Calcium and phosphorous both are very necessary for plants as well as improve soil conditions. calcium and phosphorous not only provide nutrition to the plant but also improves ph balance of the soil and increases water penetration to the soil. If you do organic gardening, you don’t have to buy calcium and phosphorous fertilizer, you can create your own organic fertilizer rich with calcium and phosphorous from eggshells, chicken bones, oyster shells etc.
How to Make Calcium Phosphate or Calphos from Eggshells, Oyster Shell and Animal Bones
Eating a lot of eggs will generate eggshells trash. If you eat oyster, chicken, fish, turkey etc. you also get a lot of bone waste. If you do gardening, especially organic gardening, do not throw the eggshells, oyster shells, and other animal bones because you can use these in multiple ways. One of the best ways to use bones and shells is to create calcium-phosphate fertilizer, or calphos as it is commonly called. Calphos improves soil conditions by reducing acidic conditions, helps soil retain moisture for long and helps in plant growth.
In order to make caphos or calcium phosphate, you need two things:
- Egg shells, chicken bones, fish bones, oyster shells or other animal bones,
- Vinegar
Sundry the eggshells and animal bones and crush. Dry roast until light brown. Add vinegar in the ratio of one kg eggshells/animal bones and 900 ml vinegar. Store in airtight container and let it ferment for 30 days.
Add this calphos or calcium phosphate while preparing the potting soil and while feeding plants during he growth season.
Using Eggshells in Organic Gardening
You might have seen a lot of people using egg cartoon as a seeding tray, or perhaps, using egg shell as seeding pots by filling egg shell with soil and planting a seed. However, there are numerous better ways to use egg shells. In fact, egg shell is very popular with organic gardeners.
Egg boiled water as liquid fertilizer
One of the easiest ways to use egg for organic gardening is by reusing egg boiled water. Do not throw egg boiled water, let it cool down and then water your plants. Egg boiled water adds nutrients in the soil and improves overall health of the plants because egg boiled water contains high amount of calcium carbonate, phosphorous, potassium etc. that seep into the water while boiling eggs.
Egg shells as organic fertilizer
Egg shells is a great organic fertilizer, it not only provides nutrients like calcium, phosphorous, and lime to the plants but also helps to balance ph level of the soil and stop the roots from rotting. Egg shells remove acidic properties of the soil. You can mix crushed egg shells in your garden soil or use egg shells like mulch. Alternatively, you can also make powder from egg shells and add this power to your garden soil during the fertilization stage.
Liquid fertilizer from egg shells
One of the less common uses of egg shell in organic gardening is making liquid fertilizer. Even though liquid fertilizer from egg shell is not very common, it is very effective. Liquid fertilizer from egg shells not only provides nutrients to the plant but also works as fungicide, pesticide, and insecticide.
How to Make Liquid Fertilizer from Egg Shells
Liquid fertilizer from egg shells is nutrient rich fertilizer than not only promotes growth, improves flowers and fruit quality, but also stops fungus, bacteria, and pests from killing the plants. You can use egg shell liquid fertilizer while making potting soil, while adding nutrients during the growing season or in the flowering or fruit bearing stage. Egg shell liquid fertilizer is good for flowering plants, fruit bearing plants and vegetables. In order to make liquid fertilizer from egg shell, you use two ingredients, egg shells and vinegar.
Sun dry egg shells.
Crush egg shells.
Dry roast egg shells in a frying pan until shells are light brown
Grind the egg shells and make fine powder.
Mix powder egg shell in vinegar in the ratio of 1 cup egg shell powder with 500 ml vinegar.
Cover the lid of the container and let it sit for 25-30 days.
Strain the mixture (calphos) and fill in the bottle. (You can use the residue in your gardening soil, however, we are trying to make liquid fertilizer, thus, leaving this process untouched)
Add two tablespoon of calphos in one litre of water and spray on your plants, on stem, leaves, fruits, flowers and soil.
Do you use egg shells or egg boiled water in your garden, share your experience in the comment box. You can also tell us different ways to use egg shells in organic gardening that we missed in this article.