How to make homemade fertilizers for indoor plants
Homemade fertilizers are the best things you can use to supply proper nutrients to your plants. They are eco-friendly, inexpensive, improve soil physical property, and provide nutrients to the plants for a very long period of time.
These homemade fertilizers are far better than any chemical fertilizers available in the market. Chemical fertilizers are may be harmful to the plants, if not handled properly and not applied properly. But the homemade natural fertilizers are just like blessings for the plant.
Let’s discuss some simple homemade fertilizers that you can apply to your indoor plants.
How to make homemade fertilizers for indoor plants
1. Make compost from kitchen waste-
If your kitchen generates a lot of waste products daily, then it is not a bad idea to collect them and engage them in the process of composting. Composting is an easy process. You have just to collect the organic biodegradable wastes from your kitchen, and house. Place them in a composting bin and there you go.
Organic compost will be ready within few days to serve your house plant. Compost is highly rich in organic matter, and it also provides necessary nutrients to the plants. Organic matter keeps the potting soil healthy and increases the porosity of the soil. It helps the plants to breathe properly.
2. Used coffee grounds as plant fertilizer
Coffee grounds are best for plants that require acidic soil for their growth like the tomato plant, the roses, avocado, etc. Coffee ground is a good source of phosphoric acid for the plants.
They also provide a good amount of nitrogen to the plants.
Used coffee grounds are scattered on the potting soil and mixed with the potting soil.
3. Using banana peels as a source of nutrients
Banana peels are might be the solution if you want a homemade slow releasing natural fertilizer. Either the banana peels are cut into small pieces and mixed with the potting soil or they might be directly buried into the soil near the plant. The peels slowly decompose and provide nutrients to the plant for a longer period of time.
These banana peels contain a high amount of potassium as well as some micronutrients essential for plant growth.
4. Use aquarium water to irrigate your house plants
If you have an aquarium at your place then, the water of the aquarium can do a good job for your plant. Aquarium water contains a huge amount of nitrogenous wastes of the fishes. These wastes are a very good source of nitrogen for the plants.
This source of fertilization is also called fertigation, as you are applying irrigation water along with fertilizers.
Make sure that you are using water from a freshwater fish tank. Water from the saltwater tank is very harmful to the plant.
This process mimics the nitrogen cycle in the ecosystem. Plants recycle the excretory waste products generated by the aquatic animals.
5. Eggshells
Eggshells are the common household waste generated from almost every house. These eggshells might be one of the important sources of nutrients for the plants.
As we all know an eggshell is made up of Calcium carbonate, therefore it is a rich source of Calcium for the plants.
These shells are crushed and mixed with potting soil. Or they may be used as liquid fertilizer. You have to soak the eggshell in a container filled with water and keep it for a day. Then you can apply the water to your plants also to give them a rich dose of calcium.
6. Green tea
Green tea is not only healthy for you only, but it is healthy for your plants also. The tannic acid present in the green teas helps the plants to grow well which requires acidic soil for their growth. Mixed one tea bag in 5-6 liters of water and irrigate your plant with the water.
7. Cooking water
The wastewater generated during the cooking process is rich in various plant nutrients. This water can be used to irrigate the plants.
Make sure that you are not applying very hot water to the plants. It may be harmful to the plants.
8. Use a matchstick to nourish your plant
You must be wondering how a match stick can provide nourishment to the plants. But it is a simple fact that a matchstick is made up of Magnesium and it is an essential element for the plant. So, matchsticks can be a good source of magnesium for your beloved plants.
You can directly insert the matchstick into the soil after crushing it. Or you can soak the matchstick in water for some time and apply the water rich in magnesium to your plants.
Here are some ideas about how to make homemade fertilizers for indoor plants.
Now let us discuss why should we invest our time to make homemade fertilizers for indoor plants
Advantages of Homemade fertilizers for indoor plants
1. Proper waste management
When you are using the waste product to make your homemade fertilizer, as discussed above, it may be the eggshell or the banana peels, you are somehow contributing to keeping the environment cleaner. You are recycling waste and helping nature. On the other hand, you are saving your hard-earned money by not using ready-made chemical fertilizer.
2. Eco-friendly
These homemade natural fertilizers are biodegradable and eco-friendly in nature. Soil microbes can easily decompose them.
3. Long term effect
These natural homemade fertilizers decompose slowly and provide nutrients to the plants for a long period of time.
4. Affordable
All the methods discussed above generally use the waste product generated from a house. Therefore, there is no cost concept is there when you are using these homemade fertilizers.
5. Easily available
Any person can easily make these homemade fertilizers using normal household waste products. It is easily available to everyone.
6. No adverse effect on plants
These sources of nutrients are gentle and safe for the house plants. No toxic salt builds up, no plant burning, nothing. Because they do not consist of very harsh concentrated chemicals.
7. Improves the physical quality of the soil
These homemade fertilizers add organic matter to the soil which improves the physical condition of the soil. The soil will have good aeration, good drainage. Therefore the plants will grow well.
Conclusion
Homemade natural fertilizers are a great solution if you don’t want to apply harsh chemical-based synthetic fertilizers to your plants. The benefits of these homemade natural fertilizers provide them a huge edge to use for the indoor plants, against the chemical fertilizers. Using chemical fertilizers is a harsh and expensive method to fertilize your plant. They also act for a very short period of time. Therefore, if you want seriously to take care of your plant then go for homemade natural fertilizer.
