Do you notice these common signs in your plant - BE ALERT - Gardening tips and Gardening ideas.

Plant nutrients and it's importance: 

Plants, just like us need nutrients and having great interest in gardening, we would have definitely tried out different fertilizers. We will now see about what nutrients plants actually need and in addition to this we will also see when is the right time to provide the plant nutrients. 

Importance of noting various signs in plants, to identify the kind of nutrient lacking in the plant: 

You need not be an expert farmer or gardener to know these, as this is not rocket science. These are just simple gardening tricks and gardening tips that you need to know. 

Signs in the leaves and what do they indicate: 

First we will see certain signs in leaves and will see which nutrient deficiency causes these signs, so that we can supply the plant with those specific nutrients. Check out for brown spots in the leaves especially in the edges, yellowing of veins, yellow edges and brown veins. 

In addition to these signs curling of leaves, purple spots under the leaves should also be looked for. Mostly these deficiency symptoms will begin to appear in older leaves. 

What happens if these signs are left unnoticed: 

This when left unnoticed will lead to overall reduction in plant growth including reduced root development, seed and fruit development. If you notice any of these or most of these symptoms then it is definitely due to potassium deficiency. Potassium is the 3rd most important nutrient required by plants. 

Potassium deficiency and plant diseases:

Moreover, potassium deficiency will lead to more diseases in plants, this is because the thickening of cell walls in plants will not happen properly. This is because when adequate amount of potassium is present, silica will be accumulated and incorporated into the cell wall thus strengthening the cell wall which functions as a physical barrier to the pathogens which cause plant diseases. So now let's see what we can do to increase the level of potassium. We will look into certain natural sources of potassium. 

Natural sources of potassium: 

Seaweed, wood ash, crop residue, manures, kelp meal, green sand (which can be got in the nursery), fruit peel fertilizer - especially banana peel fertilizer and coffee grounds. 

Wood ash is one of the richest and fastest accessible source of potassium for your plants. You can easily make it at home and provide a feast for you plants in the garden.

5 extra nourishing homemade liquid fertilizers made with weeds in your garden - Gardening ideas for beginners.

Using homemade fertilizers for the garden has become an area of interest for almost every gardener. Gone are the days when we need to look upon the inorganic chemical fertilizers to keep our vegetable garden, indoor plants and other plants in our garden flourishing. These are also expensive. Let’s look into some easy to make liquid fertilizers. These fertilizers are made from certain plants in the garden and also from weeds which are generally considered as a hindrance to plant growth. Here are some gardening ideas on how to convert the useless weeds into nourishing homemade organic fertilizer. Gardening for beginners will also become easy with these homemade fertilizers. 

We will look into a list of 5 liquid homemade fertilizers, which you wouldn’t have known. We will also look into the benefits of each liquid fertilizer and here is the list of overall benefits of using such homemade liquid fertilizers for your plants. 

Benefits of weed fertilizer for plants:

• Enhances the proteins synthesis in plants, thus making the plant build up its structure well

• Prevents stunted plant growth and improves yield

• Reduces pest and other  plant infections

• Increases root growth

• Makes a strong cell wall, thus preventing plant damage

• Enhances the productivity of plants

• Increases foliage health

1. Alfalfa liquid fertilizer:

Alfalfa which is generally used as a livestock feed can also be used to feed your plants a nourishing food. Alfalfa is rich in potassium, folic acid, vitamin A, nitrogen, calcium and also contains other trace minerals. It is actually a weed that can be used to produce a nitrogen rich fertilizer tea for your plants. 

2. Comfrey liquid fertilizer: 

Comfrey is actually a shrub that grows up to 5 feet tall, in the backyard. This is rich in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, vitamins A, B and other trace minerals. Comfrey fertilizer can actually add that extra required dose of phosphorus and magnesium to your plants. 

3. Willow liquid fertilizer:

These weeds contain high amounts of growth hormones and thus willow liquid fertilizer can be used to feed transplants and seedlings. 

4. Horsetail liquid fertilizer:

Another important liquid fertilizer made from weeds is horsetail liquid fertilizer. This is actually rich in iron, silica and potassium. Iron and silica are generally not found in other weeds, because these horsetails grow deep rooted and thus draw up the nutrients in deep soil. Using this to make your fertilizer tea will actually boost the nutrients for your plants. 

5. Stinging nettle liquid fertilizer: 

One caution while handling stinging nettle is to wear gloves as these are itchy when they come in contact with skin. Otherwise, stinging nettle liquid fertilizer is an excellent natural insect repellent, and also resists fungal attacks. Stinging nettle when used as a fertilizer for your plants provides iron, zinc, selenium, boron and magnesium which are rarely found in other fertilizers. It is also a rich source of calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. 

How to make these fertilizers?

These fertilizers are just to be made in the same way as making any weed fertilizer. Here are the steps to make any liquid fertilizer using weeds.  

Use this homemade liquid fertilizer as a rich source of nitrogen and potassium for your plants.

Be it gardening beginners or those who have been into gardening for quite a few years, all of us are constantly looking out for organic homemade fertilizers which can provide rich nutrients to the plants.

