How to Fertilize Houseplants Naturally Using Household Items

Learning how to fertilize houseplants naturally will save you tons of money as you use common household items readily available. You can use eggshells, banana peels, green tea, etc. Making natural fertilizer is not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly. Natural houseplant fertilizers work well, adding essential nutrients like calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium. Let’s learn how to use natural ingredients to fertilize your plants.

How to Fertilize Houseplants Naturally Using Organic Matter?

To fertilize these plants naturally using organic matter, you will need various ingredients, including egg shells, vegetable cooking water, banana peels, or green tea from used tea bags.   Coffee grounds, wood ash, Epsom salts, molasses, fish tank water, worm tea, and gelatin powder are also useful.

1. Prepare Eggshells Solution

To prepare these shells, remove the inner membrane, wash them, and leave them to dry. Once dry, you can crush the eggshells and mix them into the soil or soak them in water and leave them overnight. Use this solution as liquid fertilizer for your plants.

Eggshells are one of the best ingredients you can use to make fertilizer for your indoor plants. They are rich in calcium, which helps reduce the acidity levels in the soil. They also contain phosphorus and other minerals to ensure your plants are thriving.

2. Use Vitamin-Rich Vegetable Cooking Water

Next time you boil vegetables, don’t throw away that water. Simply cool the water down after cooking and pour it into a bottle. Use this nutritious water to give your plants a deep drink.

Vegetables are packed with nutrients that your plants will love. This water is packed with soluble vitamins like Vitamin B1, C, and folate that your plants will love. You can also use pasta water that helps with leaf shine.

3. Make Banana Peels Fertilizer

There are several ways you can use these peels as fertilizer. You can lay them down directly on the potting soil and cover them with a little soil to reduce the smell as they break down. You can slice them into small pieces and mix them with the soil before planting. Mix the sliced peels with water to make a nutritious natural compost tea.

Whichever option you choose, these peels will serve your plants and provide these vital nutrients. These peels are a rich source of potassium with small amounts of nitrogen, magnesium, and phosphorus. They are an ideal slow-release fertilizer when added to the soil.

4. Prepare Green Tea Fertilizer

Green tea fertilizer is easy to make as you need to reuse used tea bags. Simply empty the tea leaves from the bag to the soil directly or add them to water to create a nutritious natural fertilizer for plants.

This natural fertilizer best neutralizes acidic soils for plants that thrive in neutral soils. It also helps with increased plant growth in your indoor plants. You can combine this fertilizer with egg shells and banana peels to make it more effective and balance plants’ nutrients.

5. Make Coffee Grounds Fertilizer

Simply mix a scoop of the ground coffee with your potting mix before planting, or combine them with water to make and use this liquid to water the plants. Coffee ground’s homemade fertilizer will make the soil more acidic, so use it only on plants that thrive in acidic soils, like ferns, jade plants, African violets and Christmas cacti.

6. Prepare Wood Ash Solution

Wood ash is a great ingredient that contains calcium and potassium, which is best for your houseplant soil. Get the wood ash from bonfires or fireplaces, sprinkle it on the soil, and let it absorb slowly. Use high-nutrient woods like maple and oak instead of softwoods like fir, as they contain better ash.

It is a great fertilizer for increasing the alkalinity of your soil while repelling harmful pests. Exercise caution when using wood ash, as using it excessively can produce too much lye and salt that negatively impacts your houseplants.

7. Use Epsom Salt Solution

Epsom salt or magnesium sulfate makes the houseplants healthy. Make an easy natural plant fertilizer by adding a teaspoon of Epsom to a quart of water. Spray this solution on the plants as needed. You can also sprinkle a small amount of this salt on the soil’s surface for slower absorption.

This salt makes the growth bushier, helps the seeds germinate, increases chlorophyll production, produces more flowers, and deters pests like voles and slugs. It also has important nutrients that supplement chemical fertilizers.

