Eggs are one of the must-have products on our table. What do you do with eggshells that accumulate a lot? You probably throw it out with the trash. This is not the best solution. It turns out that eggshells can be used as fertilizer for your garden.

How are eggshells useful for plants?

The shell of eggs consists of 93% calcium carbonate, which is easily digestible for plants due to its synthesis in the body of the bird. The fats, organic substances, magnesium carbonate, proteins and carbohydrates included in the shell are an excellent nutrition and source of nutrients.

The crystalline structure of the shell also has a beneficial effect on digestibility. In this sense, the shell is much more convenient than lime or chalk, which are traditionally used to deoxidize the soil. As you know, increased acidity of the soil negatively affects plant fertility. Finely crushed eggshells mixed with mineral fertilizers.

Eggshell- a source of nutrients for soil and plants

Table: useful substances contained in raw materials

It is recommended to use eggshells from poultry as fertilizer for the garden. The elements included in its composition have natural origin, since the diet of poultry includes natural products. Store-bought eggs are also suitable for use, but the feeding from them is much weaker, although the calcium content in the composition is higher.

Video about the benefits of eggshells

Features of collecting raw materials

Start collecting material in winter. At this time, poultry begins to lay eggs after a short break. Do not forget that the shell must be clean: protein residues will rot over time and begin to emit an unpleasant odor. Rinse the collected shells thoroughly and dry them afterwards.

Start collecting shells at least from the beginning of winter

Studies have shown that the brown shell is somewhat thicker and denser than the white one. This means that its mass is higher, and therefore the content of nutrients in it is higher.

The larger the area you need to fertilize, the more eggshells you will need. Collect required quantity not difficult if you have a lot of laying hens at your disposal or if you have neighbors who collect shells only to throw away and can easily give them to you. Otherwise, collection will take a lot of time. Calculate total weight shells collected during the year, you can use the formula: 10 g * N * 12 months - 10%, where:

• 10 grams - the average weight of the shell of 1 egg;
• N is the number of eggs your family eats during the month;
• 12 months - 12 months;
• 10% - unusable shells that will have to be thrown away

Rules for grinding shells for fertilizer

To use the material, it must be crushed. The degree of grinding may vary depending on the application. You can process clean, dried shells in a coffee grinder, mortar, or meat grinder. Another way: place the shell on a hard surface, such as a table, in a thin layer, cover it with newspaper or cloth and tap it thoroughly with a hammer, then use a rolling pin as if you were rolling out dough. This way you will achieve a fairly fine grind.

To use the shell as fertilizer, it needs to be crushed

Use in the garden

To get good seedlings and a bountiful harvest, add crushed material to the soil at the rate of 2 cups per 1 square meter area. When digging up the soil before winter, the shells can be added to the soil in small pieces.

The crushed shells are added to the soil when digging

You can also make an infusion from the shells, crushed into powder, to use as a liquid fertilizer. You will need 5-6 shells per 1 liter of water. Calculate how many shells you need, chop them and pour boiling water over them. Leave for 5 days, stirring regularly. This infusion is very good for watering young shoots of any vegetable crops, especially potatoes. It is also great for feeding eggplant and cauliflower seedlings, which are often deficient in microelements. Just remember that during the period of plant germination, the amount of such fertilizer should be moderate. But for adult plants - vegetables, any garden flowers- such feeding will be ideal.

Video about using eggshells in the garden

Benefits for seedlings

You can grow seedlings directly in eggshells

Eggshells have long been known as aid when growing seedlings. It has a very beneficial effect on tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and flower crops at the seedling stage. Gardeners have been using shells since before special containers and peat tablets were available.

It was done like this: the top of a whole egg was removed, the contents were poured out (a raw egg can be drunk or used to make scrambled eggs, omelettes, and baked goods). Drainage holes were made with a gypsy needle, awl or thin nail. This creates a container in which you can place 1–3 vegetable or flower seeds. The soil will be supplied with nutrients, and when it is time to plant the seedlings, it is enough to slightly squeeze the shell so that it cracks. Be careful not to injure the roots of tender seedlings.

If you sow seeds for seedlings in plastic cups, you can add large number shells ground into flour (3–5 grams for each cup) into the substrate used.

Small pieces of eggshells will serve as excellent drainage in seedling containers. Simply spread the shells in a 1 cm layer along the bottom of the pot or container in which you plan to sow.

How to use the product for indoor plants?

