With the growing demand for nutritious food for the overpopulated world, almost all the burden to satisfy hunger shifted to agriculture. A large number of food grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables are produced and still, the enlarging population is left short of what all is required leading to the brutal application of chemical fertilizers.
This in turn leads to the production of thousands of hectares
of unfertile soil which is no longer agriculturally viable. Given this
scenario, the discovery of Bio-fertilizers is here to save the day. Today, a
large number of chemical fertilizers are used to increase the yield of crops.
And for those who are always up for cultivation at home,
homemade fertilizers are making their position to the topmost ranks in the list
of essentials. These homemade fertilizers have come along a long way and are
being loved by many people because of their easy availability and usage.
Most of the homemade recipes involve using the products at a hand's distance making them convenient and affordable for the user.
The most
important aspect of using a homemade fertilizer is the surety of its
non-toxicity. Though many chemicals are used as fertilizers by farmers across
the globe, the recipes for homemade fertilizers hardly involve any harsh
chemicals.
Infact, it generally is a mixture of natural and organic
items which all of us usually discard off as waste products. Hence, these
fertilizers are good not only for your lovely, healthy plants but also for the
environment. In this article, the word organic is concerned with everything
decomposable.
A plant generally requires Nitrogen (N), Potassium (K) and Phosphorus (P) for strong aerial growth and healthy root development.
While
continuing to make fertilizers at home, one must keep in mind to include these
nutritional requirements for the plants. Along with these, there are additional
micro elements to enhance the health and productivity of the garden like
Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), and Sulfur (S).
During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight to break water
and carbon dioxide down into hydrogen (H), oxygen (O), and carbon (C); the
three non-mineral nutrients which they turn into food. Boron (B), Copper (Cu),
Iron (Fe), Chloride (Cl), Manganese (Mn), Molybdenum (Mo), and Zinc (Zn) are
the necessary micro-nutrients which a plant must obtain from the surrounding
soil.
Here, let's discuss some of the recipes of easy to make
homemade fertilizers.
1. Diane's Homemade Organic Rose fertilizer Ingredients:
a. 2 tablespoons Mermaid's fish fertilizer (powdered fish)
b. 1 teaspoon Maxicrop kelp extract (powdered seaweed)
c. 1 tablespoon Epsom salts
d. 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
e. 2 tablespoons molasses
f. 3 cups water
Tested to be best for roses, mix all the above ingredients
in 3/4th quantity of a measuring cup. Stir well to avoid lumps and pour it into
the watering can. This mixture is known to be good for foliar feed and the root
zone
2. The Epsom salt (Sendha namak) fertilizer Ingredients:
a. 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt ( for garden plants)
b. 2 tablespoons of Epsom salt ( for potted plants )
c. 1 gallon of water
Mix the above ingredients and spray this solution over the
plants once in two weeks. 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
3. The Banana Peel Fertilizer Ingredient:
a. 1-2 banana peels
Peels are high in potassium. Simply throw one or two peels
in the hole before planting the seeds or saplings or bury peels under mulch so
they can compost naturally. Get bigger and more blooms
4. The Fish emulsion Fertilizer Ingredients:
a. Frozen fish parts like fish bones, guts and heads,
leftover tunas and sardines
b. Water
Add 1 part fish to 2 parts water in an airtight container
and place it in a sunny spot in the least visited area (because of the foul
smell coming from it). Stir every two days as the soup cooks; in about two
weeks, apply to your garden soil at 3 gal./100 sq. ft. Leafy greens, beets,
Brussel sprouts, and broccoli love it
5. Human urine Ingredients
a. Urine
b. Water
However disgusting it may sound, but urine is one of the
best fertilizers for plants as it is being rich in Nitrogen, phosphate and
potassium. Dilute the urine with water in a ratio of 1:10. Soak the plants with
it. It works well for leafy greens, cucumber, cabbage and roses.
6. Vinegar Fertilizer Ingredients:
1. White Vinegar
2. Water
Mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with one gallon of
water. Spray it over the plants every three months.
7. Fireplace Ash fertilizer
Fireplace ash fertilizer is an excellent source of potassium
and calcium carbonate. Use it as a replacement for lime. The soil amendment
uses fireplace ash applied to the soil by massaging or working it in or laying
fertilizer on the soil bed.
This fertilizer should not be used on acid-loving plants
when the soil is alkaline.
8. Fish tank water fertilizer
Used fish tank water contains excessive nitrogen which is
favourable for plants. However, be careful of removing all newborn fish from
the water. Also, the contents should not come from a saltwater tank.
Add dirty and untreated fish water to the plants directly.
Let's use up as many biodegradable wastes as we can and stage up towards
organic waste farming using some of these homemade fertilizers.
Happy gardening!
Written By - Chavi Goel
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