Introducing 11 Natural Fertilizers for Home Flower Care
Not wanting to part with the beauty of wildlife outside the summer cottage, most summer residents decorate their city dwellings with indoor plants. Natural fertilizer for home flowers is a great way to affordably and safely provide your green pets with everything they need to grow quickly and flourish.
The summer cottage season begins in early spring and ends with the arrival of cold weather. During this time, the plantings grow, foliate, bloom, form ovaries and yield a harvest. And every minute the garden and vegetable garden require close attention, laborious maintenance and regular feeding. But when it comes to indoor floriculture, even experienced summer residents who successfully manage their suburban "hundred square meters" can become a victim of self-confidence and recklessness.
The importance of fertilizer for home flowers
The plant on the windowsill has access to the nutrients contained in a small lump of soil. Even with an excellent quality of the substrate, they are enough for 2-3 months.
If the grower prefers flowering or fast growing crops, nutritional deficiencies will be noticeable even earlier. The following signs eloquently speak about the "starvation" of most indoor crops:
- slowing growth;
- deformation of new leaves;
- absence or fall of buds on flowering plants;
- pulling stems and crushing leaf plates;
- the appearance of brown or yellow spots, drying of the stems and leaves;
- hypersensitivity to bacterial and fungal diseases.
Feeding home flowers is essential. But which fertilizers should you choose? Chemicals are undesirable, as their overdose is dangerous not only for plants, but also for the inhabitants of the house. Before going to a specialty store for an effective and safe composition, you should look around and pay attention to natural fertilizers that are in every home.
Sugar and glucose
Such a familiar, sometimes indispensable sugar in the kitchen enriches the taste of your favorite dishes and drinks, supplies the human body with fast energy. By adding some white crystals to the vase, you can prolong the freshness of the cut flowers. Sugar has a similar effect when used as a natural fertilizer.
Plants, like humans, spend energy on respiration, consumption of minerals and moisture. Moreover, all representatives of the flora perfectly absorb glucose. It is part of the usual refined sugar or granulated sugar, is a "building material" of organic compounds, and participates in the growth process.
Getting into the soil and in contact with carbon dioxide, the substance becomes available for absorption by the roots. After such feeding, especially in the autumn-winter period and with a lack of sunlight, the plants grow faster, retain the rich color of the foliage, do not stretch, and look strong and healthy. In spring, fertilized specimens begin to bloom faster and keep the corolla fresh longer.
Numerous varieties of ficuses and some succulents, as well as many other crops, love sweet dressings.
How to make and use a sugar fertilizer
Experts who have tested sugar as a natural supplement for home flowers advise you to dissolve 1 teaspoon of sugar in 600 ml of water and use the supplement no more than once a month.
To make the remedy more effective, you can use glucose instead of sugar, which is easy to find in the diet department of supermarkets or pharmacies. In this case, 1-2 tablets are put per liter of water.
If you are going to pamper your green pet with a "healthy dessert", you must not forget that the product will justify its purpose only in combination with carbon dioxide. Otherwise undigested substances:
- provoke the reproduction of fungal and bacterial microflora;
- lead to acidification of the substrate;
- will cause serious illness or even death of indoor plants.
The introduction of beneficial bacteria into the soil will help to avoid such undesirable consequences, which will accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, provide the necessary level of carbon dioxide and guarantee the absorption of glucose. Therefore, one of the microbiological preparations of the EM series is introduced together or in parallel with the sugar solution.
Coffee grounds
If the family begins the morning with a cup of fragrant invigorating coffee, the thick residue left after brewing will be an excellent food for indoor plants.
After exposure to high temperatures, a mass of minerals, organic acids and other useful compounds remains in the crushed grains. At the same time, the dried loose product:
- guarantees the soil lightness, excellent permeability to air and moisture;
- gradual release of nitrogen and other substances irreplaceable for plant life;
- increase in the general acidity of the soil.
Unlike tea leaves, which dry out slowly and unevenly after brewing, cake and provoke the development of molds and the appearance of mushroom gnats, coffee retains its properties when mixed with a substrate and when used as mulch.
