Last week, I decided to treat myself and got a Monstera plant for ₹1,300. I know, I know, a bit of a splurge, especially since I ordered it online. When it finally showed up, though, I felt so guilty! The leaves were yellow, the branches drooped, and the soil was dry. I tried giving it some water, hoping it would perk up, but no luck. Then, my mother suggested making some homemade fertilizers for plants to revive it.
So, I gathered some compost, grass clippings, and mixed in some Epsom salt water. But, sadly, that didn’t do the trick either! I was feeling pretty defeated and retreated to my studio. While I was there, a colleague encouraged me to reach out to Mr. Kotwal again. I did, and he shared over ten super helpful tips for making homemade fertilizers for plants here in India.
And today, I’ve compiled all these tips for you, just in case you ever find yourself in a plant crisis like mine!
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Top Insights
- You can make homemade fertilizers for plants in India by soaking onion or moringa leaves, rice or garlic & chili pepper. Below are a few more options you can try.
- Eggshell, flower-based, neem cake & onion fertilizers are the best calcium fertilizers for stunted or slow-growing plants.
- Simply relying on homemade fertilizers might not be enough. You can also add burnt wood ash, coffee grounds & compost to boost your soil health & texture.
- Top Insights
- 10 Homemade Fertilizers for Plants in India You’d Wish You Knew Sooner!
- 1. Make your very own Panchagavya
- 2. Try Making your Own Flower-Waste Fertilizer Balls
- 3. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants Using Neem Cakes
- 4. Disperse the Eggshell Powder
- 5. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants Using Banana Peels
- 6. Soak the Rice Water
- 7. Use Onion-Based Homemade Fertilizers for Plants
- 8. Moringa Leaf Extract
- 9. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants by Infusing Garlic & Chili Pepper
- 10. Prepare Tonic Water for all your Plants
- 5+ Expert-Verified Homemade Fertilizer Tips You Just Can't Miss!
- FAQs
- Conclusion
10 Homemade Fertilizers for Plants in India You’d Wish You Knew Sooner!
Well, tell me one brand that offers you clean & certified plant fertilizer for less than ₹400/kg. Hardly any, right? That’s the thing about chemical fertilizers. They are expensive, quite chalky and do not guarantee blooms & optimal plant growth. And then we, as consumers, are left helpless!
Baffled by the same question, our team decided to talk to Mr. Piyush Kotwal (yes, he’s the same expert who taught us plant care) again. But this time, he burst out laughing!
“Why do you even buy these company-made fertilizers when you can DIY them for free?” he asked. And we, just like all of you, were taken aback! Fertilizers? At home? “Well, who even has the time for that?” I snorted! And that’s when Mr. Kotwal shared these 10 hacks, you can try under 10 minutes max!
“You know, many people these days go wrong with the measurements. Like, they don’t use proper measuring cups and spoons to mix the fertilizer, nor while adding it to the soil. So, they imbalance the soil nutrients, cause stunted growth & burn the roots.”
- Always incorporate about 20% of compost & yard waste to enhance your fertilizer nutrition & soil structure
- Use about a quart of your homemade fertilizers for plants for every 20 square feet of soil for optimal nutrient balance.
- Always store your fertilizer in a cool & dry place to preserve its efficacy.
But that’s not all! Here, we’ve compiled the 10 homemade fertilizers for plants we learnt from Mr. Kotwal:
1. Make your very own Panchagavya
Main Benefits: Boosts beneficial soil microbes, potassium, nutrient absorption and plant immunity.
So, Panchagavya (Pancha + gavya) literally means “five cow,” that is, a mixture of five cow-derived products in Sanskrit. It’s like a quick immunity syrup for plants. Like, it helps resists mites and boosts root aeration a lot. Mr. Kotwal also told us that it helps yield larger fruits and flowers with better taste, color & smell. And here’s how you can make it at home:
Ingredients (please scale them as per the desired quantity): 3–3.5 kg cow dung, 0.5 kg cow ghee, 5L cow urine (gomutra), 1L cow milk, 1L curd, 0.5 kg jaggery or jaggery powder, 6 bananas and roughly 5L water.