The flowers that you grow in pots at home need mineral fertilizers. As is known, they acidify the soil, which has already given up almost everything useful elements plant in a pot. Therefore, it is advisable to use ground shells together with mineral fertilizers. Add it at the rate of 1/3 teaspoon per pot.

When replanting indoor plants, place crushed and calcined shells on the bottom of pots and containers in a layer of 2–3 cm. This will ensure good drainage and saturation of the substrate with useful substances.

Prepare liquid fertilizer from eggshells for your indoor flowers. Take a jar of any container, fill it to the top with shells and pour boiling water over it. Leave for a week, covered. A sign of readiness will be cloudiness of the liquid and its unpleasant odor. Before using the infusion to fertilize indoor flowers, dilute it with water in a ratio of 1:3.

If the unpleasant smell bothers you, prepare this tincture in a slightly different way. Grind the shells into powder, pour 0.5 kg of the resulting substance into a jar and fill with 3 liters of warm water. Leave for a day, then use without diluting. The powder can be added with water again to prepare the infusion again.

Use eggshells as pots for indoor flowers

After all, you can use eggshells as decorative element. Plant small plants in the shell, for example, succulents or violets; they will look very original in such improvised “pots”.

Video about eggshells as drainage

One of the effective folk remedies An infusion of eggshells is considered to be used for feeding tomatoes. It is being prepared from natural ingredients, and since now everyone wants to grow organic vegetables, more and more gardeners are using the infusion.

Composition and benefits of eggshells

Eggshells have beneficial properties; they contain nutritional elements that have a positive effect on the growth and development of various crops, including tomatoes. It is a natural fertilizer, and also free.

• phosphorus;
• calcium carbonate;
• iron;
• magnesium;
• sulfur;
• zinc;

It also contains small amounts of: cobalt, iodine, manganese, fluorine, potassium, fluoride and cobalt. These elements are no less important for the full development of plants. Calcium carbonate stimulates the growth of seedlings, plays important role during the process of photosynthesis. It promotes rapid metabolism and saturates plants with oxygen. The film that is inside is rich in organic substances such as mucin and keratin.

With the help of eggshells, you can reduce the acidity of the soil; for this, they are added to the soil in crushed form. For 1 sq.m. You will need half a kilogram of this fertilizer. The ground shell of eggs is used as a leavening agent; it also increases the breathability of the soil. Some gardeners use it to control pests such as slugs or mole crickets. Or as a disease prevention.

Calcium deficiency in tomatoes

Calcium - important element nutrition for tomatoes, its shortage affects external condition plants and productivity indicators. Tomatoes need it already during seed germination; a lack of the substance in the soil slows down the emergence of seedlings. Symptoms do not appear immediately; they are very difficult for an inexperienced gardener to notice.

Interesting!

Calcium deficiency rarely occurs.

Signs

At first, plant growth slows down, with a critical deficiency upper part seedlings lighten and die. New leaves have irregular shape, light spots appear on them. The remaining leaves become dark green, with a border formed along the edges. In some cases, flowers and ovaries fall off, and fruits are affected by blossom end rot.

Reasons

Calcium deficiency is noticed in poor clay soils. But often the problem arises when there is an excess of nitrogen, potassium or manganese in the soil; they interfere with the absorption of this substance. Therefore, when applying fertilizers, it is important not to overdo it.

How to properly collect eggshells?

It can be collected throughout winter period, and in the spring use it for feeding. The weight of the shell from one egg varies from 12 to 20 grams. In a month, the average family eats 3-4 dozen eggs, which is about half a kilogram of raw materials. Of course, it is preferable to use shells from domestic eggs. Store-bought ones are also suitable, but it is better to choose eggs that are darker in color.

The shell of eggs that have been subjected to heat treatment is not suitable for making fertilizers. Since she has lost most of the nutrients.

Preparation

One unpleasant feature when collecting raw materials for preparing fertilizers is the smell that appears over time due to protein residues and a thin film on the shell. In order to avoid this unpleasant feature, the shells are thoroughly washed under running water. However, this procedure loses a large number of useful elements. Many people calcinate the shells in the oven, this is quite troublesome, but it will not lose any useful substances.

There are several ways to grind shells:

• pass through a meat grinder;
• use a coffee grinder for crushing;
• crush with a masher;
• place in a thick cloth and hit it with a hammer.

