Commercially bought plant food isn’t cheap – not to mention it can be hard to ascertain exactly what is in those plastic containers. Sometimes the back of the label looks more like a scary science lab than something you want to be putting on your tomatoes! However, you can make your own plant food at home for a fraction of the cost, often utilising things you may already have. We’ve gathered some of our favourite recipes for easy homemade plant food, so read on to find out more!
Compost & Manure Teas
The obvious place to start is compost – it’s practically free as it uses up leftovers. However, did you know you can also make compost tea? (Probably not something you want to have with a garibaldi though!)
How To Make Compost Tea
Use a ratio of 5:1 water to compost. Rainwater is ideal. Place the compost in a burlap sack and suspend in a 5 gallon bucket of rainwater or non-chlorinated water. Steep for a few weeks, but give it a stir every few days. Remove the bag and then use the ‘tea’ on your plants!
How To Make Manure Tea
The process is very similar. You can either shovel in the manure at the ratio of 5:1 water to manure, or suspend it in a burlap sack as above. However, make sure that the manure has been well cured beforehand.
Adding manure straight to the water (instead of in a bag) speeds up the process and it will be ready within a few days. Discard the manure and dilute the ‘tea’ using about 1 cup of ‘tea’ to 1 gallon of water.
Complete Plant Food
This is great for all plants, however it requires buying a few ingredients.
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon epsom salts
- 1/2 teaspoon ammonia
- 1 teaspoon potassium nitrate
Mix together in a gallon of water and store in an airtight container. You can use it once every 4-6 weeks.
Green Tea
You heard right! It’s not just people that enjoy a cup of the green stuff, it can be great for your plants too.
Brew a green tea bag in 1- 2 litres of water. Let it brew and then sit until it’s room temperature. You don’t need to remove the tea bags. Use it to water plants every 4 weeks.
Gelatin
Not just for jelly! It’s a great source of nitrogen for plants. However, not all plants like this amount of nitrogen. It’s advisable to test it on a plant that you don’t mind losing before you spray the whole garden with it. Plants tend to either not respond well, or really love it.
Dissolve a packet of unflavored gelatin in a cup of hot water. Once it’s dissolved, add about three cups of cold water. Use once a month.
Aquarium Water
If you’ve got fish, you know the hassle of changing the water to keep the tank clean. However, something more than just happy fish can come out of this – happy plants! Simply water your plants with any waste aquarium water.
In Conclusion – Making Easy Homemade Plant Food
There’s a whole host of ways to make plant food at home, and we’ve only covered a few in this blog post! Remember it’s important to know your plants’ needs to make sure you’re feeding them with something that will supply the right nutrients. With a little know how, making plant food at home is simple, and doesn’t have to cost the earth!
