How To Use Eggshells As Fertilizer (in The Garden, For Seedlings And Indoor Plants And Not Only) + Reviews

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Eggshells as fertilizer for plants in the garden and at home

Eggs are one of the must-haves on our table. And what do you do with eggshells, which accumulate a lot? You probably throw it away with the trash. This is not the best solution. It turns out that eggshells can be used perfectly as fertilizer for your backyard.

Content

• 1 Why are eggshells good for plants?

  • 1.1 Table: useful substances contained in raw materials

    1.1.1 Video on the benefits of eggshells

• 2 Features of the collection of raw materials

  2.1 Rules for crushing shells for fertilization

• 3 Use in the garden

  3.1 Video on the use of eggshells in the garden

• 4 Benefits for seedlings

• 5 How to apply the product to indoor plants?

  5.1 Video on Eggshell Drainage

• 6 Reviews of experienced gardeners and not only

What are the benefits of egg shells for plants?

Egg shells are 93% composed of calcium carbonate, which is easily digestible for plants due to its synthesis in the body of the bird. The fats, organic matter, magnesium carbonate, proteins and carbohydrates included in the shell are an excellent feeding and source of nutrients.

The crystalline structure of the shell also has a beneficial effect on digestibility. In this sense, the shell is much more convenient than lime or chalk, which are traditionally used to deoxidize the soil. As you know, the increased acidity of the earth negatively affects the fertility of plants. Finely crushed eggshells mixed with mineral fertilizers help to cope with this shortcoming.

Eggshell - a source of nutrients for soil and plants

Table: useful substances contained in raw materials

Substance	Percentage of eggshell content
Highly digestible calcium	93%
Phosphorus	0.12%
Magnesium	0.55%
Potassium	0.08%
Magnesium carbonate	2%
Phosphates	one%
Organic	3%
Aluminum, sulfur, iron	0.25%

It is recommended to use eggshells from poultry as a fertilizer for the garden. The elements that make up it are of natural origin, since the diet of poultry includes natural products. Store eggs are also suitable for use, but feeding from them is much weaker, although the calcium content in the composition is higher.

Video on the benefits of eggshell

Features of the collection of raw materials

Start collecting material in winter. At this time, poultry begins to lay after a short break. Do not forget that the shell must be clean: the remains of the protein fade over time and begin to emit an unpleasant odor. Rinse the collected shells thoroughly and dry afterwards.

Start collecting shells from at least the beginning of winter

Studies have shown that brown shells are somewhat thicker and denser than white ones. This means that its mass is higher, which means that the content of nutrients in it is greater.

The more area you have to fertilize, the more eggshells you will need. Collecting the right amount is not difficult if you have a lot of laying hens at your disposal or if there are neighbors who collect the shell only for discard and can easily give it to you. Otherwise, the collection will take a lot of time. You can calculate the total weight of the shells harvested during the year using the formula: 10 g * N * 12 months - 10%, where:

• 10 grams - average shell weight of 1 egg;
• N is the number of eggs your family eats during the month;
• 12 months - 12 months;
• 10% - unusable shells that will have to be thrown away

Rules for crushing the shell for fertilization

To use the material, it must be crushed. The fineness can vary depending on the application. You can process clean dried shells in a coffee grinder, mortar, or meat grinder. Another way: put the shell on a hard surface, for example, a table, in a thin layer, cover it with a newspaper or cloth and tap it well with a hammer, then walk with a rolling pin, as if rolling out dough. This will give you a fairly fine grind.

To use the shell as fertilizer, it must be crushed

Use in the garden

To get good shoots and a bountiful harvest, add the crushed material to the soil at the rate of 2 cups per 1 square meter of area. When digging the soil before winter, the shell can be introduced into the soil in small pieces.

The crushed shell is introduced into the soil when digging

You can also make an infusion of powdered shells to use as a liquid fertilizer. You will need 5-6 shells per liter of water. Calculate how many shells you need, chop it and pour boiling water over it. Insist 5 days, stirring regularly. This infusion is very good for watering young seedlings of any vegetable crops, especially potatoes. It is also great for feeding eggplant and cauliflower seedlings, which are often deficient in trace elements. Just remember that during the germination period of plants, the amount of such fertilization should be moderate. But for adult plants - vegetables, any garden flowers - such a top dressing will be ideal.

Video on the use of eggshells in the garden

Benefits for seedlings

You can grow seedlings right in the eggshell

Eggshells have long been known as a seedling aid. It has a very beneficial effect on tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, flower crops at the germination stage. Horticulturists used shells even before special containers and peat tablets were available.

It was done like this: the top of the whole egg was removed, the contents were poured out (a raw egg can be drunk or used to make scrambled eggs, omelet, baking). Drainage holes were made with a gypsy needle, awl or thin nail. This is how you get a container in which you can put seeds of vegetables or flowers, 1-3 pieces. The soil will be supplied with nutrients, and when it is time to plant the seedlings, it is enough to lightly squeeze the shell to crack it. Be careful not to injure the roots of delicate shoots.

If you are sowing seeds for seedlings in plastic cups, you can add a small amount of ground shells (3-5 grams per cup) to the substrate you are using.

Small pieces of eggshells will serve as excellent drainage in seedling containers. Simply spread the shell 1 cm thick along the bottom of the pot or container you plan to plant in.

How to apply the product to indoor plants?

The flowers that you plant in pots at home need mineral fertilizers. As you know, they oxidize the soil, which already gave almost all the useful elements to the plant in the pot. Therefore, it is advisable to use ground shells together with mineral fertilizers. Add it at the rate of 1/3 teaspoon per pot.

When replanting houseplants, place crushed and calcined shells on the bottom of pots and containers in a layer of 2-3 cm. This will ensure good drainage and saturation of the substrate with useful substances

Prepare an egg shell liquid fertilizer for your indoor flowers. Take a jar of any capacity, fill it to the top with shells and pour boiling water over it. Insist a week, covered with a lid. A sign of readiness will be a cloudy liquid and its unpleasant odor. Before using the infusion for fertilizing indoor flowers, dilute it with water in proportions of 1: 3.

If the unpleasant smell confuses you, prepare this tincture in a slightly different way. Grind the shell into powder, pour 0.5 kg of the resulting substance into a jar and pour 3 liters of warm water. Insist for 24 hours, then use without diluting. The powder can be filled with water again to re-prepare the infusion.

Use eggshells as pots for indoor flowers

After all, you can use the eggshells as a decorative element. Plant small plants in shells, for example, succulents or violets, they will look very original in such improvised "pots".

Video about eggshells as drainage

Reviews of experienced gardeners and not only

Maxim

https://mas-te.ru/dacha-i-ogorod/yaichnaya-skorlupa-na-ogorode-poleznoe-udobrenie/

Dad

https://mas-te.ru/dacha-i-ogorod/yaichnaya-skorlupa-na-ogorode-poleznoe-udobrenie/

tat2041

https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/32063/

LadyTA

https://www.forumhouse.ru/threads/32063/

Noise Maker

https://otvet.mail.ru/question/33780743

Linda

https://otvet.mail.ru/question/78463306

Nikolay

https://sotkiradosti.ru/v-pomoshh-rasteniyam/yaichnaya-skorlupa-udobrenie-dlya-tsvetov-i-ogoroda

Eggshells are a storehouse of useful substances necessary for both indoor and summer cottage plants. The shell can be used in pure form, as well as in the infusion version. Let us know in the comments how you prepare shell food for your garden or home flowers. Easy work for you!