Storage

Dried shells are stored in fabric bags or paper bags. You can also store it in glass jars, but they should not be tightly closed, otherwise the fertilizer will suffocate. You cannot store shells in a room where air humidity exceeds 70%. If the conditions are met, the shelf life is up to two years. It is strictly forbidden to store the product in plastic bags and plastic containers, as they do not allow air to pass through. If an unpleasant odor appears, the shells should not be used for feeding.

Application

It can be used to fertilize almost all garden plants. For nightshade crops, it is better to use an infusion of eggshells. And for greens, cabbage, onions, legumes and melons, crushed shells embedded in the ground are suitable. Dried, crushed shells are also used as fertilizer for berry bushes, fruit and coniferous trees.

Egg shell infusion for tomatoes

It is easy to prepare, preparatory work It won’t take much time, but you need to let it brew.

Ingredients:

• eggshell;
• water.

Preparation and use:

IN liter jar place crushed shells with 5-6 eggs, pour hot water and cover with a lid. Infuse the solution for 5 days, shaking occasionally. A signal of readiness will be the appearance of an unpleasant odor; it occurs when hydrogen sulfide is released. Before use, the infusion is diluted 1:3 with settled water. room temperature and used for watering at the roots of plants.

Eggshell feeding for seedlings

The above infusion is also used for tomato seedlings. The seedlings are watered for the first time two weeks after the first shoots appear. Shells are used not only as fertilizer, they are used as a drainage layer, in this case you can even take shells from boiled eggs. They are crushed, but not to a powdery state, and placed on the bottom of the container where the seedlings will grow. Then they are covered with prepared soil. Dusting tomato seedlings with eggshell powder serves as an excellent preventive measure against blackleg.

1. Do not exceed the dosage of fertilizers, this will not only not help, but will also harm the plants.
2. You cannot use fresh and unpeeled shells, as this will cause diseases and attract pests.
3. Large pieces of shells will take much longer to decompose, and they will not be able to compensate for the lack of nutrients in the soil. They can also hurt you when weeding.
4. When using dry fertilizers, they should be incorporated into the soil. If you simply sprinkle it on top, the nutrients will take much longer to absorb.

Interesting!

Eggshells should not be used to feed violets, hydrangeas and asters, as these flowers love acidic soil.

Many Russian families have dachas and garden plots, not for the sake of saving on vegetables and fruits (at today’s gasoline prices this is unlikely to be possible), but in order to have organic fruits and vegetables on their table for a significant period of time. And such, as you know, are products that were grown without the use of any chemical fertilizers. Without fertilizers, the soil is depleted over time, to replenish useful substances I need something environmentally friendly.

This is where a remedy that is available in almost every family will come to our aid. Tasty, nutritious and healthy chicken eggs- inalienable and permanent component food basket for any family.

In addition, this part of the food basket is also waste-free, since egg shells are used as fertilizer in the garden. But many of us, with a light heart, without hesitation, throw it in the trash.

The relationship between soil composition and its fertility

The composition and acidity of the soil significantly affect its fertility. These indicators can be improved by using eggshells. What is its benefit?

Very often, lime and chalk (calcium carbonate) are used to reduce soil acidity.

Compound

But the shell is a more valuable material, since an egg is a whole complex of nutrients necessary for an organism that develops and grows. Therefore, it consists of 95% calcium carbonate, which is wonderfully absorbed by plants, since it is synthesized by the bird’s body. Also in shell great content potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and organic protein - substances that are essential for plants.

Useful properties

The crushed shells are used as fertilizer when growing seedlings. It is placed in a thin layer on the bottom of the container in which the seeds will be placed.

If you regularly add shells to the soil, you can significantly increase its fertility by reducing its acidity. It can also serve as a loosening agent for dense clay soils. However, very often those who like to dig into the soil add shells to the soil, completely out of proportion to the amount of potential fertilizer applied to the plant with required quantity For normal height and development. How much eggshell does a plant need?

Required quantity

In the course of research, scientists have found that in order to neutralize the increased acidity of the soil per 1 m2, you need from 0.5 to 1 kg of calcium carbonate, depending on its acidity. The weight of the shell of one egg is approximately 10 g, knowing this, you can use simple calculations to find out how much it is will be needed to fertilize your site. You can also calculate the weight of shells from eggs that have been used during the year. Of course for everything land plot the collected waste will not be enough, but still, what is collected will be enough to bring great benefit to the plants.

What plants respond to this fertilizer?

So, let's start collecting valuable fertilizer, you need to know which plants will benefit from eggshells. What is the best way to fertilize with eggshells? Seedlings of eggplants and bell peppers are very fond of it.

