Fertilizer enriches soil with nutrients that can support crop production. While gardening stores sell such fertilizers to boost your garden results, it is easy to make your own at home.
Home gardener lawsofgardening (@lawsofgardening) shared with TikTok how they fertilize their garden plants with a common summer fruit: watermelon.
@lawsofgardening 61. Watermelon peel juice will multiply your fruit harvest, bring more flowers for fruiting and strengthen your plants. Leave a leftover watermelon rind in water for a week in your refrigerator to create this fertilizer #garden #growagarden #gardentips #farmlife #homestead ♬ original sound – RonniesFamilyShow
The scoop
“Watermelon peel juice will multiply your fruit harvest … and strengthen your plants,” the original poster wrote in the video’s caption.
To make the watermelon peel fertilizer, simply leave leftover watermelon rind in water in the fridge for a week. The minerals and nutrients naturally found in watermelon rinds, including citrulline, magnesium, and calcium, will enrich the water, making it a powerful fertilizer for your garden plants.
The three main nutrients that plants need to grow are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, according to the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
Other important nutrients that plants need for growth include magnesium and calcium, which watermelon rinds contain.
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Citrulline, naturally abundant in watermelon rinds, enhances plant growth, chlorophyll concentration, and nutrient acquisition, according to a study published in the journal BioMetals, supporting overall crop or plant health.
How it’s helping
Growing your own food is exciting. It is also an economical way to save money on food costs while reducing the environmental impact of mass-produced, globally shipped foods. However, your crops require regular feeding to grow healthy and strong, and to produce fruit.
Making your own fertilizer at home with ingredients you already have will save you money on store-bought fertilizers, which can cost as much as $25 for a 40-pound bag.
One study by Sierra Club and the Ecology Center of Michigan also found that some fertilizer products commonly made from sewage sludge, which is typically rich in the very nutrients that plants need to grow, contain dangerous PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances). PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” can contaminate the soil in home gardens, as well as the plants that grow in the contaminated soil.
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When you make your own fertilizer, you know exactly where the fertilizer ingredients are coming from, ensuring the food you grow is healthy, clean, and safe for consumption.
Many gardeners still learn tips and tricks even after years of experience gardening, which allow them to grow bountiful harvests. One thing is for certain: gardening improves mental health and encourages a healthier diet.
What everyone’s saying
Commenters were delighted to learn how simple it could be to make their own organic fertilizer.
“Did not know this!” one user commented.
“Banana peels as well,” another commenter added.
“Compost soup,” a third user joked.
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