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Organic and natural fertilizers for indoor plants are available in every household. Supposed waste such as food leftovers are just as suitable as weeds. The nutrient composition is important.
Home remedies provide a natural alternative to expensive products from the garden store. However, these fertilizers are not fully fledged, as they are often characterized by an unbalanced nutrient composition. To avoid one-sided over-fertilization of your houseplants, you should combine different biological fertilizers with each other. Research the reason for acute growth disorders in order to support the plant in a targeted manner.
How often you fertilize plants naturally varies by species. Orient yourself to the rhythm of flowering and resting phases. All potted plants need more nutrients during flower development than during the pause in growth. Many green plants can be supplied with nutrients all year round as long as they do not become stunted.
Tip: If you have an aquarium at home, you can also use the old water for fertilization. The fish excretions provide the plants with essential nutrients in a natural way.
water and extracts
Various ornamental plants can be fertilized with teas or boiling water. Such extracts provide a biological alternative to liquid fertilizers that provide various nutrients directly to the plants. They are also suitable for strengthening plants and have a preventive effect against pests and fungi.
boiling water from eggs
- -Ingredients: raw eggs
- Preparation: Cook to desired degree of doneness
- Brewing time: none, applicable after cooling
- Ingredients: calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium
- Application: pour undiluted
- Effect: supplies plants with lime, is not suitable as the sole fertilizer
- suitable for: lime-loving indoor plants
Black tea
- Ingredients: leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis
- Preparation: Pour boiled and cooled water over two to three tea bags
- Brewing time: two to five minutes
- alternative use: dry the tea bag and crumble the herb onto the ground
- Ingredients: minerals, trace elements, vitamins, amino acids
- Application: dilute with water before watering
- Effect: plant-strengthening, against pests, with slight mold infestation
- suitable for succulents and ferns
Green tea
- Ingredients: leaves of the tea plant Camellia sinensis
- Preparation: Pour one liter of boiled and cooled water over three bags
- Brewing time: ten minutes to one hour
- Ingredients: amino acids, vitamins, minerals, trace elements
- Application: dilute with water before watering
- Effect: improves the soil
- suitable for all indoor plants
Camomile tea
- Components: leaves and flowers of real chamomile (Matricaria recutita)
- Preparation: Pour one liter of boiling water over four bags
- Brewing time: about 15 minutes
- Ingredients: chamomile oil, various acids
- Application: dilute with water before watering
- Effect: strengthens the plant and is slightly disinfecting
- suitable for young plants
vegetable water
When cooking and stewing vegetables, water is left over that usually disappears down the drain unused. However, it contains numerous minerals, trace elements and vitamins. Vegetable water is therefore suitable as a natural fertilizer for green or flowering plants. The prerequisite is that the cooking water was not salted.
potato water
- Ingredients: potato skins
- Preparation: Simmer the peels for about half an hour over medium heat
- Brewing time: none, can be used immediately after cooling
- Ingredients: potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus
- Application: pour undiluted
- Effect: improved supply of minerals and against aphids
- suitable as a fertilizer for flowering plants
Broccoli cooking water
- Components: Stems, florets and leaves
- Preparation: cook in boiling water for at least ten minutes so that the substances are transferred into the cooking water
- Brewing time: none, can be used immediately after cooling
- Ingredients: Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Iron, Zinc and Sodium
- Application: pour undiluted
- Effect: improves the stability of the plant
- suitable for flowering indoor plants
asparagus broth
- Components: Shoot and its shell
- Preparation: Simmer over medium heat for eight to 15 minutes
- Brewing time: none, can be administered immediately after cooling
- Ingredients: Potassium
- Application: pour undiluted
- Effect: ensures high stability
- suitable for flowering and green plants
onion tea
- Ingredients: 100 to 250 g of leaves and peel to 5 l of water
- Preparation: Pour boiling water over the ingredients
- Brewing time: ten minutes
- Ingredients: sulphur, iron, potassium, magnesium
- Application: dilute with water before watering
- Effect: helps against mites, prevents mold growth
- suitable for fast-growing indoor plants
Herb brews and manure
Various herbaceous plants are indicators of certain properties in the substrate. Nettles grow on nitrogen-rich soils, while comfrey is typical of generally heavy soils. Field horsetail, on the other hand, grows on rather poor soil and unlocks nutrients. Such plant nutrients can be extracted through infusions, because the important ingredients dissolve in the water.