How to use coffee grounds to fertilize flowers
About to use coffee for feeding home flowersIt must be remembered that the acids contained in the grains affect the general acidity of the soil.
For some crops, slightly acidic or acidic soil is a real gift, others in such an environment will be oppressed or even perish. This is taken into account when choosing a natural fertilizer.
What plants will appreciate coffee? Among the species that develop well in acidified soil:
- all bromeliads, including indoor pineapple, vriezia, bilbergia and guzmania;
- azaleas;
- camellias;
- many ferns, including asplenium;
- gardenia;
- indoor hydrangea varieties;
- sarracenia.
Potted rose varieties tolerate moderate use of this organic product. The complete list of colors is much wider, so it is better to clarify the preferences of a particular type.
Before adding coffee top dressing, the grounds are regularly turned up, dried, and then mixed with the substrate in a ratio of 1 teaspoon per 500 ml of universal flower soil. This amount is enough for 5 liters of soil for most indoor crops.
Yeast for the growth of home flowers
An excellent support for plants on the windowsill will be ordinary baking yeast, which is in the arsenal of any housewife. Yeast fungi, indispensable in cooking, transfer to the finished product a lot of B vitamins, essential trace elements and hormones involved in tissue regeneration and cell division.
Getting into the soil, an aqueous solution of yeast:
- activates the decomposition of organic matter to a state accessible to flowers;
- strengthen the internal protection of tissues;
- stimulates the development of the root system, and then the aerial part of the plant.
This allows the yeast to be used for faster rooting.The leaves, cuttings or cuttings immersed in the solution form independent roots 10-14 days earlier than the parts of plants in ordinary water.
How to make and use a yeast feed
To prepare a natural stimulant, you will need a bag of dry yeast and a couple of tablespoons of granulated sugar, which activates the work of fungi and the synthesis of carbon dioxide. The ingredients are dissolved in 1500 ml of warm, but not hot water and kept liquid for about two hours.
So that feeding does not upset the balance of the soil microflora, it must be diluted with water 1: 5. Depending on the size of the pot, the condition of the soil and the health of the color, watering it requires from 50 to 100 ml of fertilizer.
Yeast works great on any plant, but flower crops will benefit most. Top dressing in this case is applied at the stage of bud formation, during and after flowering no more than 1 time in 2-3 months.
Since potassium and calcium may be lacking in the soil due to fungi, these minerals should be added. To fill the resulting deficit will help the introduction of 5-10 grams of wood ash.
Wood ash for indoor flowers
Ash, rich in potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium and other essential elements for plants, is popular with summer residents. They use this mineral fertilizer in their beds and in the garden.
No less benefit wood ash will bring indoor flowers. Many of the mineral compounds increase immunity, the particles of coal remaining in the composition create a bactericidal effect. Potassium:
- helps the plant to form buds;
- maintains lush bloom;
- allows the corollas not to fade for a long time.
Ash perfectly structures and lightens the soil, suitable for all types of house flowers that prefer soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction.
These types include adenium, hibiscus, crocosmia and many cultures loved by flower growers.
How to use ash for flower feeding
Ash is a truly universal remedy. It can be applied dry, mixed with fertile soil in a ratio of 1:50, or as a solution. For liquid fertilizer, 2 teaspoons of wood ash is poured with a liter of hot water and infused for several days. The resulting composition is sufficient to spill 5 liters of soil.
Peel and banana peel
It is common knowledge that fruits are an excellent source of vitamins. But not everyone knows that oranges, lemons or bananas benefit not only humans, but also plants. With a little effort, unnecessary peel can become fertilizer for green pets.
The zest contains a lot of organic matter, minerals, will help strengthen the immunity of indoor flowers, thanks to the content of essential oils, it will prevent the appearance of some dangerous pests, for example, scale insects and spider mites.
How to make banana peel fertilizer
To treat a flower with a banana dressing, it is enough:
- chop the inedible parts of the fruit;
- fold the gruel into a container;
- pour the same amount of hot water;
- leave for a day to insist;
- strain.
Chopped and carefully dried banana peels are a good ingredient for planting earth mix. First, organic particles structure the soil, facilitate the access of air and moisture to the roots, then, by decaying, they become a fertilizer with prolonged action and provide full-value food to indoor plants.
