5 Homemade Natural Fertilizers Your Plants Will Just Love

There was a time when people gardened because backyard produce was far better and cheaper than anything from the store. To tell the truth, it still is, or at least it can be. The trick is knowing that back in the day, people used their own compost and homemade fertilizers. Fertilizer helps plants to grow, to be stronger, larger, and healthier. There are many ways to make your own fertilizer, from all-purpose recipes to simple household products that can naturally boost nutrient levels in your soil. Here are five do-it-yourself fertilizer recipes. 1. Compost Tea Fill a 5-gallon bucket, one-third full of quality finished compost. Fill with water to a few inches below the top. Let the mixture steep for three to four days. Stir the tea as often as you can. Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or any other porous fabric into another bucket. Add the remaining compost to your garden or put it back in your compost bin. Dilute the remaining liquid with water, using a 10-to-1 ratio of water to tea. Your watering can's content should have the look of weak iced tea. Fertilize the soil or use a foliar spray and spray the leaves. 2. Grass Fertilizer Grass fertilizer is rich in nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus. Caution! Be careful not to use grass treated with herbicides. Fill a 5-gallon bucket, two-thirds of the way full, with fresh grass clippings. Fill the water to a few inches below the top. Let it sit and steep at room temperature for three days, making sure to stir it once a day. Strain the liquid off. Dilute the tea with equal parts water. Fertilize the soil or use a foliar spray and spray the leaves. 3. Vinegar Fertilizer The acetic acid in vinegar works great for acid-loving plants and can be used to replace houseplant fertilizer and rose plant food. Combine one tablespoon of white vinegar and one gallon of water. Water your plants. Repeat about every three months. 4. Fireplace Ash Fertilizer Fireplace ash fertilizer is a great source of potassium and calcium carbonate and will replace your need for lime, if needed. Caution! Do not use fireplace ash around acid-loving plants or if your soil is alkaline. Place fireplace ash over your garden beds and massage into the soil. 5. Fish Tank Water Fertilizer Your used fish tank water contains nitrogen and other nutrients that plants require. Caution! Make sure that you remove all your little fish friends first. Do not use the contents from a salt water tank. Use the dirty, untreated water from your fish tank to water your plants. Smile, knowing that you're doing your part to return water to the earth.