It is good for planting currants and cauliflower.

Preparation

To get the most out of your eggshells, you need to prepare them. First of all, wash, then dry well and grind by any available method, be it a coffee grinder, meat grinder or mortar, it doesn’t matter.

There is no need to try to push it with your hands, as this is not at all easy. The film inside is very annoying. And you also need to remember that if large pieces of shells get into the soil, then its effectiveness as a fertilizer drops significantly, and in addition, you can injure your hands on such pieces when weeding the beds.

Smell

Another unpleasant circumstance that awaits you when preparing this fertilizer is an unpleasant odor. You cannot get rid of it by any kind of washing. It is very important to remember that you need to use only raw egg shells for fertilizer, since boiled eggshells are completely useless. The use of eggshells can be divided into several points.

Container for seedlings

The shell can serve as a container for seedlings. To do this, you need to take a clean eggshell without a top, make drainage holes in it, fill it with fertile soil and place the seeds there.

When the seeds germinate, the seedlings can be planted in the ground along with the egg pot. Thus, its fertility increases at the same time.

Preparing the infusion

The shells of 5 eggs need to be crushed into powder, pour one liter of boiling water and leave for 5 days, shaking from time to time. The resulting solution should be used to water seedlings of flowers and vegetables, spending 1.5 cups per 1 m2 of land. Eggplants, peppers, beets, asters, roses and many other plants love watering with this infusion and give a wonderful response.

Fighting the "black leg"

Grind the shells to flour. This flour is a wonderful fertilizer when planting any plants and is a good helper in the fight against blackleg. It should be used to dust the seedlings like powder.

Fertilizing indoor plants

Crushed eggshells along with mineral fertilizers that acidify the soil are added to indoor plants. You need to add in small portions - a third of a teaspoon per pot. You always need to have a sense of proportion, and remember that a significant part indoor plants They cannot tolerate excess calcium at all.

Fertilizing the soil before winter

It is advisable to add crushed shells to the soil in the garden when digging it up for the winter, so that it has time to dissolve the beneficial substances. Crushed shells can act as drainage in small containers with growing seedlings.

Soil deoxidation

To deoxidize the soil, you can add crushed eggshells in the amount of 1.5 cups of powder per 1 m2 of land. If there is not enough powder, then it should be added directly to the holes immediately before planting the plants.

Procurement for future use

If you store shells in reserve, do not forget to wash them thoroughly. Otherwise, you will get more than an unpleasant smell. Use only raw eggs for preparation.

On the same topic

• Nettle fertilizer for your garden

Often the policy is this - we’ll buy it, plant it, and then feed it, if necessary... Feed it - it’s easy! Moreover, you can prepare several options for organic fertilizers, as they say, without leaving the cash register. A summer resident is able to feed even their kitchen waste.

Eggshell, potato peelings, sugar, banana skins, coffee grounds - everything comes into play. In our description we will move from the most popular and effective to the most controversial. Let's go...

Feeding with infusion of bird droppings

Almost every gardener uses this option as soon as he notices problems with his seedlings. The infusion is prepared as follows: manure and water are taken in a 2:1 ratio and left to ferment for 2-3 days in a sealed container. Immediately before fertilizing, the infusion is diluted 10 times. The main thing is to know and always remember that fertilizer from droppings is mostly nitrogen, which means it stimulates the growth of green mass.

This feeding is good as the very first. It will undoubtedly help seedlings or indoor flowers begin to grow.

Subsequently, if you do not see signs of nitrogen starvation in plants (stunted, pale or yellowish leaves, soft stems), there is no need to fertilize with nitrogen. Fertilizing with bird droppings can be beneficial: all vegetable crops as the first feeding, ficus, palm trees, citrus fruits, dieffenbachia, monstera.

Ash fertilizer

Another popular one among supporters natural farming type of feeding. Wood or straw ash in organic farming is considered one of the best sources potassium and phosphorus, respectively, fertilizing seedlings or flowers with ash infusion is an excellent assistant in stimulating flowering and fruiting. The infusion recipe is simple: 1 tablespoon of ash per 2 liters of hot water.

The top dressing is infused for 24 hours, then filtered. Fertilizing with ash can be useful: all vegetable crops and indoor plants.

Banana peels as fertilizer

Banana peels (as well as bananas themselves) contain large amounts of potassium. Therefore, many summer residents are in no hurry to throw away the skins, but use them as homemade fertilizer. Someone dries banana peels near the radiator, then grinds them into powder, adds them to the soil when planting and forgets about potash fertilizers. Someone infuses banana skins in water ( peel from 2-3 bananas per three-liter jar of water, leave for three days, then strain), and then water the plants with the resulting infusion.

