Homemade lawn fertilizer offers a natural way to nourish turf without relying on synthetic chemicals. By utilizing common materials, you can create customized nutrient solutions that support a healthy lawn ecosystem. This approach emphasizes feeding the soil to encourage microbial activity, resulting in a greener, more resilient yard.
Essential Nutrients Your Lawn Requires
Grass requires three primary macronutrients for optimal growth and health: Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). Nitrogen (N) promotes lush, deep-green growth and is a fundamental component of chlorophyll, necessary for photosynthesis. A consistent nitrogen supply ensures the grass blades remain vibrant and dense.
Phosphorus (P) is necessary for energy transfer throughout the plant and plays a specific role in developing a strong, deep root system. Adequate phosphorus is especially beneficial for new seedlings or establishing grass, helping anchor the turf firmly. Potassium (K) helps strengthen the turf against environmental stressors like drought, disease, and extreme temperatures.
Creating Liquid Fertilizer Recipes
Liquid preparations are effective because the nutrients are immediately available for the grass to absorb through the leaves and roots.
Compost Tea
Compost Tea is less about direct nutrient application and more about introducing beneficial microorganisms to the soil. To make it, fill a five-gallon bucket with chlorine-free water, such as rainwater, or let tap water sit for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate. Place a cup of finished compost into a fine mesh bag or an old stocking and submerge it.
For best results, the mixture should be aerated with an aquarium pump for 24 to 36 hours to encourage microbial growth. Applying the resulting tea, often diluted 1:10 with water, introduces organisms that help the soil break down existing organic matter into usable nutrients.
Beer/Ammonia Brew
Another popular liquid tonic is the Beer/Ammonia Brew, which provides a rapid nitrogen boost. A common recipe involves mixing one cup of household ammonia, which is a source of nitrogen, with one cup of beer or soda and a half-cup of non-antibacterial dish soap.
The beer or soda provides simple sugars to feed the soil’s microbial population, while the dish soap acts as a surfactant, helping the mixture penetrate the soil instead of simply running off. This concentrated solution should be mixed into a hose-end sprayer and applied evenly across the lawn. The ammonia delivers a fast green-up, but care must be taken not to over-apply this high-nitrogen solution, as it can potentially cause turf burn.
Utilizing Common Household Materials
Many everyday household items can be used as solid, slow-release fertilizers that nourish the lawn over time.
Coffee Grounds
Used coffee grounds are an excellent source of slow-release nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, along with trace minerals. They also contain organic matter that encourages earthworm activity and feeds the microbial life in the soil. To use coffee grounds, they should be dried first to prevent clumping and then scattered thinly over the lawn, using a cup of grounds per 100 square feet. Avoid applying them in thick layers, which can smother the grass and prevent water from reaching the soil.
Grass Clippings
Grass clippings left on the lawn after mowing (grasscycling) function as a slow-release fertilizer. These clippings decompose rapidly, returning up to 25% of the lawn’s nitrogen needs back to the soil.
Epsom Salts
Epsom salts, which are magnesium sulfate, can be applied to address specific deficiencies. Magnesium is necessary for chlorophyll production, but adding Epsom salts should only be done if a soil test confirms a magnesium or sulfur shortage, as over-application can inhibit the absorption of other nutrients like calcium.
Applying Homemade Fertilizer Effectively
Proper application involves attention to both timing and technique to maximize the fertilizer’s benefit and prevent damage. The best time of day to apply any liquid or granular fertilizer is in the early morning or late afternoon when temperatures are cooler. Applying in the heat of the day can stress the turf and increase the risk of burning the grass blades.
The annual timing of fertilization depends on your grass type. Cool-season grasses benefit most from a feeding in early fall, while warm-season grasses prefer late spring or early summer.
Before applying any fertilizer, the lawn should be watered lightly to ensure the soil is slightly moist. Immediately following application, water the lawn again lightly to wash the nutrients off the grass blades and into the soil where the roots can access them. This post-application watering is especially important for ammonia-based or granular mixtures to prevent turf burn.
When applying solid materials, use a broadcast spreader for even distribution, walking in perpendicular passes to ensure uniform coverage. Homemade fertilizers should be applied more frequently than synthetic options due to their lower nutrient concentration, generally every four to six weeks during the active growing season.