Natural fertilizers promise vigorous plants without altering the environment. Derived from a plant, mineral, or animal materials, they give a boost to ornamental plants and vegetable gardens.
Discover the 3 best do-it-yourself natural fertilizers for the garden!
Essential nutrients
Plants need three nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Nitrogen is used for leaf and stem growth, while phosphorus promises beautiful flowers and abundant fruiting. As for potassium, it strengthens plants and allows them to be more resistant to diseases and pests. Added to this are elements such as iron, calcium, magnesium, or sulfur.
The 3 best fertilizers for the garden
Compost:
Compost is beneficial for plants because it combines multiple benefits. For example, banana peels are rich in potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. The coffee grounds generate nitrogen as green waste (grass, radish tops, peelings …). So, by combining all these residues you get an over-vitamin cocktail for your plants!
Those who have a garden will be able to build their compost silo while people in an apartment will benefit from models suitable for the balcony or for the interior. You can individually put banana peels at the foot of flowering plants and coffee grounds for heather earth plants. For tomatoes, prefer fish heads, eggshells, or even baking soda.
Nettle manure:
If nettle manure is used so much in the garden, it is not for nothing! It is very rich in nitrogen and also acts as a repellant against many pests such as aphids. It is also used as a compost activator. It is therefore useful for growing your plants, strengthening them, preventing certain pests, or even repelling them. Its preparation is very simple! All you need to do is arm yourself with gloves and go nettle picking. Collect 1kg of nettle then roughly chop them. Place them in a cloth bag or other container that allows water to pass through but keeps the nettles in place. Put the sachet in a basin which you fill with 10L of water. Let it macerate, taking care to stir once a day with a stick. If small bubbles rise to the surface, the preparation is not yet ready. Thanks to the fabric bag, no need to filter! You just have to pour your mixture into bottles or cans. Every spring in the vegetable garden, spray it on the plants mixed with 10% of rainwater. You can also dilute it in the same way by mixing it with irrigation water twice a month during the vegetation period of ornamental plants, especially those in pots!
Wood ashes:
Do you have a fireplace, a stove, or an insert? Rich in calcium, potash, silica, magnesium, and phosphorus, wood ashes complement the virtues of nettle manure.
Be careful, it must be untreated wood, without paint or varnish. Collect the ashes and let them cool before passing them through a sieve.
Do not hesitate to store them in bags to spread them whenever you want. All you have to do is spread it at the foot of the plants, scratching the ground to make them penetrate. Since phosphorus helps in the production of flowers and fruits, this fertilizer is ideal for fruit trees, flowering plants, and vegetable gardens.