Banana peel fertilizer may be useful: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, roses, ferns, cyclamens, begonias, violets and other home flowers. The latter are usually fed at the bud stage to ensure vigorous and long-lasting flowering.

Egg shell infusion as fertilizer

Eggshells are a storehouse of microelements. Most gardeners carefully collect shells all winter to put them in compost or scatter them around the garden before the start of the season. But the shell can also help at the stage of growing seedlings.

If you soak it in water, during the decomposition process, hydrogen sulfide begins to be released, which scares us off with a disgusting smell, but at the same time perfectly stimulates plants to grow and develop. An infusion of eggshells is prepared as follows: crushed shells from 3-4 eggs are taken into three liters of warm water and infused under loosely closed lid in a dark place for three days. Signs that the fertilizer is ready are cloudiness of the infusion and the appearance of a specific odor. Eggshell fertilizer may be useful: eggplants, tomatoes, peppers, palm trees, lemons, bay trees, cypress trees, petunias, zamioculcas, dieffenbachia.

Coffee grounds as fertilizer

Coffee lovers who are not too lazy to dry the used coffee grounds mix them with soil before sowing seeds for seedlings or replanting indoor plants. Coffee loosens the soil well, improves its water permeability and brings with it macro- and micronutrients, especially nitrogen. It is highly recommended to add coffee grounds to the soil for tomato and eggplant seedlings. Some gardeners are afraid to use coffee because they are sure that coffee deoxidizes the soil.

However, this is a myth. Unprocessed coffee can increase the acidity of the soil, but roasted and already used for its intended purpose has a reaction close to neutral. Fertilizer coffee grounds may be useful: tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, roses, azaleas, camellias, hydrangeas, ferns, rhododendrons.

Fertilizing with onion peels

Gardeners are very fond of onion peels for their “two-in-one” effect. Watering or spraying with infusion onion peel- this is not only a complete fertilizer for seedlings and flowers, but also a measure to combat unwanted microorganisms. Onion fertilizer is prepared from 20 grams of peels per five liters of warm water, which is infused for 4 days and then filtered. Feeding with onion peel infusion can be useful all vegetable crops, especially tomatoes.

Feeding with a decoction of potatoes or potato peelings

It is not for nothing that plants accumulate starch in their seeds, bulbs and tubers. Starch is a kind of “storehouse of nutrients in reserve.” It is this law of nature that summer residents use by feeding the seedlings with the decoction in which the potatoes were boiled.

Or peelings are boiled specifically for these purposes. Potato fertilizer may be helpful all crops and indoor plants.

Sugar feeding

Sugar is energy pure form not only for humans. Plants also have a “sweet tooth” and once a week you can pamper them with something sweet. To do this, scatter a teaspoon of sugar directly on the surface of the ground in a pot, and then simply water the plant.

Or water it with sweet water (2 teaspoons of sugar per glass of water). Since plants need mainly glucose from sugar, someone uses glucose tablets directly as fertilizer, which are sold in pharmacies. To prepare the fertilizer, one tablet is diluted in a glass of water.

Fertilizing with glucose is carried out once a month, not more often. Fertilizing with sugar can be beneficial all indoor plants, especially cacti. How else do amateur gardeners feed their mini-garden on the windowsill? For example:

• aloe juice diluted in water (aloe juice works perfectly as a stimulant for seed germination, and therefore will not fail as a top dressing); water left over from soaking peas, lentils, beans, other legumes and even cereals (the principle here is most likely the same , as with fertilizing with potato decoction - when soaked, part of the starch is washed out of legumes, which can serve as a nutritious “soup” for plants); decoction or infusion dried mushrooms(again, a natural stimulant is chosen for the role of fertilizing, often used to soak seeds before planting); citrus peels (good because they add nitrogen to the soil and repel pests with their smell; the peels are dried, crushed into powder and added to the soil); fresh or dry yeast (we wrote in detail about yeast feeding in a previous article); toothpaste (at the rate of 1/3 tube per liter of warm water, very original way fertilizing, suitable for plants that do not like acidic soils).

How effective are organic fertilizers made from “survival materials”? Gardeners do not have a clear opinion on this topic, and probably the debate over the advisability of home-made organic fertilizers for seedlings and indoor flowers will never subside. Ardent Supporters folk recipes will continue to insist on eggshells and potato peelings, and their irreconcilable opponents once again They will go to the store for a bag of ready-made industrial fertilizer. Everyone is free to choose the most convenient and suitable option for themselves. We wish you success and great harvests!