Various liquid fertilizers

In this hunt for liquid fertilizers, we would have tried quiet a lot of homemade fertilizers ranging from manure tea, compost tea, banana peel liquid fertilizers, onion skin liquid fertilizer to crushed egg shell liquid fertilizer.

View this video to know in detail about use of coffee grounds for your garden.

This particular fertilizer that we are going to discuss today is quite different from the above ones and it can be easily made from one if the common plants that grows in your garden or backyard itself. But, this plant is considered a waste and commonly thrown away. It is also mostly considered as a hindrance to your other useful for growing vegetable plants or growing ornamental plants.

By this time you should have guessed it, yes it is nothing other than grass. Most of the time, almost in every garden and lawns we have these grasses growing out of control. We just trim of the grasses and throw it away.

What does the usage of grass do for your plants in the garden?

Here is the good news. These grasses when used as a liquid fertilizer will contribute to enhanced growth and development of plants and it also increases the quality of food provided by the plants.

Ok, now before we move onto the actual process of how to make liquid fertilizer using grass, let's see what component in grass actually contributes to this better growth of your plants.

What nutrient does grass have which acts as a fertilizer for plants?

Grass is very high in nitrogen content and this component is the one that actually makes up the plant DNA and chlorophyll, which is necessary for making its own food.

Apart from this, the grass liquid fertilizer is also rich in potassium and this is the component that plays multiple roles in plant growth. Potassium helps in help in 

1. Easy transport of water, nutrients and carbohydrates in plant tissue
2. Increase root growth
3. Reduce wilting
4. Increases photosynthesis
5. Enhances the protein content in plants
6. Decreases or slows down crop diseases


Video on 11 organic fertilizers that you wouldn't have known

 

How to make grass liquid fertilizer for your garden?

Having so many benefits for your garden, now it is high time to see how to make this grass liquid fertilizer or grass garden tea for your plants.

Step 1. Every time you cut down your grass from your lawn or your backyard, just collect them in a bucket.

Step 2. Once you have half a bucket of these grass cuttings add water in the bucket till it covers the grass surface.

Step 3. Allow this to sit for 1week to 10 days.

Step 4. Intermittently keep mixing it, in order to aerate it well

Step 5. After 10 days you can use this grass liquid  homemade fertilizer directly to your plants or if you want to feed your seedlings or smaller plants, just dilute the solution in 1:3 ratio and add it to the plants.

This fertilizer can be made much effective by adding few other plants or something called weeds in your garden. Here are the other kinds of weeds or plants that can be added to make the liquid fertilizer.

5 must know Gardening Hacks and Gardening Ideas - Gardening for Beginners

Gardening is an evergreen hobby for almost everyone. More and more youngsters are getting interested in gardening, and organic gardening has taken up a new place in the hearts of people. If you are here reading this blog, then definitely you are also one among them looking for some easy gardening hacks or gardening ideas that can help you grow as a successful gardener. If you are looking for some kind of content related to gardening for beginners, then go ahead and read till the end. 

Gardening hack number 1: News papers can help you get rid of the number one gardening enemy - the weeds. 

If you are a gardening beginner, then definitely weeds will be one of the most common gardening problems that you will face. Ofcourse, these are still a hectic problem for those who have been gardening for years together. Here is a simple but highly effective hack that will help you get rid of the weeds in your garden bed. 

Just take a thick layer of newspaper and spread it around your plants just leaving the area of the plants that you have planted. Water it well so that it will not fly away. The thick layer of newspaper will not allow the seeds of the weeds to sprout and grow. 

Other alternatives: Instead of a news paper you can use rice sacks and to add some weight on the rice sacks to stop it from flying. You can just add some sand or gravel on top of it. 

       

Gardening hack number 2: Ants and vaseline, what's the link?

Ants are the next biggest problem in the garden or It might even be inside your house. Vaseline can help you get rid of ants, wondering how? Just dab some vaseline in the ant hole openings, ant’s pathways and places where they hide. Ants and other such insects do not move on the sticky layer.

Gardening hack number 3: See what baby powders can do for your plants.

If you have been into gardening for quite longer, you would have definitely known that Japanese beetles are one among the troubles for your flower and vegetable garden. These can be avoided by just sprinkling some baby powder on the plant leaves. This will keep them away at least till the powder is washed off. 

Gardening idea number 4: Do cats usually tend to spoil your herb garden?

Small herb gardens in your kitchen window sill or in your backyard are the most common place of visit for your cats and these easily tend to mess up your herb garden. To prevent cats, just place some forks around the herb plants just as shown in the picture below.

Gardening idea number 5: Plan out for companion gardening. 

There are certain plants that thrive well when planted close to other plants and there are certain plants that thrive well only when planted alone. For instance, tomatoes, the most commonly grown vegetable at home, tends to thrive well and produce more when planted together with basil. Other companion plants for tomatoes are spinach, carrots, lettuce, onion etc. Here are the enemies for tomatoes and they are, cabbage,potatoes, beets, rosemary etc.