When it comes to organic lawn care, gardening, and landscaping, the problem of fertilizers is probably the most heated one. Pouring and spraying chemicals all over the place might lead to negative results for the environment, the micro-ecosystem thriving on your property, the crops, the children and the pets playing outside. Last time we talked about Epsom Salt as an incredible organic mineral used to boost your lawn’s health and looks. Today, our lawn care Durham NC experts are here to offer you a quick guide on home-made fertilizers. The use of kitchen leftovers in gardening is not new – this is pretty much how compost is made, but let’s take a closer look at what our experts have to say.
1. Epsom Salt
While there is no point in insisting why Epsom Salt is so revered in organic lawn care and gardening, it may be useful to summarize once more its main benefits: it solves magnesium deficiency problems, keeping all your vegetation green, resilient, strong and healthy all year long. It is also used as a soil amendment for flowers and vegetables as it helps crops yield more bountiful, also making sweeter tomatoes and more scented roses in the process.
2. Coffee Grounds
Coffee grounds are usually thrown in the compost bin, but you can use them a little bit differently. Our lawn care Durham NC specialists favor dry coffee grounds directly spread on the turf, around vegetables, on flower beds, and around trees and shrubs in a thin layer. Used this way coffee grounds provide the soil with nitrogen, potassium and phosphoric acid.
In case you didn’t know, roses, azaleas and evergreens in general love a good cup of coffee. If you want them to grow bountiful and healthy, mix coffee grounds with water in a bucket, let the mix sit for two days then soak your flowers with the liquid.
3. Egg Shells
Almost all your breakfast leftovers can be turned into fertilizer, but egg shells are one of the best edible products to play multiple purposes in the garden. As we all know, egg shells are in fact 90% calcium, a mineral that will do a world of good to your vegetables. Egg shells can be also spread around flowers and vegetables in a powder form. You can leave them half crushed around flower beds and the veggie garden as a slug control measure.
4. Molasses
Blackstrap molasses contain so many nutrients, your turf, flowers and vegetables will throw a party in your honor. They will very much enjoy the boost in magnesium, calcium, iron, potash, sulfur and copper, among others. Mix 1-3 tablespoons of molasses with a gallon of water and soak your plants’ roots with the solution. Molasses also feed the beneficial bacteria into the soil, thus offering your vegetation a boost in health.
5. Banana Peels
Don’t throw away the banana peels, as your roses and vegetables will welcome the added potassium any time. Just put a banana peel on the bottom of the planting hole of roses or veggies. You can also add the peels to your compost bin and feed the turf and garden when the time is right.
Ask your lawn care Durham NC experts about more home-made fertilizers and use them according to your soil’s chemical composition and needs.