9 Best Organic Fertilizer For Houseplants

Flowers and houseplants growing in the open field draw active substances from the soil, but even they sometimes need feeding. Not to mention potted plants, which drain the soil much faster. Can plants be fertilized with organic matter? As far as possible! After all, this is a real storehouse of trace elements. Peat, manure, ash, and other types of organic matter, as well as the introduction of the best organic fertilizer for houseplants in this article.

Best Organic Fertilizer For Houseplants

best organic fertilizer for houseplants

Best organic fertilizers for houseplants and garden plants are no less useful than mineral fertilizers. The forms of fertilizer can be successfully combined. The main thing to remember is that an overdose of fertilizers is extremely harmful to the plant! What do you need to know about organic fertilizers and how to apply them? After all, they, in turn, are different. By the way, it is not at all necessary to collect and procure them yourself, nowadays they are sold in the form of solutions, mixtures, powders, and compressed tablets in specialized stores.

Manure

This is the most popular and most effective form of feeding. Due to its availability, it is used in large volumes. Manure as a fertilizer can be used not only for garden plants but also for indoor flowers. After all, this is a real storehouse of useful microelements, here you will find nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, as well as calcium, manganese, copper, molybdenum, and magnesium.

If you have, for example, a village, or friends who have a suburban economy, who can supply you with this organic “good”, why not use it? Of course, the disadvantage of such fertilization is that it is simply impossible to make a solution at home, due to the unpleasant smell! However, ready-made fresh mullein can be added to the water for irrigation at a dosage of 1:15 (solution: water). A solution means a mixture prepared on the basis of a proportion of 1 part of manure \ 4 parts of water, infused for 3-5 days in a loosely closed container.

Mullein and horse manure are suitable for feeding indoor flowers; Sheep and pig manure are not desirable in home floriculture, and pets’ waste cannot be used at all.

Of course, not everyone decides to use an unpleasant-smelling fertilizer indoors. But, if you live outside the city and in the springtime bring flowers into the garden, this method is available to you! In addition, manure is sold in the form of organic concentrates, which must be applied following the instructions on the package. Such fertilizers can be used in the garden and at home!

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Bird droppings

Fertilization with chicken manure is practiced along with manure. Pigeon droppings are also of organic value. A liquid solution is prepared in the same way as mullein: 10 gr. dry droppings are dissolved in 2 liters. water and insist in a ventilated room for 7-8 days with constant stirring. However, it should be borne in mind that poultry manure is a more concentrated fertilizer. Therefore, the resulting solution must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:25 before use, depending on the amount.

This “elixir” contains almost all the trace elements necessary for the plant, especially it is saturated with nitrogen. But the nitrogen component decomposes quickly, so it is not advisable to store the “semi-finished product” for a long time. In-home floriculture, dry litter is more often used. It is crushed and mixed with soil. Do not overdo it, 30 grams is enough for 1 cubic meter. such fertilizer! Also, do not allow clots to form in the soil, otherwise, there is a risk of scalding the roots.

Humus

It is not for nothing that it is appreciated by gardeners because in terms of the content of nutrients it is a whole Mendeleev table, contains valuable bacteria, and improves the structure of the soil. And most importantly, it can be used at home! Distinguish between dung humus and leaf humus. The first is obtained after the decomposition of manure mixed with soil. Humus soil, together with leaves, weeds, and other plants “waste” produces leaf humus. Of course, it is the manure that is most nutritious, however, the leaf is also appreciated.

The site houseplantspro advises using humus in the process of preparing substrates for indoor flowers. During transplantation, if you are preparing the earth mixture yourself, add humus, it should be no more than 1/3 of the soil mixed with garden soil and sand (depending on the requirements of the plant). However, in this case, you should not add additional fertilizers for a month! Leaf humus decomposes faster than manure, but in any case, it has a positive effect on the properties of the soil. The soil of garden flowers is flavored with humus before planting, or the plants are mulched with humus, mixing it with the soil.

best Organic Fertilizer For Houseplants

Humus can also include compost, in the preparation process of which more raw materials are used. Almost all summer residents have a compost pit on their site. However, it must be remembered that tree branches, plant material that has been treated with poison, synthetic materials, and plastic cannot be disposed of in a compost pit. Semi-rotted compost is suitable for mulching garden flowers; for indoor plants, it is better to use completely rotted compost.

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Sapropel

In other words, lake silt, or, as it is also called, “miraculous mud” is another type of plant material. In its composition, it contains nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, humus, vitamins, and biologically active elements. Sapropel has found application in home and garden floriculture. Fertilization undoubtedly improves the structure of the soil, enriches it, transforms the plant. It is added during transplanting into the soil (in a proportion of 1 part of sapropel: 10 parts of substrate), or during irrigation into water (also 1:10 – sapropel: water).

Be careful when purchasing sapropel from your hands! Collected in ecologically hazardous areas, it can be dangerous due to the toxic compounds contained in it. Usually, sapropel is sold in the form of powder, ash-like consistency, dark gray, or compressed raw materials. Before use, the sludge must be ventilated so that the nitrous oxide of hazardous chemical elements disappears.

Peat

This material can often be found in ready-made indoor plant substrates. It is a waste product of swamps, a decomposed combustible substance with high carbon content. In structure, peat is similar to tobacco – brown, brown, or black in color. It is saturated with minerals – magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, iron, in addition, it contains gummed acids that have a positive effect on growth. Therefore, it is peat that is often used for rooting cuttings and leaves.

