Unconventional Fertilizers

Uncommonly Common Fertilizers

Ok... we've talked a bit about compost... what about other, non-ordinary fertilizers?

Maple syrup - add two tablespoons of maple syrup at the base of the plant, once a month

Beer - spread one part beer to two parts water for shrubs, flowering bushes, and any grasses

Epsom Salt - one tablespoon of Epsom Salt to one gallon of water will enrich the color and aid in disease protection. Epsom Salt is magnesium sulfate, which lowers the pH of the soil and provides magnesium... a really good thing for high alkali areas.

Sports drinks - what they do for you, they will do for your plants, too.

Jell-O - mix up the Jell-O like would would normally, but pour it into your garden before it coagulates. This gives the plants a boost of nitrogen

Tea bags - bury a tea bag near the base of your plant. every time you water the plant, the nutrients from the decomposing tea leaves spreads to the roots.

Olive oil - add two tablespoons of olive oil to the base of palms and ferns once a month

Coffee Grounds - mix in coffee grounds with your compost for berries and other acid-loving plants

Ashes from your fireplace - Hardwood ash contains roughly 40% potash, a plant nutrient. Don't use ashes from your BBQ, though... that usually contains a lot of sulfides that aren't any good for plants or composting.

To turn solid compost into good liquid compost - Fill a bucket one quarter of the way with finished compost... add one tablespoon of molasses... fill it the rest of the way with water... put it in the sun. Let it stand for five days or so, strain it well, dilute it with water until it looks like tea, apply to plants.