How to Make My Own Natural Liquid Lawn Fertilizer
While there seems to be no end to the number of commercial lawn treatments available in every garden center across the country, it's possible, and in some ways advantageous, to make your own. Homemade fertilizers are easy to produce and generally less expensive than their industrial counterparts. In addition, they can be applied as often as you like without posing any danger to plants, people or pets. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- 6 cups compost
- Mesh bag or old stocking
- 2 large buckets
- 1½ gallons water
- Trash bag
- Cheesecloth
- Canister style hose and end spray attachment
- Garden hose
Instructions
-
-
1
Place 6 cups of high-quality compost into a mesh bag or old stocking and tie the bag at the top, securing the compost inside.
-
2
Put the bag filled with compost into a large bucket or pail and add 1½ gallons of warm water. Swirl the bag in the bucket to ensure that all of the compost has been exposed to the water. Cover the bucket with a trash bag to keep the water from evaporating.
-
-
3
Allow the bag to sit in the bucket for 2 to 3 days. Swish the bag around in the bucket or stir the mixture with a wooden spoon 4 to 6 times each day. This will help to distribute oxygen throughout the solution, encouraging the growth of beneficial bacteria.
-
4
Remove the bag, squeezing gently to wring out any excess liquid. Drape a piece of cheesecloth over the top of a second bucket and then slowly pour the remaining liquid through the cheesecloth, filtering any large compost particles or pieces of debris from the nutrient-rich solution.
-
5
Measure the finished liquid and dilute the final product by adding 1 cup of water for every cup of "tea." Mix well and then transfer the solution to the canister of a hose-end spray attachment. Attach a hose to the sprayer and apply the fertilizer to the lawn.
-
1
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/BananaStock/Getty Images
