Fertilisers provide vital nutrients for plants to ensure that they grow and thrive to the best of their abilities. While there are a number of great plant foods available to purchase at garden centres and stores, they can be costly – especially for those who have lush gardens. Therefore, instead of spending great amounts of money on fertilisers, there are many ways to ensure your plants are well fed, including making natural and organic fertiliser from the comfort of your home.
Most things seen as kitchen waste can in fact make great plant food, and with just two household ingredients that many people will already have in homes, gardeners can easily make a “powerful organic” food for their plants to boost their growth throughout the season. The ingredients in question? Eggshells and lemon juice.
TikTok user @agriculture5639 revealed just how gardeners can make use of the food waste in just a few easy steps. He shared that crushing eggshells until they turn into “a very fine powder” and combining them with lemon or lime juice will result in a chemical reaction of bubbles.
“This happens because eggshells are alkaline and lemon juice is acidic and it’s that acid that releases the calcium trapped inside the eggshell,” he said.
Calcium is an esstenial nutrient for plants, benefitting its growth and development as well as playing a part in various structural roles in the cell wall and membranes.
The eggshells and lemon juice mixture should be left for 24 hours to let the shells dissolve into the juice, before being diluted with a litre of water to produce a liquid fertiliser that is “perfect for applying at the base of plants and on their foliage”.
The benefit of the liquid fertiliser is that it “allows plants to absorb calcium faster, strengthening roots, stems, leaves and fruits,” the video continues.
As well as being a great source of calcium, the organic plant food helps plants resist diseases, nutrient deficiencies, and harsh weather conditions.
The simple method comes with a number of benefits – from saving money to reducing waste. Most importantly, it is a healthy and natural way to boost your garden’s health.