- Fermentation
Take a large barrel (preferably plastic or wood) and mix in the 4 kg cow dung & 0.5 kg cow ghee thoroughly. Ensure you break all the lumps and hit it up with a pestle for a smooth texture. Now, let it sit for 2–3 days to multiply the microbes.
- Pour the Liquids
Then, on the fourth day, add the cow urine & water and stir it. Continue stirring it daily for the next 15 days. You can also add some straw or dried leaves (1-2 vessels) if it gets too smelly for you.
- Incorporate the Dairy
Finally, add all the other ingredients – milk, curd, jaggery, etc. and let it ferment for 2 more days.
- Application
Finally, dilute the mixture in a 1:30 ratio and use it either as a foliar spray or soil drench for all your plants. Just do so in the cooler parts of the day, preferably before 10 am, to reduce evaporation & plant burning.
Quick Tip: Try to add over 150ml (1 glass) of natural coconut water to balance the magnesium & phosphorus ratio of your panchagavya fertilizer if possible.
2. Try Making your Own Flower-Waste Fertilizer Balls
Primary Uses: Helps balance potassium, calcium carbonate & the soil pH
This one, trust me, is an all-exclusive tip among all the homemade fertilizers for plants list from the internet. So, Mr. Kotwal told us that it’s not just about adding supplements; plants need equal amounts of “brown (dried) waste” too for proper aeration, and root health. And one way to do that is to make your own dried flower balls! And here’s how you can make them:
Ingredients: Cow dung ash, a pot full of dried flowers, a barrel & 1 tbsp cow ghee
- Soaking: Soak all your dried flowers in over 1L of water for over 4–5 days. However, just keep stirring them daily to prevent fungus & insect attack.
- Mixing: Strain out all the water from your soaked flowers and pour them in a mixing container. Now, add your cow dung ash slowly and gradually. Keep mixing and more ash as required. It should form a soft, clay-like dough. You can also add 1 tbsp cow ghee if the mixture turns sticky.
- Shaping: Once your dough is set, feel free to mix in some extras—like perlite or calcium balls, if you want. Shape them into small, 2-inch balls and let them dry for a day or two. After that, just pop one into each of your plants!
Caution: Cow dung ash makes the soil a bit alkaline. So, avoid using these fertilizer balls for acid-loving plants like azaleas, camellias, blueberries or so, as those might stop giving flowers.
3. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants Using Neem Cakes
Main Benefits: Boosts the plant immunity & deters pests, bugs, mites & mealy bugs. Plus, it also supplies Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium & Magnesium in trace amounts
Uproot your plant gently and check its roots. Are they white and firm? Or they a bit black & moldy? If yes, your plant might be longing for a nitrogen, phosphorus & potassium-rich fertilizer as a homemade neem cake!
Now, you have two methods for this! You can either get the solid residue after neem oil extraction from any gardener. Or, you can get ripe neem fruits yourself, remove their kernels and crush them. Just remember to add over 100 grams of this powder per sq.m, or it might burn the plant roots.
Alternately, you can even mix 1tbsp of any commercial neem oil in a gallon of water & spray it on your plants. Mr. Kotwal says it’s a great way to repel the mealy bugs & improve soil texture simultaneously.
Quick Tip: Use neem cakes as a topsoil dressing for mature or established plants. That means, simply sprinkle it on the topsoil & then water it lightly for a slow-release nutrient source.
4. Disperse the Eggshell Powder
Top Benefits: Lots & lots of calcium & amino acids; So no dull blossoms, end rot & discolored fruits with this one.
This one is probably the easiest ones from our list of the best homemade fertilizers for plants in India. Simply collect and store your the eggshells from all your used eggs for a month.
