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Is there any home made food I can make for my plants?

I once heard that I can put in a big bucket of water with fruit peel and then water my plants with it they will grow better!!

Any other ideas??

7 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    Most of the recipes I have are in volumes for outdoor use but a few for house plants.

    .

    Egg Shell Tea - calcium

    Using left-over eggshells, from cooking….make a tea by soaking the ground eggshells in fresh water for about 3 days and watering, with the water.

    Vinegar

    Vinegar is also great for giving houseplants a boost. A simple solution of 1 tablespoon apple vinegar to 1 gallon of water will help houseplants green up, especially if the tap water is alkaline. Vinegar does more than lower the pH; it's also loaded with as many as 50 trace minerals. It flushes the salt build up from commercial fertilizers. Use no more than once a month.

    Use as gnat/fly spray on plants diluted 1:1 but use sparingly as some plants may be sensitive to this. Test a plant leaf before use.

    Non-Flowering Houseplant Fertilizer

    *1 tsp baking soda (NaHCO3)

    *1 tbsp Epsom salts (MgSO4·7H2O)

    *1/2 tsp saltpeter (Sodium nitrate (NaNO3) used in fertilizers & found naturally in leafy greens)

    *1/4 tsp ammonia (NH3)

    *1 gallon water

    *Add 5 tbsp black coffee for acid loving plants or 1 T vinegar

    Water your plants with this mixture once a month.

    I use Growmore seaweed extract and Alaska® Fish Fertilizer 5-1-1 to make foliar spray. But it smells a bit so do it outside.

    Yes, alfalfa tea is made 1/2 -1/3 cup alfalfa meal per gallon water. Let stand overnight. "Fortifiers" include 1 T epsom salts, or kelp, & fish emulsion as directed.

    Saltpeter is not potassium! Though it can be potassium nitrate. The old name for potassium is potash.

  • 1 decade ago

    What, you want a compost pile? Mixing fruit and vegetable scraps is better for a compost, then the finished product can be added to the plants. The decomp process would tie up valuable nutrients if added directly to the soil.

    That said, alfalfa added to water will make your plants grow. Problem is where do you find small amounts of alfalfa? Is there an alfalfa tea? Rabbit food (without the molasses) is alfalfa.

    Homemade houseplant fertilizer: to one gallon of water add:

    1/4 tsp. ammonia (nitrogen)

    1 Tb. Epsom salts (magnesium)

    1/2 tsp saltpeter (potassium)

    Bloodmeal, bone meal, cottonseed meal are also organic fertilizers as is fish meal. The stink value with some would discourage me.

    My mother was a nurse and would use blood on her houseplants.......stunk to high heaven......I didn't want to know where she got the blood. Now she wouldn't dare, what with HIV, etc.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    One word. COMPOST!!! Compost is very good for the garden. The best way to make compost is to use a bin outside, make sure it's water tight so it doesn't get too wet in there. You can put just about anything into a compost bin, vegetable scraps, egg shells, damp newspaper (make sure you tear it up first). The only things you should avoid are meats (they attract vermin) or citrus. Every week or so, turn it over with a pitchfork, and depending on the amount of compost you are making, it should break down in a month or two. You'll know it's ready because it will turn into a soil type of consistancy, dark &sweet smelling. When it's ready, simply spread it over your garden beds (an inch or two thick), and water in well.If you do a search of methods to make compost there'll be pleny of information to inspire you. You'll wonder why you threw out so much valuable garbage!!

  • GRUMPY
    Lv 4
    1 decade ago

    Fruit peels and water? Sounds to me like the pectin in the fruit residue would basically turn to something like alcohol, that's how wine is made atfer all isn't it? I'd go with vegetable peeals intead. You can also use fallen leaves. Ever see fallen leaves in a puddle? Notice how the water turns brown? GOOD for plants.

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  • 1 decade ago

    There are lots of home made ingredients to feed your plants. To a quart water, you can add 1Tablespoon. Corn Syrup, 1 Tbls Instant Tea granules. 2 oz.Beer, 1 Tbls. Epsom Salts, or 1 Tbls. Dish Washing Liquid. If I knew what kind of plants you want to feed, I could be more specific.

  • 1 decade ago

    PLANTS! YUPPERDOODLE!

    They is all the same. Ain't they?

    What? Indoor? Outdoor? Decorative? Edible?

    Rule of thumb: don't put animal waste on edible plants.

    This means if you have egg shells or cat/dog poop don't put it on your tomatos.

    Of course, if you are growing decorative plants indoors this also becomes problematic.

    To be completely safe, only use vegetable materials ground finely but be careful not to put too much acidic into pots needing basic pH and visa-versa.

  • T C
    Lv 6
    1 decade ago

    Years before garbage disposals, people always saved their vegetable scraps to put in the garden. If you have potted plants, you might place your scraps in a blender, add the results to water and feed your plants

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