The main advantage of the shell as a fertilizer is, of course, the huge content of calcium carbonate (up to 95% of it in the shell). And in the most accessible form for assimilation. Thanks to it, the shell not only nourishes, but also reduces the acidity of the soil.

Eggshells are also rich in magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and organic protein. Therefore, it is actively used as a “vitamin and mineral supplement” both on the site and in home floriculture. What to feed with eggshells?

Flowers, vegetable crops, shrubs - almost all plants need calcium in moderate quantities. Vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, pumpkins, potatoes, and eggplants are especially susceptible to shell feeding.

Moreover, it is worth noting that the need for calcium is mostly experienced by adult plants. But a strong overdose of fertilizer can even harm seedlings. Before use, they must be thoroughly washed and dried.

By not doing this or doing it poorly, we leave a perfect environment for the development and reproduction of various microorganisms. And the smell from such organic fertilizer, to put it mildly, will not be very pleasant.

The dried shells need to be crushed, the finer the better (you can even turn them into powder). How to use shells in the garden?

Crushed shells are added when preparing the soil (digging), when planting plants, adding it to the hole. Or an infusion is prepared from it, which is applied in liquid form to feed the plant. The infusion is prepared as follows: crushed shells from 5 eggs are poured into a liter of boiling water and infused for 5 days, shaking regularly. Shells are also actively used in the preparation of composts. Seedlings of crops with a compact root system can also be grown in shells.

Garden

Such a pot will not only be an excellent container for the plant, but also feed it in the future (when the plant becomes larger and falls into open ground). The plant is planted in the ground together with the shell, having previously kneaded it... that during cooking, most of the calcium from the shell is washed out, and accordingly, the effectiveness of the fertilizer decreases.

Therefore, it is better to use shells from raw eggs... that shells are a kind of additive, but not the main dish for plants. You cannot do without fertilizing with fertilizers containing large amounts of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, which are most important for plants. But if you apply the basic substances as part of ready-made mineral fertilizers, the shell will help avoid acidification of the soil, which usually happens in this case.

How to prepare and take calcium from eggshells

For use in the garden, it is usually recommended to use eggshells from domestic chickens. The beneficial elements in it are of natural origin, since village birds feed mainly on natural food. Not everyone has access to this environmentally friendly product.

You can use store-bought eggs, which also contain large amounts of calcium, but feeding from them will be less effective. It is best to start accumulating supplies of this useful fertilizer in winter. when, after a short break, a new laying season for poultry begins.

The shell during this period is the densest, and much more useful substances, especially calcium, accumulate in it than at the end of the season, from May to September. Poultry farmers have noticed that brown shells are usually thicker than white shells. Accordingly, its mass is higher, and this has a positive effect on the content of useful macro- and microelements in one shell.

Important: If you plan to use the egg shells to fertilize the soil, then you cannot cook them. Most of the by-products will evaporate under the influence of high temperatures.

How to use eggshells in the garden?

According to data provided by practicing gardeners on thematic forums, for high-quality fertilizer 1 sq. meter of soil you need to use at least 100 crushed egg shells. But this is not very rational, so to use this calcium-rich natural feeding, invented many other methods. Some of them are described below.

Fertilizer for house flowers

Indoor plants absolutely need additional nutrition, but many gardeners neglect the alarm signals sent by green pets. Indoor environment for flowers, succulents and other landscaping closed premises, is not very favorable, especially in winter - they lack light, air and humidity. Therefore, it is necessary to use a variety of fertilizing.

Not necessarily ready purchased fertilizers. You can also use eggshells for indoor plants.

• To do this, grind it using a blender and fill it with water. Leave for two or three days, stirring occasionally. During this time, a large amount of useful substances will pass into the infusion from the eggshell.

Another way to use this organic waste for indoor plants is to create a system for draining excess liquid from the roots:

• The dried and necessarily calcined shell is placed on the bottom flower pot layer of 2-3 cm. This “cushion” ensures normal circulation of liquid in a closed system, does not allow it to stagnate and provoke putrefactive processes.

Video: fertilizers for indoor plants from shells and other improvised means

Reducing soil acidity

To achieve this goal, using eggshells in the garden is very effective. Excessive acidity negatively affects the fertility of the soil, reducing it. Acidity is reduced gradually. In the first year they make about 30-50 crushed shells per 1 sq. m.

