March 26, 2024, 3:22 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
If you have plants, you not only need to water them regularly and occasionally prune them, but also fertilize them. You don’t have to spend a lot on fertilizer; you can easily make it from eggs.
Especially around Easter, households tend to have more eggs than usual. Both the eggshell and the cooking water can be reused as fertilizer. myHOMEBOOK explains how it works and which plants this fertilizer is suitable for.
Why Are Eggshells Suitable as Fertilizer?
The shell of chicken eggs is rich in calcium, as between 90 and 95 percent of the shell consists of calcium carbonate, or lime. This has various advantages in fertilizers. For example, lime can improve soil structure and increase the pH level. The ideal pH level varies depending on the plant. Accordingly, some plants do not grow or barely grow in acidic soils.
Another advantage of eggshell fertilizer is that calcium is one of the fundamental components of cell walls. By fertilizing with eggshells, you strengthen the plant structure, making them less susceptible to diseases and pests.
By the way: Besides lime, eggshells also contain potassium, phosphorus, and magnesium. These are also beneficial for the plant, but they are only present in small amounts. For this reason, in addition to calcium fertilization with eggshells, plants should also be fertilized with mulch or sawdust.
Related: 6 things you can do with eggshells
Eggshell Fertilizer: Here’s How!
For the lime in the eggshell to have a noticeable effect in the soil, it must dissolve. Without help, this process takes quite a while. Therefore, you should not only crush the eggshell and spread it in the garden but also treat it as follows:
- First, crush the eggshell from one or two eggs. The finer you do this, the better. Besides crumbling by hand, a mortar is also suitable.
- Now mix the eggshell powder with a liter of water and let it sit for at least twelve hours.
- After the waiting period, you can water the plants with the water and fertilize them at the same time.
Also interesting: Can you dispose of colored eggshells in the compost?
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Which Plants Can Be Fertilized with Eggshells?
Particularly lime-loving plants are suitable for homemade fertilizer. These include, for example:
- Rose
- Blackberry
- Cabbage
- Asparagus
- Boxwood
- Asters
- Raspberry
- Peony
- Carrots
It’s different for lime-sensitive plants. They tolerate only a little lime. Accordingly, you should use eggshell fertilizer sparingly or avoid it altogether. Lime-sensitive plants include, for example:
- Chinese Wisteria
- Cucumber
- Arnica
- Rhododendrons
- Fuchsias
- Peppermint
- Delphinium
How to Use Egg Cooking Water as Fertilizer
Not only crushed eggshells are suitable as fertilizer for plants, but also the water in which they were cooked can be wonderfully reused. After the eggs are cooked, simply let the water cool. Then you can water your plants with it.