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10 Stunning Garden Decorations!
Whether you're playing games in the garden or preparing for winter bulbs, give a thought to decorating your outside space. There are lots of fun and interesting things you...read more on organic gardening
Planting Roses Tips You Need To Know
The art of planting roses doesn't have to be a complicated thing to do. When you have the right knowledge there is no limit to how beautiful a garden or rosebush that you can...read more on organic gardening
Gardening In A Square Foot
If you haven’t heard of square foot gardening, you’re about to learn one of the most useful and versatile gardening techniques ever created. Conceived by Mel Bartholomew,...read more on organic gardening
Be An Exhibitionist How to Show Your Roses
Now that you have a rose garden you are proud of, it's time to take the next step and let others see the beauty of your roses. Rose shows and exhibits are exciting events...read more on organic gardening
In Search Of The Best Gardening Tools
There are different kinds of gardens that require different
kinds of garden tools. There are shops for garden tools that
cater to all kinds of gardens and others specialize...read more on organic gardening
Interior Design Ideas For 2006
Where we live and how we live today, reflects our culture and environment. Our homes, now more than ever, are sanctuaries from the harsh realities of the world outside....read more on organic gardening
How to Grow Red Oak Trees Near Doylestown Pa
This article is designed for gardeners living near Doylestown Pa.
Planting Red Oak Trees Red Oak Trees. Whenever I think of Red
Oak Trees, I remember hunting when I...read more on organic gardening
Growing White Pine Trees In The Pineville Pa Area
Planting White Pine Trees In the Pineville Pa. Area White pines.
Whenever I think of white pines, I remember hunting when I was a
kid and standing near trees that were...read more on organic gardening
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Every farmer from some fifty years ago - whether a farmer of large acreages or an urban backyard farmer, knew that to produce healthy plants, you had to improve the soil. If the soil is weak, your plants will be weak. And if your plants are weak, then they are more susceptible to insect infestation.
While some people think that home gardening is a bit on the expensive side, others - the smarter ones - think of it as a sort of natural fertilizer science project. Think about it. If home gardening is all about the soil, then shouldn't you be paying more attention to cultivating the soil than to anything else? And natural fertilizers, as opposed to chemical fertilizers, encourage microbial life in the soil, keeping it healthy for plants to grow.
Seaweed
There are many low-cost methods for making your own fertilizer. One of the easiest and best is manufactured from seaweed.
As your natural fertilizer science project, prepare several trash bags. You will use these as container for collecting kelp from areas along the Pacific Coast. After collecting enough kelp, empty them into a 55-gallon drum, fill it with water, and then cover it.
You will know if the seaweed is beginning to decompose from the color of the water. If it's brown, then it means that decomposition is successful. This natural fertilizer science project may take some time since it would take about two months before the seaweed can fully decompose. When that happens, take some amount of the liquid concentrate inside and dilute it with water for spraying or pouring around your plants.
You can also combine this natural fertilizer science project with the addition of fish emulsion. Plants sprayed with this mixture seem more insect repellent, and generally show some renewed growth. The only pitfall to this natural fertilizer science project method is that you may smell something fishy and oceany around your garden. The smell, however, usually lasts for a day or two after application only.
Earthworm Compost
Another one of the easiest fertilizers to make comes in the form of an earthworm compost pit. For your natural fertilizer science project involving earthworm compost, dig a pit in a convenient place in the backyard. Add kitchen scraps, grass clippings, leaves, etc. into the pit. As earthworms process these scraps, you will soon have a rich, black amendment for your garden.
Add your compost in volumes of about 10% into your garden. Generally, that is all that is needed to increase the health and insect repellency of your trees, vegetables, and other garden plants.
Eggshells
Another idea for a natural fertilizer science project is eggshells. You have probably heard of "liming" a garden or lawn, right? If you haven't, liming is just the process of sprinkling some lime or calcium carbonate throughout the garden. Plants love this. But did you know that eggshells are 93% calcium carbonate?
For your natural fertilizer science project, don't throw out those eggshells just yet. In addition to calcium carbonate, they also contain about 1% nitrogen, about half a percent of phosphoric acid, and other trace elements that make them practical raw materials to use for a natural fertilizer science project.
Written by:
Gail Metcalf
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