Before use, it is advisable to heat them in a stove or oven. This will help calcium move into the soil faster, and will also relieve the mixture of a specific unpleasant odor.

Application together with mineral fertilizers

Practice of use organic fertilizers in combination with agrochemicals is very common, especially on private farms. As mentioned above, eggshells reduce soil acidity. And many mineral supplements, on the contrary, increase it.

Therefore, eggshells as a fertilizer neutralize harmful effects agrochemicals, while all of them beneficial properties are fully implemented.

Drainage and structuring

The shell is used not only to fertilize the soil. It also improves its structure. The soil becomes looser after adding this additive., and this, in turn, improves air access to the roots.

Also, the soil improved in this way, when it dries after watering, forms a less dense crust, without capillaries through which moisture evaporates. This helps plants absorb more water. As a leavening agent, the shell lasts for several years.

It has been experimentally proven that the process of its decomposition in the ground is comparable in duration to the decomposition of animal skeletons. Another example of its longevity is that even in compost heap, under the influence high temperature, this calcium structure takes at least two years to decompose. Because of its apparent durability, many gardeners believe that egg shell fertilizer is ineffective.

But that's not true. Despite the fact that the calcium framework does not completely dissolve in the soil, this does not prevent beneficial microelements from penetrating into the environment.

Control of garden pests

One of the most malicious pests for bulbous and tuberous plants, mole cricket is considered. She spoils appearance potato harvest, eats bulbs of tulips, daffodils and gladioli.

The use of insecticides against it is not always effective; other means of protection give an even weaker effect. And here eggshells again find their use in the garden. It is ground and added sunflower oil for smell and buried between rows of potatoes.

In a month there will be no mole cricket in this area. Protects eggshells and cabbage from butterfly pests. But here she already works differently than with the mole cricket.

Insects are repelled using a visual effect. To do this, they use crushed eggshells, which are laid out on the tops of low columns dug in the middle of the plantings. Cabbage will never lay its eggs where the offspring of its relatives are already expected to appear.

And these “imitations” are very reminiscent of white butterflies. Therefore, the more such dummies are installed, the less chance that the garden will be left without a harvest.

Quail egg shell

Since households keep not only chickens, when covering the topic of obtaining fertilizers from egg shells, the question arises - what to do with the shells of other birds? Can it be used as a calcium supplement? Of course you can.

For example, Quail shells contain up to 90% calcium, which will be very useful as a fertilizer. But since these shells have small size, and it is very difficult to collect them in large quantities, that is, there is a reason to use an infusion of the eggshells of these birds to fertilize plants.

Recipe example : About 50 crushed shells are taken, filled with slightly acidified water (for better release of calcium), and this suspension is infused for several days. Then the house flowers are watered and garden plants, except peppers, tomatoes and eggplants.

A good harvest from the garden is the result not only of hard and painstaking work, but also of the use of various fertilizers and fertilizers that supply crops with additional nutrients or compensate for their lack in the soil. For this purpose, it is customary to use mineral fertilizers, which are a product of the chemical industry. But every gardener has the opportunity to reduce this expense item by supplementing the fertilizer with organic matter. The latter also includes eggshells, which have been performing well as a fertilizer for many decades. Here you will learn why it is so useful, how to prepare fertilizer from it and how to apply this substance to the soil.

The shell makes up 12 to 20% of total mass eggs and contains a large number of macro- and microelements. It would be unreasonable to lose the opportunity to use this material in the garden and for feeding indoor plants. In the meantime, let's get acquainted with the composition of eggshells and the content of various chemicals.

Table No. 1. Content of macroelements in eggshells.

Table No. 2. Content of microelements in eggshells.

Item type	Element content, µg/100 g
Iron	2800-4200
Zinc	400-675
Chromium	130-180
Fluorine	125-150
Copper	90-150
Cobalt	70-80
Manganese	40-110
Iodine	35-50
Molybdenum	28-35

Egg shells are an excellent fertilizer for indoor and garden flowers.

As you can see, the shell is complex fertilizer, which, in addition to calcium, contains huge amount other macro- and microelements that can also have a beneficial effect on plants. You can read more about this in the next section of the article.

Benefits of eggshells as fertilizer

The main advantage of eggshells is that they are virtually free. Unlike mineral fertilizers or manure, shells do not need to be purchased separately; it is enough just not to throw away the ones that remain after cooking in the kitchen. But there are other advantages.

