4 Common Homemade Organic Fertilizers for Your Home Garden
While many elements combine to ensure that your home garden produces healthy crops, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the three that are most scarce in the natural environment. NPK is the name given to these three nutrients as a whole.
The use of fertilizer from big-box retailers that have at least 10% of each of those essential components is suitable for some gardeners. But if you want to save some money, you can make organic fertilizer at home.
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4 Common Homemade Organic Fertilizers for Your Home Garden
The 4 garden amendments detailed below can be made with simple equipment and they’ll allow you to repurpose many items that you might consider waste products.
1. Animal manure
Animal manure is the most common homemade organic fertilizer.
You can use manure from chickens, cows, and horses that are full of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but their ammonia levels can be so high that they might “burn” your plants.
To avoid burning your plants or potentially spreading animal pathogens in your garden, you need to properly compost the manure in a hot compost pile. Once the compost has aged, you can spread it in your garden beds. Household animals like dogs and cats produce feces that are more likely to contain pathogens harmful to humans.
How long you compost fresh animal manure depends on the type of manure and the season.
To compost manure, add it manure slowly to your compost pile over several days or weeks. Allow plenty of air to circulate in the compost bin.
Add other organic matter like grass clippings and leaves to break up the manure and speed up the curing process. Turn the compost regularly when you add more manure.
Stop adding the manure two months before you plan to use it in your garden. The manure is well composted when it produces no heat and loses most of its bad odor when dry.
2. Fermented “plant juice”
Fermented “plant juice” is another organic fertilizer option for your home garden. When you ferment green weeds and spent garden plants, you can extract many valuable minerals and nutrients in a homemade quick-release fertilizer.
This process uses the natural lactobacillus bacteria present in plants combined with a ratio of one part plant material to 1/2 part sugar or honey and enough water to cover all the ingredients. Let the mixture ferment for one week, then dilute it and apply it directly to your crops.
1. Animal manure
Animal manure is the most common homemade organic fertilizer.
You can use manure from chickens, cows, and horses that are full of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, but their ammonia levels can be so high that they might “burn” your plants.
To avoid burning your plants or potentially spreading animal pathogens in your garden, you need to properly compost the manure in a hot compost pile. Once the compost has aged, you can spread it in your garden beds. Household animals like dogs and cats produce feces that are more likely to contain pathogens harmful to humans.
How long you compost fresh animal manure depends on the type of manure and the season.
To compost manure, add it manure slowly to your compost pile over several days or weeks. Allow plenty of air to circulate in the compost bin.
Add other organic matter like grass clippings and leaves to break up the manure and speed up the curing process. Turn the compost regularly when you add more manure.
Stop adding the manure two months before you plan to use it in your garden. The manure is well composted when it produces no heat and loses most of its bad odor when dry.
2. Fermented “plant juice”
Fermented “plant juice” is another organic fertilizer option for your home garden. When you ferment green weeds and spent garden plants, you can extract many valuable minerals and nutrients in a homemade quick-release fertilizer.
This process uses the natural lactobacillus bacteria present in plants combined with a ratio of one part plant material to 1/2 part sugar or honey and enough water to cover all the ingredients. Let the mixture ferment for one week, then dilute it and apply it directly to your crops.
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3. Fish emulsion
Fish emulsion is a broad-spectrum fertilizer and it can help use up any scraps of fish that you have left over after dinner.
You can make fish emulsion by layering fish scraps and brown garden waste such as dead leaves or straw in a five-gallon bucket. Cover the ingredients with water.
Stir the fish mixture every few days for three weeks. When you’re done, use the liquid sludge at the bottom of the bucket. Dilute the sludge and apply it to your garden.
Note that fish emulsion may be a bit smelly, but it will help nurture the plants in your garden. Since heavy metals or toxins that are present in your fishery will make it through to your garden beds, only use scraps from fish that is free from toxins.
3. Fish emulsion
Fish emulsion is a broad-spectrum fertilizer and it can help use up any scraps of fish that you have left over after dinner.
You can make fish emulsion by layering fish scraps and brown garden waste such as dead leaves or straw in a five-gallon bucket. Cover the ingredients with water.
Stir the fish mixture every few days for three weeks. When you’re done, use the liquid sludge at the bottom of the bucket. Dilute the sludge and apply it to your garden.
Note that fish emulsion may be a bit smelly, but it will help nurture the plants in your garden. Since heavy metals or toxins that are present in your fishery will make it through to your garden beds, only use scraps from fish that is free from toxins.
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4. Human urine
This last option might not be for squeamish gardeners, but it’s worth considering if you’re gardening in a post-collapse world with no access to the materials for other kinds of fertilizers.
Human urine is an excellent fertilizer and many studies have found that it has performed well in trials against expensive conventional fertilizers.
If you’re not sure about this option, indirectly fertilize your garden with urine by adding it to your compost pile. Let the urine aid in the decomposition process and boost nutrient levels.
Many of the fertilizers above are derived from animals because animals and plants depend on each other to thrive. ( What The Color Of Your Urine Says About Your Health!!!)
Keep your home garden free from harmful chemicals by learning how to make organic fertilizers.
4. Human urine
This last option might not be for squeamish gardeners, but it’s worth considering if you’re gardening in a post-collapse world with no access to the materials for other kinds of fertilizers.
Human urine is an excellent fertilizer and many studies have found that it has performed well in trials against expensive conventional fertilizers.
If you’re not sure about this option, indirectly fertilize your garden with urine by adding it to your compost pile. Let the urine aid in the decomposition process and boost nutrient levels.
Many of the fertilizers above are derived from animals because animals and plants depend on each other to thrive. ( What The Color Of Your Urine Says About Your Health!!!)
Keep your home garden free from harmful chemicals by learning how to make organic fertilizers.
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Sources include:
FineGardening.com
Sources include:
FineGardening.com
DR. APPIAH
Dr. Appiah is a Natural Health Therapist (Naturopath) who engages the natural healing agents given by God to save lives. EAT FOOD AS MEDICINE! EAT TO LIVE, DON'T LIVE TO EAT!! FOR BOOKINGS AND MORE: WANT TO ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCTS? WANT A PERSONAL(CERTIFIED) NATURAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONER? REACH ME DIRECTLY ON WHATSAPP +233245643615 appiahinok@gmail.com
