Chicken eggs are indisputably an extremely useful, nutritious and delicious product, which is an integral part of the diet of each family. A nice addition to all of the above advantages is that they are non-waste, because the eggshell is actively used as a fertilizer. Ogorodniki and summer residents often add shells to the ground, however, not always calculating the need and commensurate the potential result with the labor and time costs that are expended on the preparation of such fertilizer.
What is the use of egg-feeding?
Egg is a nutritious and protective environment for a growing and developing organism, it contains a full range of necessary substances. The shell itself is almost 94% composed of calcium carbonate, which is perfectly digested by plants, because it is synthesized by the avian organism, and also from magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and organic protein, which is also necessary for plants. The regular addition of the shell to the ground substantially increases the fertility due to the lowering of the acidity of the non-chernozem soils, and can also serve to loosen dense, for example, clay soils. You can also use the crushed egg shell as a fertilizer when growing seedlings, laying it in a thin layer on the bottom of the hole into which the seeds are placed.
Preparation and application of eggshell in the garden
To achieve maximum efficiency, the egg shell should be prepared - washed, thoroughly dried and ground in any convenient way - with a mortar or coffee grinder. It is also important to note that fertilizer should be taken from eggshells, since after cooking it loses almost all its useful properties.
Now about the difficulties: shaving the shell by hand is not so simple because of the presence on the shell of the inner film. In addition, it should be noted that if there is not enough small shell in the ground, in addition to reducing its effectiveness as top dressing, large pieces are easily injured, for example, when weeding the beds. Another negative aspect of the process of preparation of such fertilizer is the smell - no matter how laundered the shell, it is ineradicable.
Ways of using:
- The shell as a container for seedlings - in a clean egg shell without the top, drainage holes are made, fill it with fertile soil and place the seeds. After germination, the seedlings can be planted on the open ground directly with an improvised pot - this will help simultaneously and increase its fertility.
- The powdered shell of 5 eggs is poured with a liter of boiling water and insisted for 5 days, regularly shaking. A ready solution is sprinkled with vegetable seedlings and flowers at the rate of 1-2 glasses per 1 m 2.
- Grinded in the trash shell - egg flour is good at planting plants, and also saves from some trouble, for example, "black leg".
What is fertilized with eggshell?
Before you start collecting valuable raw materials, you should know which plants love the eggshell. It is good to fertilize eggshell seedlings of Bulgarian pepper, eggplant. You can add crushed shells to reduce the acidity of the soil when planting
Eggshell for indoor plants
Thin shells in small amounts - about a third of a teaspoon per pot, are added to houseplants along with mineral fertilizers, which are known to acidify the soil. But remember the feeling of the least and know that many indoor flowers do not tolerate excess calcium categorically.
Do not forget about other natural fertilizers, which are always at hand, for example, onion husks , nettles or ashes .