With the declining environmental conditions of our world, many people have started to become environmentally conscious of minimizing damage to our planet. Everyone has to do their best to minimize pollution and help the environment. Although growing healthy, nutritious plants without additives can seem a little complicated in this age where almost every process depends on chemicals. You can use some simple hacks to grow your plants naturally. Growing plants naturally benefits not only the environment but also your health. Chemical additives can be quite harmful to the soil as well as animals and human beings. Pesticides have an especially harmful effect on the final product. So, to help you grow greens naturally, here are some effective hacks you can try.
- Compost Tea
A mixture of compost products can be quite beneficial to plant growth. If you’re familiar with worm farming, you’re probably aware of the benefits compost microorganisms can have. When preparing compost tea (boiling the waste solution to a specific temperature), certain highly beneficial microorganisms are produced, which can make your plants grow more efficiently and make them appear vibrant.
- Worm Castings
Worm castings, just like compost materials, provide hugely beneficial microorganisms and nutrients to your soil, which can enrich your soil with natural plant growth hormones. However, unlike other products on the market, organic worm castings are among the best soil supplements you can ask for. In addition to being highly nutritious, they’re also wholly organic. Try burying worm castings in the soil, and you’ll start to observe significant addition, once results in a few days.
- Wood Ash
The pH content of your soil dictates plant growth significantly, and therefore, anything added to balance the pH can considerably improve plant growth. One such item is wood ash, which is a natural product that helps neutralize acidic soil. However, ensure that the ash has cooled down before you place any of it on your soil. Moreover, before placement, check your soil’s pH value to ensure it needs to be neutralized, or else this method could end up ruining the soil.
- Banana Peels
Instead of throwing away your banana peels, chop them up and bury them in your soil for an added dose of potassium and other nutrients. Specifically, when you’re planting tomatoes, rose bushes, or green pepper plants, the phosphorus content in the peels will prove to be highly advantageous. Once buried in soil, the banana peel nutrients can help enrich the soil and make your plants stronger.
- Coffee Grounds
If you’ve got old coffee grounds lying around the house that are too stale to use now, you can use them to help grow your plants. It seems surprising, but coffee grounds can act as plant boosters because they contain numerous nutritious elements. With a high phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium, and potassium content, they can acidify soil for any acid-loving plants you might have in your garden. These can include evergreens, rose bushes, or azalea plants. You can either add these coffee grounds with the compost tea or scatter them over the soil before watering.
- Club Soda
Did you know that club soda can be more nutritious for plants than regular water? Although plants need their daily dose of water content, club soda contains macronutrients like carbon, oxygen, potassium, phosphorus, sodium, and sulfur, which greatly benefit your plants. First, however, make sure that you let the fizzy water go flat before you pour it into your soil.
- Aquarium Water
Aquarium water can benefit your ornamental plants, as they contain the bacteria and waste from your fish. However, make sure that you only use fresh water for this purpose, not saltwater, as that can cause salinization in your soil. Moreover, this method shouldn’t be used for edible plants, as it can impact the taste.
- Egg Shells
Eggshells are rich in calcium content and can be used as a source of enrichment for calcium deficient plants. Before adding them, make sure your first rinse and crush them to get the nutrients exposed. This method is most commonly employed for tomato plants, as they lack in their calcium content. You can also use eggshells to grow seedlings and transfer them when they’ve grown large enough.
By refusing to use chemicals to grow and nurture your plants, you’re not only reducing the excessive release of poisonous gases but also ensuring your product is not toxic. Pesticides can have chemical remnants even after you’ve scrubbed your produce, and chemical fertilizers can have the same effect. As an alternative, you can use these simple hacks to ensure good plant growth.
