2 weeks Ago By Katherine McPhillips
Peace lilies and orchids are the two most popular houseplants due to how easy they are to care for, but keeping them healthy can often be a struggle in springtime. Many houseplant owners think their plants need to be watered more to cope with the warm weather, but this can result in waterlogging the soil. If both peace lilies and orchids do not have time to recover between watering then they will become too stressed to produce flowers and their roots can begin rotting away.
However, a simple way to keep plants healthy is to feed it a homemade mixture made of up eggshells. Eggshells contain a lot of calcium, which helps strengthen plant cells to make them studier, healthier and more resilient if they do become overwatered . Calcium is excellent for root health and a plant with high levels of calcium will have stronger roots and can reduce the effects of overwatering.
No fertiliser can prevent or treat root rot, but a healthier plant will be more resistant to the pathogens that cause the rotting. Feeding houseplants eggshells can also make it easier for them to absorb water and nutrients so your plants are more likely to grow bigger flowers. Sherwin Anthony, an urban gardener and founder of Garden is Life, has shared that making plant feed is easy but many people make the mistake of simply pouring the eggshells onto the soil.
He said: “I have read in some blogs that you can simply crush some eggshells and sprinkle them on or around the plant. I also read that you can mix in the crushed eggshells in your potting soil. “This actually works but the problem is you have to wait for about 8-12 months before the plants can absorb the calcium!” If you want plants to actually absorb the calcium in eggshells then you need to make them into a water soluble fertiliser so they will take in the liquid.
All you need to do is clean the eggshells under a tap and remove any eggy residue. This is to prevent any bacteria reaching the plants and also stop pests from getting to the soil. Place the eggshells on a baking tray and leave them underneath a window to let them dry in the sun.
Once the eggshells are completely dried-out, crush them into little pieces as it will make it easier to work with. Next, put the eggshells in a pan over a low heat and stir for 20 minutes until they turn a brownish colour. This helps extract more nutrients from the eggshells like phosphorus, which is the main nutrient needed for flower production.
Remove the eggshells from the pan, and once they have cooled down place them in a jar and pour vinegar into the container. You will need nine parts vinegar for one part eggshell. Sherwin said: "We are now ready to extract the calcium and phosphorus.
To do this we need an acid. I just use vinegar as my acid. The vinegar I’m using is cane vinegar with 4.
5% acidity. Any kind of vinegar will do as long as the acidity is 3% and above.” Once the vinegar and eggshells mix they will begin bubbling, and will continue to bubble for roughly 12 to 24 hours.
Do not screw a jar lid and instead cover the top with tissue paper or a cover that will let air escape then leave it alone. When the time is up and the bubbling has stopped, add the lid. Then store your eggshell fertiliser somewhere cool and dry for a month and the extraction process will be complete.
To use on plants, mix 10ml (around two tablespoon) of the fertiliser per litre of water. Place the solution into an empty spray bottle and spray it on under the leaves. Feed your orchid or peace lily this solution once a week when the sun is not fully out, in the morning or late afternoon, as it will help the plant absorb the nutrients better.
Your houseplant will be stronger and healthier throughout their growing season so you are more likely to get stunning blooms this spring..
