How to Make Your Own Organic Fertilizer
You can easily make your own organic fertilizer and save a great deal of money. Cow manure and worm castings are among the materials that are most rich in nutrients that the garden requires. When you liquefy these materials, you increase the coverage area significantly. The least expensive method for creating organic fertilizer is by making use of worms and a compost pile. Many people set the operation up in their home since it does not produce foul odors. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 2 storage tubs and lids
- 4 wooden blocks
- Drill
- 1/4-inch drill bit
- 1/16-inch drill bit
- Newspaper
- Red worms
- Cardboard
- Utility knife
- Food scraps
Instructions
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Drill holes in the bottom of each tub using a drill and a 1/4-inch drill bit. Space the holes evenly throughout the bottom. Drill holes for ventilation into the sides of the tubs using a 1/16-inch drill bit. Drill holes into one of the tops with the 1/16-inch drill bit. Space the holes evenly about 1 1/2 inches apart. Do not drill holes into the other lid.
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Shred the newspaper into 1-inch-wide strips. You will use this paper for the worm bedding. Dampen the newspaper with water and squeeze out the excess. Place the strips into the bins 3 to 4 inches deep. Do not push down on the paper. It should sit loosely in the tub. Old, dried leaves also make useful worm bedding and can be mixed with the newspaper.
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Obtain about 1 lb. of red worms. Some people call these worms manure worms or red wigglers, but they are the same thing. You can purchase these worms from many farm supply stores or online. Add the red worms directly to the worm bedding. Cut a sheet of cardboard to size using a utility knife so that it fits snugly on top of the worm bedding. Place food scraps on top of the cardboard.
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Place the lid with no holes in it upside-down on the floor of the location where you will place the composting bin. Place the wooden blocks at the corners of the lid. Set the first bin on top of the blocks on the lid. This tray will catch the drainage from the composting bin and is a rich organic fertilizer in concentrated form. Mix this liquid with water and spray it on the soil around your plants.
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Complete the second bed in the same manner as the first. When you finish the second one, place it on top of the cardboard inside the first tub. As the worms eat through the food scraps and the cardboard, they will crawl through the holes in the bottom of the top tub to get to the food in that one.
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Feed the worms slowly. As a rule of thumb, a worm can eat 1/2 of its body weight daily, so feed 1/2-pound of food for each pound of worms. As the worms eat and work their way through the composter, they leave behind castings. The castings are an excellent fertilizer, which is rich in nutrients for your plants and vegetables. The worms multiply quickly, so you will have to increase the food you feed as you harvest the castings.
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Rotate the bins when there is no recognizable food left by simply pulling the bottom bin out, retrieving the castings and adding fresh bedding material and food. Place the castings directly in the soil after you harvest them, or you can mix them with water to make a fertilizer solution that you can spray.
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Tips & Warnings
The tubs you select for the composter must be opaque. Worms do not like the light and will not produce as effectively.
Do not put oily foods, meats or dairy products in the composter. The worms do not like these items, which will rot and emit foul odors.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit David De Lossy/Photodisc/Getty Images
