In order for flowers to develop their flawless beauty and remain healthy and vital, they need more nutrients than bedding soil or substrate can provide. So that there are no deficiency symptoms, they receive supplementary nutrition in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements during growth. That sounds like a lot of chemistry, which also applies to most commercially available fertilizer preparations. It is ecologically more responsible and healthier to make flower fertilizer yourself from components of everyday life. This not only saves money, but also underscores the good conscience of acting in the interests of environmental protection. The following list provides information about the best home remedies for flower fertilizers.
Table of Contents
The best home remedies in detail from A to F
Stale beer
Manufactured according to the German Purity Law, beer has a wealth of nutrients that are good for plants. If there are still half-full beer glasses lying around after the last party, the barley juice is not thrown away, but used as a nutritious flower fertilizer. Applied to the plants every 4 to 6 weeks, the result is a significantly improved flowering propensity.
A positive side effect is the repellent effect of the smell of beer on pests such as aphids or spider mites.
Alaun
Our great-grandparents always had alum in the house. The versatile potassium aluminum alum was used as a home remedy for bleeding wounds, for tanning hides or staining furniture. Modern gardeners use alum to specifically fertilize their hydrangeas with iron. In addition, the preparation from the pharmacy causes white or pink hydrangeas to turn blue as if by magic.
Aspirin
To strengthen the defenses of plants, knowledgeable hobby gardeners use the salicylic acid contained in aspirin. This substance is also found in willow, which has been shown to promote growth and flowering as willow water. Since there is still a lack of scientific evidence for the effectiveness of aspirin as a flower fertilizer, this aspect is discussed controversially.
- Dissolve 1 aspirin in 1 liter of rainwater.
- Water the plants with the mixture every 2 to 3 weeks.
Immediate fertilization success is not to be expected here. In order to be able to evaluate the effect, aspirin should be tested as a flower fertilizer for at least one season.
Backhefe
Yeast not only drives cakes and bread to develop optimally, but also promotes garden and house plants as flower fertilizer.
- Dissolve a fresh yeast cube in 10 liters of water and use for watering.
- Alternatively, dissolve dry yeast in hot water and fill up with rainwater.
Incidentally, yeast has now made a name for itself as an effective compost accelerator. Dissolved in water and additionally enriched with sugar, the mixture is applied using a watering can. Thus, the household remedy is used indirectly as a flower fertilizer.
banana peels
Bananas are an integral part of a healthy diet for children and adults. The skins of the sweet fruits are far too good to throw away in the garbage can, because they do a good job as flower fertilizer. Although the nitrogen content is hardly worth mentioning, flowering plants at least benefit from the content of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium and various vitamins.
- Dry the banana peels, cut into small pieces and mix into the mulch material.
- Worked into the substrate in autumn, dried banana peels strengthen winter hardiness.
- Crushed in the blender, they make an excellent addition to ground coffee and tea leaves.
It is important to note that only organically grown bananas can be used as flower fertilizer. Conventional fruits are usually heavily contaminated with all kinds of pesticides and would do more harm than good to the lovingly tended flowers.
Barthaare
Orchids are noble and sensitive plants. Passionate orchid gardeners can spend hours discussing the perfect dose of fertilizer. When it comes to the best home remedies, the beard hairs collected from the last dry shave are at the top of the list. Since this flower fertilizer in no way poses the risk of over-fertilizing, there is nothing wrong with testing the recommendation on your own orchids.
Cola
The world-famous cold drink not only contains a significant amount of sugar, but also phosphorus, an important plant nutrient. Since shelled cola is hardly edible, there is nothing wrong with using the drink as flower fertilizer. In this context, the acidifying effect on the substrate, similar to that of coffee grounds, should be taken into account. Therefore, cola should always be used in moderation. Under no circumstances should Coca Cola be given to the flowers directly from the refrigerator, because they probably cannot cope with such a cold shock.
Egg water
If the breakfast eggs are boiled in water in the classic manner, the shells release valuable calcium as well as carbon and oxygen. Throwing this water down the drain would be a waste. Hobby gardeners are therefore well advised to collect it and use it to water their flowers.
The best home remedies in detail from G to M
Trimmed fingernails and toenails
The use of grated horns and hooves from slaughter cattle as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer in the home garden is well known under the name horn shavings or horn meal. What is less common among hobby gardeners is that the clippings from human fingernails and toenails also contribute to growth and flowering as flower fertilizer. With regard to the visual effect, it is advisable to mix the nail pieces under the substrate.
coffee grounds
In order for flowers to develop a magnificent, long-lasting bloom, they need plenty of nitrogen. What remains in the filter after brewing a good cup of coffee contains an average of 2% nitrogen, 0.4% phosphorus and 0.8% potassium. At the same time, coffee grounds lower the pH value of the soil, so that rhododendrons and azaleas respond excellently to this flower fertilizer.
