How to Make Homemade Lawn Fertilizer

The best time to fertilize your yard with a good organic fertilizer is in the autumn but if you are looking for an inexpensive, safe way to bring new life to your lawn this spring, here's how to do it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• a five gallon bucket
• an old pillow case
• compost (either from garden supply store or homemade)
• 1/2 cup dried kelp
• water
• garden sprayer

1. Into pillow case put compost and dried kelp. Fill pillow case about 1/4 full.

2. Fill 5 gallon bucket with water and place pillow case filled with compost mixture into bucket of water, with compost in the water but end of pillowcase draped over the side of bucket. Secure pillowcase so that dry end doesn't fall into water in bucket.

3. Allow compost mixture to steep in the water like a tea bag for at least 3 days and every day swish the pillowcase around the bucket of water. The water will have an odor and will begin to turn brown. This is what you want.

4. Once your tea is the color you want, put one quart of tea into garden sprayer to two gallons of water.

5. Spray tea onto entire yard using sweeping motion. It's a good idea to apply this just before a good rain but if rain isn't in the forecast, Be sure to water your yard well. Use this every couple of weeks throughout the spring and summer and your lawn will be the envy of the neighborhood.

Tips & Warnings

• For best results use homemade compost. It's easy to use household and yard wastes to make compost even if you don't have a garden.
• Kelp can be found at garden centers and health food stores. If you can't find it, ask and they should be able to order it for you.
• You can use the pillowcase with the compost to make a second batch of tea. It will be weaker but will still help your yard. After using second time, dump contents of bag onto a bare spot on the lawn, work up the ground in that area, work in a little grass seed and cover with a light coating of compost.
• There will be an earthy odor with this product but it is the safest thing you can add to your lawn. It's nontoxic, safe to apply even around children and pets.

[pondripples]

on 5/3/2009 Be sure to spray it evenly. I tried to roll a compost bin over the lawn and run water through it and I got streaks of green. This method looks like you'd avoid that problem.

[havanargila]

on 4/4/2009 great info, i have done it and i know it works, thanks!

[heatherleigh73]

on 4/4/2009 Very informative....just wish i had a yard to try this!