Homemade Fertilizer Series Part 4 - Egg Shells

Hi everyone !!

I hope you are liking this series of homemade fertilizers. Comment below if you have tried the first 3. Today we will be discussing the 4th homemade fertilizer, which is from EGG shells!! 

Though I haven't personally tried this fertilizer as we do not consume eggs, but I have researched this and they offer surprising benefits to a wide array of plants. They are organic, natural, and a rich source of calcium which helps plant growth. So this time instead of tossing them to the dustbin, toss them to your garden!! 

Detailed Process: Eggshells can be used in many forms. One could use it as a powder, tea, seed starter, or directly in the compost. Let's discuss each process in detail. 

• Eggshell tea: Rinse the eggshells in warm water, make sure you clean the yolk residue with a finger. Dry them in the sun for a day. Grind them into a fine powder. Take 2 spoons of this powder and mix with 4 liters of water. Boil it for a few minutes, it helps the shells release nutrients faster. Strain the water into a jar and leave it outside for 2 days. Make sure you sealed the jar. Dilute it with water and pour it to your plants. Make sure you give this twice a month to your plants. 
• Eggshell as Seed starters: Crack a raw egg in 3/4 portion and remove the yolk part. Rinse the eggshells in warm water, make sure you clean the yolk residue with a finger. Dry them in the sun for a day. Make a small drainage hole at the bottom using a pin to prevent overwatering. Add some seed starting soil to shell and add 2 to 3 seeds in one shell, make sure you cover the seeds with more soil and sparkle some water. Place the egg in a holder and place it on a sunny windowsill where it won't be disturbed. Transplant the egg shell to new pots as it is when the seedling has 1 to 2 sets of true leaves. 
• Compost: One can toss these eggshells for compost making at home. It helps to speed up the decomposition. 
• Powder eggshell fertilizer: Rinse the eggshells in warm water, make sure you clean the yolk residue with a finger. Dry them in the sun for a day. Grind them into a fine powder. One can use them directly, but crushing helps in the decomposition faster. Store them in a sealed container and sprinkle them whenever you want to add some fertilizer to your plants. Mix crushed eggshells directly into potting soil when re-potting or transplanting plants. One can mix this eggshell powder with tea/coffee grounds or banana peel powder to boost the growth. 
• Snail Repellent: Crushed eggshells can help repel pests naturally in the garden thanks to their sharp edges. Instead of grinding the shells into a fine powder, crush them loosely by hand, leaving the sharp edges intact. Spread the shells on the soil around plants that are being attacked by snails and cutworms to deter these pests.

Benefits: Eggshells are made almost entirely of calcium carbonate crystals. The average eggshell also has other nutrients the soil needs, including phosphorus, magnesium, and traces of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese, iron, and copper. Since many plants take calcium out of the soil during the growing process, you might want to add some back. Calcium is essential for helping plants absorb nitrogen, which is an essential nutrient for most garden vegetables.

Questions:

1) What should be the quantity and how frequently one should give them to plants?
Ans: 1 spoon for medium-sized plants and 2 spoons for big plants. Frequency should be once a month. 

2) Will increasing the frequency of this fertilizer will enhance growth?
Ans: No, this will ultimately reduce the growth as it will increase the acidity of the soil, which plants might not support and eventually die. 

Thanks for reading!! 
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