How to Make Your Own Homemade Tree Fertilizers

Save your tree and do your part of reusing and recycling.

Trees are an integral part of the world and your home. This is because, other than purifying the air we breathe and giving us food and shelter, they also boost the value of your property.

So, whether you plan on selling in the future and have trees planted on your property, it’s a good idea to care for them. Other than watering them regularly, they also need additional help from us, such as providing them more water during drought or more nutrients.

Regarding the latter, you should watch for signs to see if your trees need fertilizer. Though sometimes, one might not have the fertilizer that your tree needs in store. If that’s the case, never fear because you can still provide for your trees by making your own homemade tree fertilizer!

What’s more, these homemade fertilizers won’t cost you a thing, and you can easily find them at home.

Weeds and Grass Clippings

For properties with an organic lawn, don’t just throw away your grass clippings. Instead, collect them and use half an inch of the clippings as weed-blocking mulch. This mulch is rich in nitrogen, one of the vital nutrients your tree needs and an essential ingredient in commercial tree fertilizers.

Weeds also have high nitrogen content, making them the perfect fertilizers for your trees. However, you can’t simply put them back in your garden or soil since weeds can leave seeds that grow into more weeds. Instead, make a weed tea! In a five-gallon bucket, fill 1/4 of it with the weeds you pulled and fill it with water. Like tea, you steep your weeds in water for one or two weeks. When the water turns brown, you can pour this nitrogen-rich liquid on your tree and garden soil.

Recharge Trees with Tree Leaves

Instead of bagging your fallen tree leaves and throwing them away or burning them, reuse them. You can use them as fertilizers for your trees. They have essential minerals, which help make the soil lighter, and attract earthworms that benefit your tree’s soil. Mix the crushed leaves or till them with the ground to use them. And like the grass clippings, you can also use them as mulch.

Kitchen and Garden Waste

Who would have thought that kitchen and garden wastes such as potatoes, carrots, and pumpkin peels could be helpful? Indeed, they are useful since they can provide the essential nutrients that your tree needs. You can create a homemade tree fertilizer by turning your kitchen and garden waste into compost. Moreover, compost releases its nutrients slowly over time. Suppose your trees have access to good compost. In that case, they’ll be well-fertilized for a year or two, even without applying more fertilizer.

Repurpose Coffee Grounds

Are you a coffee lover? Then, you can definitely be a big help for your trees. Coffee grounds are among the best fertilizers for trees and garden plants. Coffee grounds are for you if your trees thrive best on acidic soil. To use this as fertilizer, you can sprinkle your coffee grounds over the earth or make your trees some coffee.

For the latter, make a semblance of coffee for your trees. Like you did with the weed tea, soak up six cups of used coffee grounds for at least a week and then pour the coffee water over the soil of your trees and plants.

Reuse Your Eggshells

On the other hand, some plants and trees aren’t coffee drinkers and, thus, aren’t a fan of soil with high acidity. For these non-coffee drinking floras, limes are the best addition to their soil to lower their acid content. Not only that, but limes also provide calcium. However, limes can be heavy on the pockets.

If you want a more affordable alternative, you can use eggshells! Wash your eggshells and crush them. You can also use a blender until the eggshells turn into powder before sprinkling them over the soil.

Share the Feels with Banana Peels

We already had coffee, tea, and eggs alongside our trees; what else could we share with them? It turns out that we can also eat bananas with them! Instead of the fruit itself, though, trees prefer the nutrients that banana peels give them. By burying the banana peels beside your tree, you’ll be able to provide the potassium that it needs to boost its growth.

Whether you’re growing a tree, a shrub, or a small plant, they all need the same care and attention from us alongside their daily watering needs. These homemade tree fertilizers are not only cost-effective, but you also play an essential part in recycling while caring for the trees. That’s hitting three birds with one stone, not bad, huh?

Want more insights when it comes to caring for your trees? Contact us at Kanata Tree Service Masters! Our expert arborists will gladly help you with anything regarding your trees and tree care.