Make Your Own Fertilizer

By Erin Huffstetler, About.com Guide

Learn how to make your own fertilizer, and keep your garden green without spending a lot of green. Here are several great homemade fertilizer recipes to try:

Epsom Salt Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Houseplant food
Vegetable fertilizer
Rose plant food

What You Need:

• 1 Tablespoon Epsom Salt
• 1 gallon water
• A watering can

What You Do:

1. Combine the Epsom salt and water.
2. Use the solution to water your plants.
3. Repeat once a month.

Why This Works:

Epsom salt is made up of magnesium and sulfate – both vital plant nutrients. Some magnesium-loving plants to try it on: houseplants, roses, peppers, tomatoes and potatoes.

Coffee Ground Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Rose plant food

What You Need:

• Used coffee grounds
• A cookie Sheet
• Newspaper

What You Do:

1. Line a cookie sheet with newspaper.
2. Then, spread your used coffee grounds out on the sheet, and allow them to dry completely.
3. Sprinkle the grounds around the base of your acid-loving plants. Azaleas, roses, rhododendrons and blueberries are just some of the plants that will benefit from this treatment.

Note: Be careful not to over do it with the grounds. Even acid-loving plants can get too much acid.

Why This Works:

Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, magnesium, and potassium – all important plant nutrients. They are also acidic, and help to maintain the acidity of the soil.

Egg Shell Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Lime

What You Need:

• Egg Shells
• A blender

What You Do:

1. Save your eggs shells, and allow them to air dry.
2. Then, place the dried shells in the blender, and pulse until they are powdery-fine.
3. Sprinkle in your garden.

Why This Works:

Eggs shells are made up almost entirely of calcium carbonate – the main ingredient in agricultural lime.

Vinegar Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Houseplant fertilizer
Rose plant food

What You Need:

• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 gallon water
• A watering can

What You Do:

1. Combine the white vinegar and water.
2. Use the solution to water your plants.
3. Repeat every three months.

Why This Works:

The acetic acid in vinegar works to increase the acidity of the soil – just the thing for acid-loving plants.

Fireplace Ash Fertilizer

Use in Place of:

Garden fertilizer
Lime

What You Need:

• Fireplace ash

What You Do:

1. Sprinkle your fireplace ash over your garden beds, and work into the soil.

Note: Fireplace ash should not be used if your soil is alkaline, or be used around acid-loving plants.

Why This Works:

Fireplace ash is rich in potassium and calcium carbonate.

Source

How to Make Homemade Plant Fertilizer

Saturday, July 20, 2013 

There is no need to spend money on feeding your house plants expensive fertilizers and chemicals. There is an easy way to make homemade plant fertilizer with products that you use at home every day. Instructions

1. Save your empty milk gallon jug containers or milk cartons. Once they are empty, instead of putting them in the recycle bin, fill them up with water and use the rinsewater/milk mixture to water your houseplants. The nutrients in the milk residue such as Nitrogen and Potassium will mix with the water to provide a nice meal for your plants.

2. Save your orange juice containers after you finish the juice. Completing the step above with your empty orange juice containers will help provide needed nutrients to your houseplants without having to buy any expensive plant fertilizers.

3. Save your empty apple juice or other juice containers. Fill them with water and dump the rinsewater mixed with juice residue on your houseplants to provide a nice boost of homemade plant fertilizer that will include generous amounts of Potassium, Phosphorous, and Nitrogen.

Source: eHow