOMEMADE ORGANIC FERTILIZERS

Making your own natural organic fertilizers can be both easy and inexpensive, often using components which you already have lying around the house. Grass Clipping Tea. Grass clippings make an excellent nitrogen-rich fertilizer all by themselves. To make grass tea for your garden, fill a 5-gallon bucket about two-thirds of the way with fresh clippings. Top off with water to within an inch or two from the lip. Let the mixture steep for about 72 hours, stirring at least once per day. Strain to remove grass clippings, then dilute the finished product, one part tea to one part fresh water. Apply this solution as a foliary spray or directly to the ground. Remember, it's important to give your compost adequate time to cook, especially if you use manure, as this will kill any harmful pathogens that may be living in the rotting material. 2. Compost Tea. Once you have finished compost available, you can add it straight to the garden or turn it into tea for your plants. Fill a 5-gallon bucket about a third of the way with finished compost. Add water until the bucket is almost full, about an inch or two from the lip. Leave the mixture to steep, stirring frequently. After three or four days, strain the compost out using a porous fabric like cheesecloth. Return the solid material to the compost pile or feed it to your garden. The liquid should be diluted to about one part tea and ten parts fresh water. Apply the solution either directly to the ground or as a foliary spray. 3. Vinegar Fertilizer. Plain white vinegar is an inexpensive and effective fertilizer for acid-loving plants like roses, hydrangeas, and berries. Simply mix a tablespoon of vinegar in one gallon of water. Use this solution in lieu of your regular watering about once every three months. Remember to test your soil before altering the pH. While many plants thrive in an acidic environment, too low of a pH can be harmful. 4. Epsom salts. Magnesium sulfate, also known as epsom salts, plays a vital role during photosynthesis and is required by plants for the proper functioning of many enzymatic processes. Seeds also need magnesium to germinate. Sulfur aids plants with several functions including amino acid production, root growth, and the formation of chlorophyll. This mineral also gives coal crops and alliums their signature flavor. Fertilize your onions, broccoli, and cabbages with epsom salts to get healthier, sweeter-tasting vegetables. Use epsom salts on tomatoes, peppers, and roses to grow stronger plants with more blossoms. 5. Upcycling Fertilizers. Mix used coffee grounds with brown yard waste like dead leaves or dry straw and grass clippings to add nitrogen to the soil. Eggshells are approximately 96% calcium. When used as fertilizer, they help to strengthen cellular structure and transport of nutrients in your plants. If you keep freshwater fish as pets, don't discard the water next time you clean the tank. Used water from fish tanks is full of nitrogen and trace nutrients that can improve your garden's health.