Are Eggshells Good for Roses?
Gardeners add compost to soil to replenish nutrients that plants take out, but it can be expensive when purchased commercially. Keeping soil healthy is essential to keeping plants healthy. Common household waste may be used as organic compost, which makes it a lot simpler to provide plants with the nutrients they crave. As odd as it sounds, eggshells are actually very healthy for roses. Does this Spark an idea?
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Composition
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Eggshells are composed of 93-percent calcium carbonate, a very valuable soil nutrient. The shells also contain 1-percent nitrogen, phosphoric acid and other small amounts of various nutrients that plants need. Roots feed on calcium, pulling it right out of the soil. Eggshells help to put that calcium back, which makes them a valuable composting material. Roses aren't the only plants that may benefit from eggshells, but roses will benefit from regular infusions of calcium.
Pretreating
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After they're clean and washed, eggshells are a viable composting material. Thoroughly rinse all eggshells with warm, soapy water before putting them outside. Rinse the shells with clean water to remove all traces of soap. Unless they are cleaned, eggshells may contain lingering food odors that will draw animals and pests to your roses. After washing eggshells, lay them out on a flat oven pan and turn the heat to the lowest possible setting to allow them to dry. Eggshells will take less than an hour to dry completely.
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Powdering Shells
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Gently crush eggshells into pieces by hand, then pour them into a blender. Beat the eggshells thoroughly until they become fine-grained and powdery. Spread the powdered eggshells around rose beds, broadcasting it directly onto the top of the soil. Water the ground after spreading eggshells to help the nutrient-rich material sink into the ground and provide nutrients to the flowers.
Crushed Shells
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Instead of powdering eggshells, they may be hand-crushed and spread out around roses with the sharp edges intact. Using larger pieces of shell is not recommended for garden areas that children and pets may frequent, but it is a good snail deterrent. Snails and other small pests will be unable or unwilling to move past the sharp edges of the eggshells, leaving your roses protected from these pests. The crushed shells will take longer to break down in soil, but they are an effective defense against unwanted garden pests and they will still provide the same nutrients as powdered shells.
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