Then, just crush them in a mortar & pestle and add over 1tbsp of this powder to your plants. Mr. Kotwal says it’s even better if you sprinkle it near the roots. Turns out it gets directly absorbed and utilized this way. You can even mix it with a bit of perlite for added aeration.
Quick Tip: Just a one time application is not enough; Reapply this powder once in every 3–4 months for a richer fruit yield / blossom.
5. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants Using Banana Peels
Primary Advantages: Abundance of potassium, phosphorus & calcium for healthy fruiting & flowering.
Tell me which fruit helps build mass, muscle & immunity at the same time? Yeah, you guessed it right! It’s a banana! So banana’s are a powerhouse of minerals – potassium, calcium, phosphorus, you name it and have it. But just as we benefit from the ripe fruit of the bananas, plants love banana skin. Basically, it helps them grow roots & withstand drought. So that’s why a banana fertilizer is a must, at least once in 3 months.
So, let’s see how to make banana-based homemade fertilizers for plants in India:
- Collection: Try to collect over 10-12 banana peels in a container. You can also freeze them to reduce the fungus & decomposition.
- Soaking: Now, simply cut the peels in small pieces, soak them in water to extract the nutrients & strain it. Or, you can blend the peels with water to make a purée & dilute it later.
- Application: Finally, dilute this fertilizer with 1 part water & pour it around your plant’s roots. Alternately, add over 10–12 tbsp to 1 gallon of water & use it as a foliar spray. Either way, your plants will bloom or grow new shoots in just 10–12 days.
Caution: Always ensure that the banana fertilizer is absorbed or completely buried in the soil to avoid attracting flies & insects.
6. Soak the Rice Water
Primary Nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus & Potassium
Now, I get that using rice water as a homemade fertilizer isn’t exactly groundbreaking. But have you ever wondered how to actually make it? Do you just take uncooked rice and soak it to create this magic potion? If yes, you might be giving your plants only about 5% of the nutrients they could get from rice water. Shocking, right?
In fact, Mr. Kotwal told us that the best rice-based homemade fertilizers for plants can only be made by boiling or fermentation. Here are the exact details:
- Boiling Method: Simply boil 1 cup of unsalted rice in 2 cups of water & stain it. Now, cool this water to room temperature & let it sit for 2–3 days. On the third day, simply dilute it with 2 cups water and spray it on your plants.
- Fermentation Method: This time, boil over 1 cup of unsalted rice in 1 cup of water. Then, collect only the white starch or foam from the top and let it sit for 1–2 days. After that, simply add it in over a gallon of water and use it as a foliar spray.
Quick Tip: Remember that diluted rice water turns sour if kept for more than 6–7 days. So either use freshly made water or keep it refrigerated.
7. Use Onion-Based Homemade Fertilizers for Plants
Key Nutrients: Potassium, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Copper, Vitamin C & Folate
You know there’s this sudden trend of using onion-based products for your skin & hair, right? Like experts believe, it nourishes your scalp, prevents graying & boosts the moisture. Well, friends, it’s the same with plants!
Mr. Kotwal told us that onion-based homemade fertilizers for plants are literally a magic potion. Like, they balance the soil nutrients, boost plant immunity & repel pests. Plus, it’s really simple to make them. Simply place a handful of coconut peels in a liter of water, let it soak properly & then strain them after 24 hours. Finally, use this water to eater your plants directly.
Quick Tip: Avoid soaking your onion peels for more than 24 hours, as the liquid might turn too acidic and burn your plant roots.
8. Moringa Leaf Extract
Key Benefits: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium, Calcium & Iron
Just as moringa (drumstick) improves digestion in humans, it boosts nutrient absorption in plants. Like, it first improves the soil structure, helps root development & aids photosynthesis.
Plus, you can literally make moringa homemade fertilizers for plants in less than 10 minutes. I mean, you just need to harvest fresh moringa leaves, blend them with 3 parts water and use it as a foliar spray. You can even strain out the pulp and compost it later.
