7 Free Indoor Plant Fertilizer. Zero Waste and Easy.
For years I’ve had house plants, doing nothing much with them other than to water them every so often, keep them alive. But more recently I’ve wanted the small plants I have to be bigger and better. Let’s face it buying ready grown huge plants is an expensive business so why not help the ones I have grow much bigger, happy and healthy.
Only problem is I hate using chemicals, hate buying anything in plastic even if its organic and natural, and really don’t want a ton of fertilizers sitting in my cupboard. So I’ve been experimenting with making my own fertilizers from what I have in the house already and so far my plants are loving it.
There’s no need to spend money on fertilizers or synthetic materials to help your plants grow. Buy using nutrients from your kitchen that would otherwise be thrown away we can grow happy and healthy house plants for free with absolutely no effort.
As always when we look to nature and the cycle of life there always seem to be a bigger and better, usually free answer for us there.
Free and Natural Fertilizers for you house plants.
Egg Shells.
Egg shells have a huge amount of calcium in them, which is why is it good to throw them on the compost. However they can also be used directly on your house plants as a fertilizer too to help build strong cellular structure.
The simplest way to use egg shell nutrients on your house plants is to use the water you boiled your eggs in when watering your plants. Simply let the water cool before using.
To get more nutrients from the shells you can crush clean shells, pour boiling water over them and leave for 24 hours before using the water on your house plants.
Note: I recommend using it as soon as possible as the water will not keep and begin to smell.
Alternatively you can crush your egg shells fine and add them to potting soil when re-potting your house plants. Again make sure you rinse them and get rid of any membrane of they could turn smelly.
Banana Peel.
Banana peel contains potassium as well as nitrogen, phosphorus and magnesium. All great to be added to house plants as fertilizer. Simply pop peel in a jar, cover with water and let sit for 2 weeks. Drain and use water and feed your house plants.
Banana Peel fertilizer is particularly good for flowering house plants, however using banana peel as fertilizer can attract fruit flying so I recommend not using this one in hotter months.
Left over coffee.
We all know coffee grounds are great in the compost bin but what about any left over coffee in your cafeteria.
Black coffee can be used as a fertilizer for certain house plants. Remember that not all of them will like the caffeine. Devils Ivy, Peace Lilies, Christmas Cactus’s, Money Plants and Philodendron will all enjoy a drink of coffee.
Mix half coffee with half water, and limit how often you do this. No more than once a month will see you plants right.
Aquarium Water.
Do you own a fish tank in your house? Well the old water from this can be very beneficial to your house plants.
Aquarium water contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and ammonia, plus beneficial micro-organisms that process these materials. As long as the water is filtered or changed regularly you can use this straight on your house plants. If not you may want to dilute it before watering.
Bokashi Composting Juice.
If your any interested in reducing your waste and/or gardening then chances are your already composting. But have you thought about upping your composting game and investing in a Bokashi Bin?
This is the only one on my homemade fertilizer list that may cost you a little bit of money.
Bokashi composting is essentially a quickly more efficient way of composting invented in Japan. It a system in which you can add ALL your kitchen waste into the compost bin. Yep everything including meat, bones, fish and carbs.
It works because you add Bokashi Bran (this is the bit you have to buy though it is very cheap) to your air tight Bokashi Bin which helps your food waste ferment. This can then be added to your soil or straight into your compost bin and will break down in a matter of weeks.
The bit that will help your house plants is the water you drain off from the bin while it is fermenting. It’s highly concentrated so dilute 1 part Bokashi juice (also known as Bokashi Tea, sounds much nicer than bin juice which is essentially what this is) to 100 parts water before watering your plants with it.
Used Green Tea Bags.
If your like me and do not leave the tea bag in while you drink your green tea this one is perfect for you.
Like when using coffee as a fertilizer, Green Tea is best used on plants that like acid soil because it contains tannic acid. However this does a get job of improving soil nutrients and oxygenation to help your house plants thrive.
African Violets, Ferns, Jade Plants and Christmas Cactus all like acid soil so again this is a good one for them.
Soak a used green tea bag in hot water and let cool. Water directly onto plants. You can also uses the tea leaves as a mulch onto of your house plant soil.
Another benefit to using green tea as a fertilizer is it will leave the room smelling amazing after you’ve watered. Free air freshen too.
Pasta, Rice or vegetable Water.
When boiling your pasta or vegetable some nutrients from the food with boil off into the water. This can contain many nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and calcium. Using this water on your house plants can help give them a growth boost.
Instead of draining used cooking water into the sink save it, let it cool and get watering your house plants. You’ll be conserving on water too.
If you wash your rice before cooking you can also use this milky coloured, starchy water as a fertilizer. Rice contains nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, meaning trace amount will be found in the water. This can help healthy bacteria to grow in the roots of your house plants.
Another benefit of rice water is it is known to be a good for repelling pests such as fruit flies, plant lice and aphids.
Now have I convinced you that you never need to head to the shops to buy expensive fertilizers that come in plastic containers again? I sure hope so.
Remember that will everything you can have too much of a good thing. The bottle on the fertilizers you buy with tell you to only use them every so often, the same should go for your homemade, organic fertilizers too. Don’t panic about not having clear instructions, once a month, or every couple of months will be fine. If the leaves start to look a little brown or yellowing leave off for a little while. But one thing I do promise is you’ll be some lovely new growth and some happy plants with just what you already had in your kitchen. Clever right?
Hannah xx
Other articles you might enjoy.
A Beginners Guide to Composting. Composting in a Small Space.
