Fertilisers are essential for plant growth as they provide crucial nutrients that help plant development, allowing them to thrive. However, instead of purchasing ready-made fertilisers, gardeners often make their own using natural ingredients to give their gardens a simple boost without the price tag.
Homemade plant food is often made from garden scraps or kitchen waste, which both do absolute wonders in the garden. Some popular examples include banana peels, coffee grounds, and eggshells. However, it has also been recommended that gardeners add onion peels and garlic skin to the mix as the two scraps are great for increasing nutrient count in plants.
Experts at Lazy Gardener, a gardening products company, explained that the cost-saving methods are “terrific” for adding nutrients, and therefore, urging gardens not to throw the peels away.
They wrote: “Instead, use them [garlic skin and onion peels] to make organic potassium-rich fertilizer by soaking them in water for two to three days and adding them directly into the soil.
It not just the nutrients that the peels help with. They also work to help protect your plants from catching horrible diseases.
The experts added: “As Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, and Copper are plentifully present in this fertilizer, the plants become more disease resistant, develop faster, and produce more flowers and fruits. Well, now you have the know-how to put them to use.”
Every gardener’s goal is to have a healthy garden full of thriving plants, and to achieve that, fertilisers are necessary. Without the appropriate plant food it is difficult for plants to reach their full potential, which results in reduced yield, poor quality, and in some cases stunted growth.
But with this piece of advice, preventing any of the negative impacts couldn’t be any easier, as everything you need for your garden to thrive is already in the kitchen.
Not only does using garlic and onion peels work out far more cheap than purchasing fertilisers from a garden centre or supermarket, but it is also simple and effective, make sure to give it a try – your plants will thank you for it.