Caution: Avoid exposing your moringa fertilizer to direct sunlight, as it may degrade the nutrients & alter its quality altogether.
9. Homemade Fertilizers for Plants by Infusing Garlic & Chili Pepper
Main Benefits: Mild sulfur & capsaicin fertilizer + a natural pest repellent
Now, it’s true that garlic & chili are used more as pesticides than fertilizers, but then, they have so many antifungal & antioxidant properties. They boost plant immunity & soil texture for instance & repel fungus, mites, powdery mildew and what not!
For that, you just have to chop over 5-6 garlic cloves & over 2-3 fresh chilies in one cup of water. Then, let it steep for over 24 hours and strain it. You can also add 1 tbsp liquid soap at this step if your plants have some mealy bugs.
Finally, spray it on the plant’s leaves, stems and flowers at least twice a month.
Quick Tip: Always spray this chili & garlic based homemade fertilizers for plants during the cooler parts of the day, say between 7 & 9 am. Otherwise, it may burn the roots.
10. Prepare Tonic Water for all your Plants
Primary Nutrients: Trace minerals like copper, selenium, zinc & magnesium
So, just as you apply tonic water on your hair & face, you have tonic water for plants too! It’s just that you don’t get it in markets. You’ll have to make it yourself by soaking some common herbs – 1 tbsp of basil, mint, coriander & oregano in a mug of water. Like, allow them to release all their nutrients, strain & use it as a foliar spray for plants. You can even add 1 tsp of neem oil if you have any pests or fungus on your plant.
Quick Tip: Tonic water is quite acidic in nature; So dilute it with 2 to 3 parts water to neutralize the pH.
5+ Expert-Verified Homemade Fertilizer Tips You Just Can’t Miss!
So, Mr. Kotwal has already told us over 10+ homemade fertilizers for plants we can make under ₹100. But then, here are some options if you want to boost the soil texture & nutrition altogether:
- Add some worm castings in a gallon of water, let it steep a for 24 hours & then use it to water your plants. Sounds gross, but it adds a lot of microbes, just like vermicompost.
- Collect all your kitchen waste – vegetable peels, fruit scraps & eggshells and dump it near the roots for nourishment. Also, don’t forget to layer it with some dried leaves & grass to absorb the extra water.
- Ferment your aquarium water for 2–4 days to breed more microbes & use it for better blooming.
- Collect over 1 kg of burnt wood ash and add in 10-15 tbsp perlite & zinc salts. Now, sprinkle over 2-3 tbsp of this mixture in each of your plants to balance the pH.
- Want to boost your plant’s nitrogen & soil structure? Well, just add 1tbsp of dried & crushed coffee ground powder to each plant.
- Dilute plain, unsweetened yogurt with 5 parts water & use it as a foliar spray to help multiply the good soil bacteria.
- Soak 1 bowl of soybeans overnight. Now, blend it with water & let the mixture ferment for 2–3 days. Finally, add 1tbsp rice water to it & use it as a soil drench to boost the soil nitrogen & amino acids.
FAQs
Conclusion
As you saw above, there are homemade fertilizers for plants for literally any nutrient you need – perhaps some calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, etc. Just remember to follow the mixing & dilution instructions from Mr. Kotwal before the final spray. Also, try to pour or spray them near the roots or leaf nodes for better absorption.
But if you still need help in reviving any sick or mushy plant, maybe our blog on the ‘5 best ways to take care of plants’ will help you out!
About Me
Ashish Kale
Ashish Kale, here, is your ultimate gardening buddy from archwhispers.com. He’s a passionate botanist & a full-time gardener who loves everything about plants-from the tiniest seeds and sprouts to tackling various plant diseases & pests. He’s here to share all his favorite gardening tips, tricks for germination, and plant care advice with a touch of creative writing & SEO.
