Eucalyptus grows on the Australian continent and is represented there by around 600 species. We cultivate many varieties as houseplants. You can fertilize eucalyptus cheaply with these 7 home remedies.
Advantages and disadvantages of home remedies
With an average of 30 to 50 centimeters per year, eucalyptus grows comparatively quickly. For this reason, the plant has a high nutrient requirement. Special eucalyptus fertilizers are available commercially, but they are not very cheap. So it's no wonder that so many people are thinking about household alternatives. In fact, eucalyptus can be fertilized very well with organic home remedies, but be careful: Since the exact nutrient content and nutrient composition are unknown, there may be a risk of a deficiency.
Tip:
Check your eucalyptus regularly for possible deficiency symptoms. These are often noticeable through yellow leaf spots or fading leaves. In addition, malnourished eucalyptus plants quickly experience growth problems.
Aquarium water
If you have an aquarium, you shouldn't simply pour the aquarium water resulting from cleaning down the drain: thanks to the fish feces, this wastewater contains valuable nutrients for plants (especially nitrogen, but also potassium, phosphorus and trace elements) and is suitable very good for the heavily consuming eucalyptus! Before use, simply filter out any solids and water the plant undiluted with it - done. Make sure that any excess water that escapes in the planter or on the saucer is removed promptly. Eucalyptus does not tolerate any waterlogging.
Note:
However, used water from aquariums or ponds must not be used if it has been mixed with chemicals (e.g. to lower the pH value) or medication (e.g. to treat sick fish). The water from s altwater aquariums is also not suitable for fertilizing plants.
Banana peels
You can make an infusion from banana peels, which can be used well as a liquid fertilizer. And this is how it works:
- Cut 100 grams of banana peels very small
- boil with one liter of low-lime water
- Turn off the heat
- Leave banana peels in water overnight
- strain the next day
- Use cooled stock for watering
However, banana tea contains only a little nitrogen and is therefore only suitable for fertilizing eucalyptus in combination with a home remedy rich in nitrogen. For example, cold coffee or dried coffee grounds are very suitable for this.
Tip:
Alternatively, you can also dry the banana peels and process them into a fine powder with dried coffee grounds in a blender. Work this into the substrate or dissolve it in water.
Stinging nettle manure
Homemade nettle manure is an excellent home remedy for fertilizing eucalyptus. It is a bit laborious to produce, but it contains all the important nutrients, is cheap and also works against pathogens and pests. And this is how you prepare the manure:
- Cut and chop one kilogram of fresh nettles
- fill into a plastic bucket
- fill with ten liters of low-lime water
- preferably use rainwater
- add a handful of rock dust
- stir vigorously
Let the mixture sit for about a week, stirring daily. Cover the bucket with a breathable material, such as plastic. B. jute or a fine-meshed wire mesh. Finally, pour the finished manure into well-sealable containers. To fertilize eucalyptus (and other plants), you should dilute the manure with soft water in a ratio of 1:10. Fertilize approximately every two weeks during the growing season between April and October.
Tip:
It's best to place the bucket with the fermenting nettle manure in a secluded place - it smells miserable. By adding rock dust, you reduce the unpleasant smell and at the same time add important minerals to the fertilizer.
Vegetable water
When cooking potatoes, carrots, broccoli and other vegetables, valuable nutrients are released into the cooking water. Of course, these shouldn't disappear down the drain, but can be used as nutrient-rich water for houseplants - including eucalyptus! - be used. Simply let the uns alted and unseasoned cooking water cool and water your plants with it. However, potato and vegetable water is only suitable for supplementary, not sole, fertilization. However, it contains too little nitrogen for the fast-growing eucalyptus.
Coffee grounds
Dried coffee grounds are ideal for fertilizing eucalyptus for various reasons: The product contains a lot of nitrogen and also acidifies the soil - the exotic from Australia thrives in a neutral to slightly acidic substrate with a pH value between 5 and 6 is most comfortable. Make sure to only incorporate well-dried coffee grounds into the soil. The home remedy is not suitable straight from the filter or filter bag because it will quickly become moldy. Especially in combination with banana peels and compost, coffee grounds provide your eucalyptus with all the important nutrients.
Compost
Did you know that you don't even need a compost heap in your garden to make your own compost? A small, easily lockable bucket in the kitchen or on the balcony works too! Fill this with well-chopped kitchen leftovers - no meat or dairy products! – as well as grass clippings and leaves. If you use as wide a range of different organic materials as possible, the resulting compost will be particularly rich in nutrients. You can use this to fertilize your eucalyptus, for example by providing the plant with a thick layer of compost in spring.
Tip:
Approximately every three years, eucalyptus should be repotted into fresh substrate and, if necessary, into a larger pot. A high-quality potting soil mixed with compost and expanded clay is ideal as a substrate.
Tea
Black tea as a home remedy is also good for fertilizing eucalyptus, especially since it - like coffee grounds - lowers the pH value. Tea – which you can take either as an infusion (let it cool down first!) for pouring or as dried tea leaves for incorporating into the substrate – also contains similar ingredients to coffee grounds.
Frequently asked questions
When and how often do you have to fertilize eucalyptus?
Between April and October you should provide eucalyptus with a liquid fertilizer once a week. With organic home remedies - such as compost - fertilization about every eight to 12 weeks is sufficient. In the winter months, eucalyptus should be lightly fertilized with a liquid fertilizer no more than once a month.
Can you fertilize eucalyptus with eggshells?
In fact, eggshells are unsuitable for fertilizing eucalyptus. The plant does not tolerate lime and should therefore not be supplied with lime-containing household remedies or lime-containing irrigation water. The same applies to wood ash, which is also unsuitable for eucalyptus due to its very high pH value. For the same reason, mineral water containing calcium should not be used to water the exotic.