Top dressing from zest
Peel lemons, oranges and other citrus varieties are used to prepare liquid fertilizer for indoor flowers. The finely chopped zest is put into a suitable container, poured with hot water in a ratio of 1: 3 and kept for about a day. After straining, the product is ready for use. On average, a pot requires about 50 ml of liquid once a month.
A richer "cocktail" is obtained if fruit residues mixed in an arbitrary proportion are poured over with sweetened water and left warm for 15–20 days. To speed up the exhaust of gases, the container with the agent is regularly shaken, but not stirred. The finished composition is diluted in a ratio of 1:20 before being introduced into the soil and used every 2–4 weeks.
Onion peel
Onions, or rather the husk remaining after cleaning it, can become a source of useful substances for home flowers. In dried scales, unsuitable for cooking, many mineral elements and phytoncides are preserved.
In order for the nutrients to acquire a form accessible to plants, a handful or 50 grams of dry husks are poured with 2 liters of water and kept over low heat for about 15 minutes. The boiled liquid is left to infuse and cool. After three hours, after filtration, the product can be used for watering and spraying.
The husk decoction retains the phytoncidal and bactericidal properties of onions, therefore it is used as a prophylaxis and protection against harmful soil microorganisms and insects.
Onion-based natural fertilizer can be successfully combined with ash infusion. In this case, much more essential potassium and phosphorus gets into the soil. Dry, thoroughly crushed husk will improve the structure of the substrate and, having rotted, will eventually turn into natural itself organic fertilizer.
Nettles and bread
One of the first plants to turn green in spring is nettle. This unpretentious culture is found both in summer cottages and in city yards. Up to the snow, you can see its recognizable jagged leaves everywhere.
Organic growers use nettles to make a safe and highly effective garden fertilizer that can be useful for indoor plants as well.
Nettle greens harvested before or at the height of flowering are rich in minerals, among which potassium, calcium and magnesium occupy the first places. To return them to the soil, liquid organic feeding is prepared from plant materials.
How to make nettle fertilizer
A container of a suitable size is на filled with chopped grass, and then filled with warm yeast solution so that the liquid does not reach the top of the container. The yeast can be replaced with a few slices of rye bread to help boost the fermentation process and release organic matter. After 3-5 days, the fertilizer can be filtered and used as directed, after diluting it with settled water in a ratio of 1:10.
For a kind of vegetable "kvass", in addition to nettle, you can take many common crops, including:
- wormwood, which also has the ability to drive away dangerous pests;
- leaves of mother and stepmother;
- pharmacy chamomile;
- dandelion;
- yarrow.
Plants are used individually and in collections. And flowers made from them are watered every 2-4 weeks throughout the entire period of active growing season.
Potato broth
It is difficult to imagine a Russian vegetable garden without a potato bed, and a table without friable boiled tubers. But few people puff that during the cooking process in water from potatoes the mass of minerals, starch and fiber are transferred. These components, chief among which is potassium, when used correctly, can bring considerable benefits to indoor flowers.
For feeding, they take drained, cooled and carefully strained water from boiling potatoes. It is important that the process does not use salt, which negatively affects the quality of the soil and the growth of flowers.
Watering is carried out at the rate of 50-100 ml of liquid per pot, no more than 1 time in 2 weeks. Plants will not be damaged by a decoction of other vegetables, such as cabbage, carrots, celery, and parsley root.
Aquarium water
Anyone who has an aquarium in their home knows that caring for fish in it is just as time-consuming as caring for houseplants.Interestingly, there is a way to save energy by making the inhabitants of both the aquarium and flower pots happy.
The water in a populated aquarium needs to be updated or changed regularly. Otherwise, the walls of the man-made reservoir will be covered with a layer of microscopic algae, it will be difficult for the fish to breathe, and the rapid growth of pathogenic flora will begin. At the same time, a liquid that is unsuitable from the point of view of an aquarist becomes interesting for a florist, because it dissolves minerals and organic waste products of all aquatic inhabitants.