Peat is also useful for mature plants, it improves the air permeability of the soil, neutralizes heavy metals that enter it, and increases the nutritional value and moisture content. High moor peat is capable of retaining lime, typical of hard water, and also acts as a sponge, retaining the moisture needed by the plant. For horticultural floriculture, mainly lowland and middle layers of peat are used, plants are mulched with them.

When preparing the soil for domestic plants, peat should be no more than 30-40% of the volume of the soil. If you use a ready-made substrate, you do not need to add peat, because it is often present (make sure of this by examining the composition of the purchased land).

Wood ash

Another effective and affordable organic material. It contains most of the trace elements in a form available to plants: potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, sulfur. But for fertilization, the ash should not contain harmful impurities – printing waste, synthetic combustion products, heavy resins, and plastics. The shelf life of ash is not limited if moisture is not allowed.

Dry ash can be safely added to the soil during transplanting or sprinkled on the soil in the pot and in the garden area. This procedure disinfects protects against the appearance of insect pests and also enriches the earth with nutrients. By the way, with the help of ash, you can reduce the acidity of the soil due to the lime it contains.

But don’t overdo it! Only a few pinches are enough for one plant because ash as a fertilizer is very active and can also cause burns in case of an overdose. You can also prepare an ash solution, for which 1 tbsp is taken for 1 liter of water for irrigation. ash, mix and let it brew for 24 hours.

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Onion and potato broth

Another available option is onion broth, which is not inferior in properties to mineral dressings. It is recommended to use it as a foliar dressing, but even at the root, such a “delicacy” will suit the flowers! 50 gr. the husks are poured into 2 liters. hot water, bring to a boil and let it brew for three hours, then you can spray the plant with the resulting “drink”, and for watering dilute the solution with water 1: 2. This is an excellent prevention of pests and fungal diseases.

After boiling potatoes, do not rush to drain the water. Once cooled, it can be used to fertilize flowers! Potato water is successfully used in folk medicine. For flowers, the starch contained in such a decoction is a nutritious reserve for reproduction, growth, and increasing protective forces. The cooled potato broth can be used in its pure form for root feeding of the garden and indoor plants.

Although, mostly potato is mentioned, but rice water , and any water after cooking vegetables will be a very useful organic food for flowers. You can rest assured that it has been tested by experience! Such water contains a ready-made set of microelements. After cooling, it can be used in its pure form. If you cannot use it immediately, store the decoctions in the refrigerator, but no longer than 1 week.

Shells and rinds

If you are a supporter of organic fertilizers, you can apply the principle of “no waste” using eggshells. It contains the “lion’s share” of calcium, as well as a whole list of other trace elements. But in the form of fertilizer, the shells decompose for a long time in the soil, so it is better to grind them first. This additive reduces the acidity of the soil! It can be added when planting indoor plants and fertilizing garden flowers.

The second use is water infusion. For its preparation, it is important to clean and dry the shell, and then add it to the water (at the rate of: a handful of 1 liter), leave for about a week. This water can be used as an organic fertilizer, including for indoor flowers. Eggshells can replace drainage by peeling and gently wrinkling them in your hands. It is believed that the shells of raw eggs are more beneficial. But many will be useful for composting.

Citrus peels are a source of nutrients. Infusion of dry peels of orange, lemon, pomegranate, tangerine and other citrus fruits is used for spraying and for watering. Outside, it protects the leaves from pests and is an excellent prevention of diseases, and in the soil, it helps the full growth and development of the plant. To obtain an infusion, 100 g of dry crusts are infused in warm water for four days.

Sugar and aquarium water

Almost all plants have a sweet tooth. To fertilize home and garden flora, use a sweet “cocktail” at the rate of 1 tsp. sugar per 0.5 l. water. You can sweeten the water, or sprinkle sugar on the soil before watering. Cut flowers keep well in sweetened water. Cacti are especially fond of sweets, but the plants can be treated no more than once a week.

Many gardeners successfully use water from an aquarium to water house plants. It is softer, contains active biological substances particles of algae and waste products of aquarium fish. However, as a real fertilizer, it is not recommended to use it more often than once a month and only for the period of plant growth – in spring and early summer.

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Everyone chooses by trial and error what to use for their plants. But the introduction of organic fertilizers, like mineral fertilizing, also presupposes the observance of important rules.

  • Do not feed during the dormant period: when the flower does not grow, it does not need fertilization! With the awakening of the plant, start feeding it with caution first once a month, then once every three weeks. This periodicity is enough to prevent excess, because most organic fertilizers stay in the soil for a long time.
  • Do not fertilize newly transplanted plants, especially if you have already added organic raw materials to the soil. Feeding should be done no earlier than after 1-1.5 months.
  • It is fraught with sick plants to feed, first you need to establish the cause of their illness, eliminate it. Plants need fertilizers during the period of rehabilitation, vegetation, flowering.
  • But, before watering with fertilizer, it is advisable to moisten the soil with water for irrigation to ensure contact of the plant roots with the ground.
  • And the last an excess of organic and mineral substances is more dangerous than its deficiency! Therefore, observe the measure and the plants will thank you with their beauty!

The application of the best organic fertilizer for houseplants promotes the growth of indoor and garden flora. Now you know how to use these valuable ingredients.

I am an avid plant enthusiast and horticulture aficionado with a deep passion for houseplants. With years of nurturing green companions, my expertise in caring for indoor foliage is well-rooted. Through my journey, I've cultivated insights into optimal plant care, propagation techniques, and creating vibrant indoor ecosystems. Join me as we explore the verdant world of houseplants together. Let's turn your living space into a thriving oasis of botanical beauty. Connect with me on admin@houseplantspro.com and Facebook and explore more at Houseplantspro. 🌿🪴

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