- Only use dried ground coffee due to the risk of mold.
- Filter bags or pads are disposed of as usual.
- Work a thin layer of coffee grounds into the substrate monthly.
- Do not fertilize flowering perennials from July/August onwards.
If the lowering of the pH value is not desired, adding crushed eggshells to the ground coffee neutralizes this effect.
Kaminasche
If basically untreated logs are burned in the fireplace or grill, the wood ash then functions as a practical flower fertilizer. The prerequisite is that no glossy catalog pages but the pages of the daily newspaper are used for lighting.
- Scatter the natural fertilizer in a dosage of 30 g per m² in the bed.
- Spread the remaining wood ash over the compost heap in a thin layer.
Since pure chimney ash has an alkaline effect, it is not suitable as a flower fertilizer for plants that prefer an acidic substrate, such as ericaceous plants or rhododendrons.
potato water
This well-tried flower fertilizer is rarely lacking in a middle-class household. Collected, cooled potato water encourages indoor plants of all kinds to grow vigorously and bloom enchantingly. The washed-out nutrients are passed on to the plants in the form of irrigation water. As with all home remedies, an effect can only be seen over time.
bone meal
Once the soup meat has done its job in the kitchen, the cooked bones are not simply thrown away. It contains fertilizing elements such as phosphorus or calcium. Ground into flour, bones were an important flower fertilizer until the 20th century, when they were replaced by mineral preparations. Thanks to the return to well-established home remedies, bone meal is once again gaining importance for the supply of nutrients to plants. In view of the risk of BSE, however, cattle bones should not be used as fertilizer on crops, but only on ornamental plants.
The best home remedies in detail from N to Z
horse manure
Hobby gardeners who are also proud horse owners often have the most magnificent flowers. Their secret lies in the use of horse droppings as flower fertilizer.
- Allow horse manure to dry for several months to lower the ammonia concentration.
- Only use pure horse manure without straw, which binds nitrogen.
Due to the heat generated, horse manure is excellently suited for supplying nutrients to the plants in the cold frame. In addition, the organic fertilizer offers a first-class starter fertilization in spring by scattering it between the plants in the bed.
baking soda
Numerous ornamental plants thrive all the more magnificently, the more alkaline the substrate is composed. Clematis, for example, delphinium, lavender or sage are among them, as well as most rock garden plants. The hobby gardener will find the right flower fertilizer in the kitchen cupboard in the form of baking soda. During the vegetation phase, stirring in a tablespoon of baking soda to 2 liters of irrigation water every 4 weeks promotes the flowering of the flowers immensely.
tea leaves
Tea lovers not only spoil their flowers with the leftovers after the brewing process, but also like to put a pot of tea on for their plants. In contrast to coffee grounds, tea leaves contain fewer nutrients; the strengthening effect as a flower fertilizer is certainly not to be despised.
- Tea as irrigation water strengthens the vitality of roses and makes the leaves shine.
- Tea leaves are ideal as a strengthening mulch material in rose beds.
- Nettle tea drives away aphids if it has been allowed to steep for several hours.
- Seeds moistened with chamomile tea germinate faster and mold less often.
The somewhat tricky room azaleas, cultivated in acidic soil, like tea as irrigation water, as it keeps the pH at least at a low level and at the same time supports the nutrient supply.
cigarette ash
After it was repeatedly observed in smokers’ households that houseplants on which cigarette ash was carelessly dabbed blossomed much more luxuriantly than those that were not misused as ashtrays, clever people did more detailed research. The result is now known to many hobby gardeners: Small amounts of cigarette ash have a fertilizing effect. The filters must of course be removed because they contain toxic substances.
Conclusion
In every household there are a wide variety of materials available that can be transformed into ecologically sensible flower fertilizer in no time at all. Anyone who becomes aware of the valuable nutrients for flowers in coffee grounds, potato water, yeast or baking soda will look at things in everyday life with completely different eyes. The best home remedies for fertilizing plants naturally are often made from waste, such as chimney ash or banana peels. As a flower fertilizer, they do not have the rapid, resounding success of mineral fertilizer preparations; In the long term, however, they strengthen growth, health and the willingness to flower.