Last Updated on October 16, 2020 by David
Indoor plants need fertilizer to help them grow to their full potential and look stunning all year round. Compost is known as the key to amend your soil. Since most people don’t make compost at home, they need to buy fertilizer. Fertilizers bought from local grocery stores or stalls often contain chemicals that can damage your crops, and are not environmentally friendly. Although it is practical and easy to obtain, the use of chemical fertilizers in the long term will be bad for plants, soil, and underground water.
Also, chemical fertilizers are not environmentally friendly. Chemical fertilizers also change or even damage the soil structure which results in the loss of nutrients in the soil needed for plant growth. As a result, the soil becomes sterile and it will hinder plant growth.
On the other hand, natural/organic plant fertilizers are safe to use, effective, and provide a stable release of nutrients into the soil. Besides being safe, organic fertilizers are also environmentally friendly and will even improve the quality of the soil in pots over time. Natural/organic fertilizers work more slowly because they do not feed the plants directly but rather add essential nutrients to the soil, a little by little slowly, over time.
How do you fertilize indoor houseplants naturally? Use natural ingredients to provide nutrients that will nourish your decorative plants naturally. But do you guys know that you can actually get these natural fertilizers for indoor plants easily and very cheaply? These ingredients can be found in household domestic waste such as coffee grounds, eggshells, banana peels, and green tea, cereal crumbs, fish tank water, and many other ingredients.
It’s best not to try this homemade natural fertilizer all at once, but try them gradually or alternately, the first month and the following month, and compare the results to see which fertilizers that respond best to your plants.
Eggshell
Eggshells contain calcium which plays an important role for plants to grow and develop strong cell structures. Roots need calcium at the growing tips in order to grow properly. Plant growth absorbs a lot of calcium from the soil, and using eggshells as fertilizer is an ideal way to “recycle” eggshells that would otherwise be discarded. The way of making it is very easy. Simply crush a bunch of eggshells, add them to boiling water, and steep overnight to make tea. In the morning, pour eggshell tea on the ground. Apart from being used as a tea, eggshells can also be made into powder. Place a bunch of clean, dry eggshells in a food processor or coffee grinder. Sprinkle the powder, or mix it in with the soil before planting new plants.
Leftover cooking water
Not many people are aware of the fact that indoor plants like the starchy water that remains after cooking potatoes or pasta. A wide variety of nutrients are released into the water when food is boiled. Water leftover from boiling potatoes, vegetables, eggs, and even pasta can be used as fertilizer.
Remember, let the starch water cool before watering your houseplants with it.
Cereal crumbs
If you have cereal crumbs in your cereal box, don’t throw them away as they contain corn gluten flour, which is very good for the soil. To use them as fertilizer, simply pour them on a houseplant and cover with a little soil. Not only can they be used as a fertilizer containing 10% nitrogen, but also as a pre-existing organic herbicide. Corn gluten flour only functions as an herbicide before the seeds sprout, not after, so it won’t damage the sprouted plants.
Fish tank water
You can also use some of your fish tank water to fertilize your plants! Fish tank water contains nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus – all of which act as natural fertilizers for plants.
Have some fruits peeling but not much? don’t worry, keep them in your fridge or freezer and wait until you have at least a cup of them. Soak them in cold water overnight, remove the peels and now you have a cup of liquid natural fertilizer.
