|
FERTILIZERS:
This is done much like composting, you simply mix the following ingredients into your potting soil or dirt:
coffee grounds
tea grounds
egg shells, broken
grass clippings
dead leaves
vegetable peelings
PLANT FOOD:
beer (Dilute about 1/2 bottle of beer to 1 gallon of water)
coffee *Dilute this 1/2 and 1/2 for non acid loving plants that leaves are turning yellow on. Do NOT dilute
it if you want to feed an acid loving plant whose leaves are turning*
tea *I put used tea bags in a large bottle and add hot tap water and let it sit and cool when I need to feed plants*
ammonia (or if you really want to be cheap...urine)*do not use much ammonia, this one is actually about 1/8-1/4 cup
to a gallon of water. And only give to acid loving plants and any plants that you currently use ammonium nitrate for).
Epsom Salt
Houseplants: 2 tablespoons per gallon of water; feed plants monthly. Tomatoes: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant
height per plant; apply every two weeks. Roses: 1 tablespoon per foot of plant height per plant; apply every two weeks.
Also scratch 1/2 cup into soil at base to encourage flowering canes and healthy new basal cane growth. Soak unplanted bushes
in 1/2 cup of Epsom Salt per gallon of water to help roots recover. Add a tablespoon of Epsom Salt to each hole at planting
time. Spray with Epsom Salt solution weekly to discourage pests. Shrubs (evergreens, azaleas, rhododendron): 1 tablespoon
per 9 square feet. Apply over root zone every 2-4 weeks. Lawns: Apply 3 pounds for every 1,250 square feet with a spreader,
or dilute in water and apply with a sprayer. Trees: Apply 2 tablespoons per 9 square feet. Apply over the root zone
3 times annually. Garden Startup: Sprinkle 1 cup per 100 square feet. Mix into soil before planting. Sage: Do
not apply! This herb is one of the few plants that doesn't like Epsom Salt. **Why use Epsom Salt? Help seeds
germinate ,Make plants grow bushier ,Produce more flowers ,Increase chlorophyll production ,Improve phosphorus and nitrogen
uptake.**
____________________________________________________________
INSECTICIDES:
The ultimate organic Insect Killer and Repellant
Ingredients:
- Chopped peel of 1 citrus fruit (orange or lemon)
- 4 cups of boiled water
- 1 entire bulb of garlic
- 1 smallish onion
- 1 tbsp hot pepper (flakes, powder or fresh)
- Thin strainer
- Funnel
- Spray bottle
Directions:
1. Steep the all your ingredients overnight in the boiling water.
2. Pour the whole mess into a blender or food processor and liquefy.
3. Strain through cheesecloth ,a thin-meshed strainer, or a coffee filter placed inside a funel. Be sure to capture
all the particles to avoid clogging your sprayer.
4. Funnel the liquid into a spray bottle.
How to Use:
Thoroughly coat the leaves of the infected plant with the spray. Be sure to get the undersides and other nooks and
crannys where bugs will hide. Store your mixture in the fridge to avoid the rotting smell that will eventually arise.
Why It Works:
Garlic contains a chemical that bugs don't like. As an added bonus it also has fungicidal properties that may aid or
prevent some diseases. The active ingredient in hot pepper is capsicum. This is the stuff that burns your eyes. Some rodents
will also be repelled by hot peppers. And the citrus burns soft bodied insects...kind of how citrus juice burns your eye.
___________________________________________________________
Dormant Oil Spray
 Dormant oil is a nontoxic spray to control sucking and chewing insects in the egg stage before they can do any damage. Use
dormant oil on trees, shrubs and evergreens in early spring while they are still dormant, before buds develop. You can buy
the spray from any garden supply store or make your own from mineral oil and soap using the following recipe:
1 gallon mineral oil
1 pound oil-based soap
1/2 gallon water
Combine all ingredients, boil, and mix very well. Dilute 1:20 with water
and use immediately because the ingredients separate quickly.
Spray on a day when the temperature is above 40 degrees and you are not
expecting a freeze for at least 24 hours. Drench the branches of your shrubs and trees thoroughly - it's impossible to overdo
it.
For citrus trees, you should buy a special dormant oil from your garden
supply store. Citrus leaves can be damaged by the film that remains on the leaves.
From GardenGuides.com
___________________________________________________________
Homemade Herbicides (Weed Killers)
· Vinegar and salt is great for places where you won't be growing
anything in the near future. Spray directly on plants.
· To remove young plants, pour boiling water directly
on them. This is the simplest, yet safest herbicide there is. Just be careful to avoid plants that you don't want to damage.
·
Pour Coca-Cola on the cracks in the sidewalk to kill weeds. It's sticky, but within a week the weeds will be dead.
·
Spray some Gin mixed with a bit of apple cider vinegar and water on your weeds being careful to avoid other plants.
|