nettle
- Ingredients: 500 to 1000 g of dried herb in 50 liters of water
- Preparation: Chop up the plants and pour rainwater over them
- Brewing time: about two weeks, stir regularly
- Contents: mainly nitrogen
- Application: Dilute 1:10 or 1:20 with water before watering
- Effect: promotes growth and stimulates chlorophyll formation
- suitable for all indoor plants
Comfrey
- Ingredients: 500 to 1000 g of dried herb in 50 liters of water
- Preparation: Chop the leaves and pour rainwater over them
- Brewing time: 1.5 to two weeks
- Ingredients: mainly potassium
- Application: Dilute 1:10 or 1:20 with water before use
- Effect: improves the stability of the plants
- suitable for all indoor plants
field horsetail
- Ingredients: 100 g dried plants
- Preparation: Pour one liter of water over the chopped herb
- Brewing time: 24 hours, then simmer for 30 minutes
- Ingredients: silica
- Application: Dilute the broth with water in a ratio of 1:5
- Effect: strengthens the plant tissue
- Suitable for various flowering and green plants
algae
- Ingredients: dried green and brown algae
- Preparation: Pour boiling water over
- Brewing time: about 24 hours
- Ingredients: potash salts, nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium
- Application: dilute with water before watering
- Effect: loosens loamy soil and improves root growth
- suitable for heavily consuming green and flowering plants
food leftovers
In the kitchen, supposed waste products accumulate, which often disappear unused in the household waste. Egg and banana peels or coffee grounds can be composted or used directly as a natural variant of a commercial fertilizer. When shopping, pay attention to organic products, because they are unpolluted and prevent pesticides from entering the potting soil.
eggshells
- Use: crumble the shells and put them on the ground
- Ingredients: calcium, potassium, phosphorus and magnesium
- Effect: decompose slowly and provide a stable substrate, which promotes plant growth
- suitable for lime-loving plants
coffee grounds
- Ingredients: filter coffee set
- Preparation: douse with hot water
- Brewing time: about ten minutes
- Ingredients: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus
- Application: dilute one part broth with one part water
- Effect: improves plant growth and chlorophyll formation
- suitable for heavily consuming ornamental plants
bananas
- Ingredients: 100 grams of peels from organically grown bananas
- Preparation: crush and boil with one liter of water
- Brewing time: about twelve hours
- Ingredients: mainly potassium, also magnesium and phosphate
- Application: Dilute one part broth with five parts water
- Effect: strengthens plant growth and improves flowering
- suitable for heavily consuming flowering plants
Old mineral water
- Constituents: Leftovers from almost empty bottles
- Ingredients: minerals
- Application: use undiluted for pouring
- Effect: good energy supplier
- suitable for all indoor plants
beer leftovers
- Components: stale leftovers
- Ingredients: Potassium and Sodium
- Application: mix one part beer with two parts water and administer a maximum of two times a week
- Effect: regulates the water balance in the plant and strengthens the cell tissue, promotes plant growth
- suitable for green plants
coconut shells
- Preparation: cut into small pieces
- Contents: lignin and cellulose
- Application: Work into the substrate or mix with soil when repotting
- Effect: stores moisture and slowly decomposes into humus
- suitable for all ornamental plants, especially for the propagation of cuttings
skim milk
- Constituents: Remains of low-fat and homogenized milk
- Ingredients: Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Iron
- Application: Dilute with water (1:10) before watering
- Effect: strengthens the tissue and protects against fungal diseases or pest infestation
- suitable for flowering plants and ferns
Tip: A glass of whole milk helps with acute growth disorders. Water your plant with the undiluted fertilizer.
ashes
If you want to use the leftovers from the chimney as a natural fertilizer, you should know the composition of the potting soil well. The residues contain large amounts of lime and have a strong alkaline effect. Orchids and other plants that depend on a rather acidic pH value should not be fertilized with ash.
wood ash
- Components: burnt remains of untreated wood and unprinted paper
- Ingredients: potassium, lime, phosphate and iron
- Application: sprinkle some ash on the ground
- Effect: quickly available nutrients, lime binds substrate crumbs
- suitable for lime-loving indoor plants
Notice: Cigarette ash is not suitable as a fertilizer because it contains only about one percent of potassium but many toxic soot and heavy metals.