How to Compound Lawn Fertilizer
Lawn fertilizer feeds the grass with important nutrients to enhance root spread and growth. You can make lawn fertilizer from household items like yard clippings and food scraps. Make it in liquid form or compost form. Composting takes longer, because you're waiting for the food and debris to break down and decompose. Liquid fertilizers can be mixed instantly. Either option is a cheap alternative to buying lawn fertilizer. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Beer
- Water
- Epsom salts
- Chicken wire
- Sprayer and tank
- Food waste
- Yard waste
- Burlap sack
- Dead fish or manure
- Shovel
- Bucket
- Soda
- Molasses
- Dish soap
- Mouthwash
Instructions
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1
Start a compost pile. Place it in an easily accessible spot in your garden. Make it 3 to 4 feet long. If your yard slopes, put the heap at the top of the hill, so the nutrients are carried through the yard when it rains.
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2
Fence off the compost area. Put chicken wire around the pile to keep the waste in and critters out. You can also use ready-made compost bins, if you prefer. They are available in garden centers.
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3
Collect waste and food scraps. You can compound lawn fertilizer from tea leaves, coffee grounds, banana peels, leaves, melon rinds and yard waste.
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4
Occasionally turn over the compost pile with a rake. Water it to keep it moist. As it breaks down, spread the compost over the lawn to feed the roots.
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Create a nutrient-rich spray. Mix 1 cup of beer, 2 cups of water, 1 cup of ammonia, and 1 cup of Epsom salts together to cover 500 square feet of lawn. Pour the liquid into a tank attached to a hose sprayer. Focus it on your lawn, and spray evenly over the surface. The beer is a great fertilizer for the roots, the ammonia kills bacteria, and the Epsom salts aerates the soil.
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6
Fill a burlap sack with either manure or dead fish. Secure it on top with a tie. Soak the sack in a bucket of water to make a "tea" food. The nutrients will seep into the water the way a tea bag does.
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Combine the tea fertilizer with 1/2 cup dish soap, one can each of soda and beer, 1/2 cup of ammonia, 1/2 cup of mouthwash, and 1 cup of molasses. Pour it into a 20-gallon sprayer. Spray it evenly across the lawn. Mouthwash will kill bacteria and fungus, the sugary molasses and soda will feed grass microbes, and dish soap improves absorption of nutrients.
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