The aquarium water is distinguished by a neutral level of acidity, high digestibility and complete naturalness of the composition. The tool is used for watering once a month throughout the warm season.
It is important not to allow waterlogging of the soil and stagnation of moisture, otherwise there is a danger of soil acidification and uncontrolled reproduction of the smallest algae.
succinic acid
Succinic acid is well known to physicians as a natural and effective stimulant for the human body. The remedy strengthens the immune defense, reduces the severity of reactions resulting from stress, accelerates recovery from illness. The remedy has a similar effect on home flowers.
Safe for humans, domestic animals and the external environment, the drug is used for watering and foliar treatments of all types of plants, including young seedlings, rooted cuttings, as well as weakened or diseased flowers.
How to use succinic acid for feeding
Succinic acid:
- stimulates the development of the root system;
- activates the formation of new shoots;
- increases plant resistance to adverse environmental conditions;
- accelerates the decomposition of toxic compounds and prevents them from accumulating either in the soil or in the tissues of the home flower.
To prepare a highly effective succinic acid-based stimulant, just dissolve the tablet in a liter of water. Watering, sprinkling the stems and leaves should be no more than 1 time in 3-4 weeks.
If you have to reanimate a dying plant or strengthen the immune defense of a young seedling, the root system is immersed in the solution. The exposure time is from 30 minutes to 4 hours.
Biohumus and humic acids
The list of the most famous and demanded fertilizers among summer residents begins with manure and humus. At home, using these funds is irrational.
There are several reasons for this - these are:
- unpleasant smell of rotting organic matter;
- the risk of introducing weed seeds into the soil;
- infestation of fertilizers with larvae and cysts of pests.
To avoid these and other problems, as well as to easily provide indoor flowers with full-fledged fertilizers, readily available ready-made products will help, including:
- humic fertilizers containing acids obtained from sapropel or peat and their salts;
- vermicompost or vermicompost, that is, compost or manure processed by worms;
- granulated bird droppings.
Such fertilizers are devoid of the disadvantages listed above, are easily dosed, subject to the rules of application, are perfectly perceived by all types of plants and are combined with the necessary colors of mineral additives.
Other ways to fertilize house flowers without the use of chemicals
In addition to the 11 natural fertilizers for home flowers already described, there are other products that are popular with amateur flower growers. These options include:
- watering plantings with water from fresh meat, poultry or fish;
- crushed eggshells mixed into the surface layer of the soil;
- water remaining after rinsing cereals.
There are no reliable data on the usefulness of these dressings, confirmed by botanists.
In order for the nutrients contained in products to reach the roots, stems and leaves, they must have the appropriate shape. Neither the shell nor meat water meet these requirements.
The calcium contained in the shell is not the most important mineral for plants. For some species, it is simply contraindicated, and its excess causes severe metabolic disorders, chlorosis, and growth retardation. In addition, the calcium from the shell does not react with moisture and cannot be consumed by the root system.
The most rational way to use a thoroughly washed eggshell is to create drainage with it when planting or transplanting indoor flowers.
Undecomposed organic matter from meat products and fish will also not benefit flowers, but will only lead to a deterioration in the composition of the soil. Regular use of such feeding entails:
- accumulation of fats in the soil and on its surface;
- worsening root respiration;
- development of pathogenic bacterial and fungal flora.
In order for top dressing to bring only benefits and not cause undesirable, and sometimes even dangerous consequences, you should adhere to simple rules.
Fertilization rules for home flowers
The first feeding of plants should be carried out 2-3 months after transplantation. It is by this time that the soil begins to deplete, and the applied fertilizers will be able to replenish this deficit.
For liquid formulations, experienced florists take only carefully filtered or settled water. Otherwise, reagents, iron salts and other substances from the water supply system that get into the soil will negate all the benefits of the procedure.
For young and weakened flowers, use less concentrated products than for adults and strong ones.
If there are natural organic substances in the arsenal of the florist, it is important not to allow waterlogging of the soil and stagnation of the nutrient infusion. Pre-watering the plants will help prevent this.
In winter, most species inhibit development or are completely dormant, so the flowers do not need special support. Regular feeding begins in spring and continues until autumn.