8. Prepare Molasses Solution

Simply mix one tablespoon of molasses with 64 ounces of water and spray your plants. Molasses is a thick black liquid produced from refining sugar cane. It is rich in micronutrients such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and others. The sugar in molasses is food for the microorganisms in the soil, and these nutrients act as quick fertilizers for plants.

9. Use the Aquarium Water

Fish tank water or liquid gold contains an overflow of nutrients, including potassium, iron, phosphorus, and nitrogen, from fish waste that causes the plants to thrive. Next time you clean your fish tank, save the water to use on your plants.

Simply pour the waste water on your houseplants as plant food and watch them thrive. The water is enriched with fish waste and decomposing fish food. You use this water, similar to aquaponics, used to grow plants.

10. Make Worm Tea

Worms are a great addition to any garden as they turn kitchen scraps into a natural fertilizer. Place the kitchen scraps in the worm’s drum or tank, and they will break it into a nutritious liquid tea suitable for your plants.

You can also use an indoor compost bin that breaks down kitchen waste through bacteria. You will get a nutritious liquid from either of these methods to dilute before using it on your indoor plants.

11. Use Gelatin Powder

Gelatin powder is a natural way to add potassium, nitrogen, and phosphorus to your houseplant. It is a non-pollutant agent with a top-notch amino acid concentration that encourages optimal leaf and root growth. Pour it on the soil mix, mix it briefly, and water afterward.

Gelatin works best for several plants with naturally lush and large foliage, like Boston ferns, Monstera plants and African violets. This slow-release powder allows nitrogen to leech into the soil, slowly reducing the chance of mold growth.

How to Fertilize Indoor Plants in Different Growing Seasons?

To fertilize indoor plants naturally in different growing seasons, start when planting, mixing that potting mix with the fertilizer of your choice. For perennials and biennials that keep growing throughout the year, fertilize them at the start of spring when most begin their vibrant growth, or add fertilizers when necessary.

1. Fertilize During Planting

Get your choice of fertilizer and add it to your potting mix before planting your indoor plants. Once you have it properly mixed with the potting soil of your choice, add it to the pot after adding gravel material at the bottom. Fill the pot with this mixture leaving at least two inches at the top so you don’t spill it as you water the plant.

Planting is the most common time to fertilize plants, as they will start their growth journey with the right nutrients available. The plants will also establish roots fast due to the provision of the fertilizer.

2. Fertilize at the Beginning of Spring

For perennials and biennials that have been growing all year, prepare some soil mixed with organic manure, compost, or any other fertilizer. Loosen the soil already on the pot and scoop out some, maybe half the pot, to the point you start seeing the roots.

Add the new soil mixture to the pot and water the plant as normal. The nutrients you just added will begin to flow to the roots for better growth.

Most plants start their active growing journey in the spring, and it’s best to provide them with what they need. Fertilize them at the start of this season to get them started on the right foot.

Fertilizing these plants at the beginning of spring will provide the necessary nutrients for another journey around the sun. Your flowers will bloom at the right time if you feed them perfectly.

3. Fertilize When Necessary

Add fertilizers to your plants as and when needed. Liquid fertilizers are the best in this case, as they simply need to be sprayed on the plant to give it the proper nutrients.

Some plants will require more nutrients along their growing journey, allowing you to fertilize when necessary. For flowering plants, you can add them before they bloom to give them the perfect energy they need. You can choose when to add nutrients properly to keep them thriving.

Conclusion

Now that you know how to fertilize houseplants naturally, it’s time to tend to your houseplants, showing them love and care. When using these homemade fertilizers, use them only when needed. Here are a few points to remember:

• Natural houseplant fertilizers are the way to go if you love to give organic care to your plants and save the environment.
• Refrain from over-fertilizing your plants even when using these fertilizers, as they can also cause harm to the plants.
• You must fertilize as necessary in each plant’s growing journey.

Share more ideas on organic fertilizers with us in the comments!