These 5 Easy Homemade Fertilisers Will Help Your Garden Grow

Trees on farms absorb nutrients from the soil, but in pots, they require gardeners to provide additional nutrients regularly. Urban gardeners often turn to chemical fertilisers like DAP (Di-ammonium Phosphate) to boost plant growth.

For those striving to grow healthy fruits and vegetables organically, here are five unique and easy-to-make organic fertilisers to try at home!

1. Trichoderma biofertiliser Visakhapatnam-based Bangaru Jhansi, who turned her terrace into a blooming green oasis with 600 garden plants, suggests adding biofertilisers to the pots.

Mix 100 kg cow dung, 10 kg neem powder, and 2 kg trichoderma viride. Cover and keep under shade for seven days for white-coloured good bacteria to form. Mix with compost and cow dung. Apply directly to soil for healthier, more vibrant plants.

2. Fish-based fertiliser Bangaru also uses a fish amino acid fertiliser to regulate photosynthesis and promote growth. Mix 1 kg sea fish, and 1 kg jaggery, and stir in a container. Cover and keep under shade.

“Every morning and evening, stir it in a clockwise direction. The fertiliser will be ready after 15 days. Take 10 ml of fish amino acid and dilute it in five litres of water, and then, spray it on the leaves and under soil roots of the plants,” she adds. Click here to read more about Bangaru's farm.

3. Fish and drumstick leaves fertiliser Dr Naveen Kumar of Chennai prepares a special mix of fish, drumstick leaves, and bananas. Mix 1 kg fish, 1 kg jaggery, drumstick leaves, and 2 bananas in a container. Let it sit under shade for 21–27 days.

This fertiliser, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, promotes flowering and fruiting. Use once every 15 days for a healthier, more productive garden. To read about Naveen's mission, click here.

4. Mustard & neem cake fertiliser Jayanti Sahoo from Odisha creates a powerful mix of mustard cake and neem khali powder. Take 1 kg mustard cake, 250 grams neem khali, and 5 litres of water. Stir and keep under shade for five days.

Dilute 1 litre of the mixture with 10 litres of water. Use every 15 days to promote flowering and fruiting. This natural fertiliser strengthens plant health and boosts productivity. To read more about Jayanti's garden, click here.

5. Watermelon rind fertiliser Surat’s Anupama Desai makes a unique compost from watermelon rinds. Chop rinds into pieces and fill a bucket with twice the amount of water. Stir daily, and keep in the shade.

“The liquid fertiliser will be ready to use in about three days. Filter the mixture and strain the water. Now you can either add the fertiliser to the plants directly or mix it with water in a ratio of 1:1. Give this fertiliser to plants in the morning or evening after sunset,” Anupama says. To read Anupama's tips in detail, click here.