1. High calcium content. Given chemical element necessary for a large number of plants, as it promotes accelerated growth and strengthening of the root system. Also, crops that receive sufficient amounts of calcium are better protected from diseases and damage by various fungi. Egg shells can actually become a free source of such a useful chemical element.

Combating soil acidification. In some areas, the problem of suboptimal pH levels is particularly acute on the island. For one reason or another, the soil may be overly acidic, which does not have the best effect on the growth rate of plants. In particularly severe cases, there is no talk of any large crop yields on such lands. But eggshells can at least partially solve this problem - by fertilizing the soil, you reduce the acidity of the latter.

Improvement of soil characteristics. In addition to deoxidation, eggshells help make excessively dense, clayey soil looser, with better aeration. As a result, more oxygen enters the soil, moisture does not stagnate in it, and the absorption of nutrients and microelements occurs faster.

Pest control. In some cases, large pieces of shells or crushed powder are used not so much to feed plants, but to protect them from mole crickets, slugs, etc.

Safety of use. Unlike conventional fertilizers, it will be very difficult to exceed the dosage of eggshells, and negative consequences for plants, as a rule, it is significantly less.

Another advantage of eggshells is environmental friendliness. If for any reason you do not trust mineral fertilizers produced chemical industry, then the shell can be a good alternative. Eggshells, prepared as a tincture or powder, can be an effective food for your plants.

A good harvest always has several components. All of them are important: the quality of the seeds, their proper preparation for sowing, the choice of variety, conditions and care. But there is one parameter whose influence is most important. This is the quality composition of the soil in which seedlings are grown. More details.

Preparing eggshell tincture and fertilizing indoor plants

One of the most popular ways to use eggshells is to prepare a tincture-based liquid feed. It is mainly used for indoor plants and flowers, but it can also be suitable for those grown on a windowsill, or for crops already planted in the garden.

Step 1. Collect eggshells. It is desirable that it be as intact as possible. The shell obtained by using raw eggs is preferable to the one left after boiling - it contains more useful macro- and microelements that are so necessary for your plants.

Step 2. Rinse warm water inner surface eggshell. This is necessary to remove protein residues, which, when the fertilizer is received, will begin to rot and give off an unpleasant odor. A similar phenomenon when preparing tincture from shells is, unfortunately, inevitable, but it is advisable to minimize this problem by washing the starting material.

Advice! In some cases, after (or before) washing, the eggshells are kept and dried for some time in a preheated oven.

Step 3. Fill a 0.75-1 liter jar with eggshells. The latter can be placed there either in almost whole form (photo below) or crushed (like what is in the left bowl). If desired, turn the shells into a very fine powder using a coffee grinder or meat grinder.

Step 4. Fill the jar with warm water, screw on the lid tightly and let the liquid brew. The approximate period is 5 days for a 1 liter container. Shake the jar every day. An indirect sign that the tincture is ready is an unpleasant odor and cloudiness of the water.

Step 5. Pour the infusion from the jar into a bucket of water in a ratio of 1:5, and then stir everything. The resulting solution will contain a certain amount of nutrients. Water your indoor plants or seedlings with it, and these macro- and microelements will reach them in the easiest way.

Step 6. Repeat the operation - pour water into the jar with the shell again and let it sit. This can be done 3-4 times with the same source material.

Some gardeners and experienced owners of indoor plants prefer to use tinctures instead of tap water snow is cleaner and does not contain excessive amounts of chlorine or iron.

Preparation of eggshell powder - step-by-step instructions

Another common way to use eggshells as fertilizer is to grind the source material into a loose powder, which is then poured onto the beds in certain dosages.

Step 1. Start by collecting the starting material - eggshells. It should be accumulated in advance, starting from the autumn-winter period. The shells obtained from raw eggs perform best as fertilizers; the remains from boiled eggs perform much worse - during the cooking process, some of the useful elements are lost from them.

Step 2. Place the eggshells in a storage container of some kind. It could be a cardboard box glass jar(with a loosely closed lid) or a fabric bag. Use plastic bags or plastic containers undesirable - the shell must “breathe”.

Important! Please note that during storage, eggshells begin to emit an unpleasant odor. The reason for this is protein residues on the inner surface, which begin to rot and decompose over time. You can partially solve this problem by washing the eggshells in warm water or calcination in the oven, but in this case you will lose some of the beneficial substances contained in the material.

Step 3. In the spring, before the start of the summer season or already in its midst, start preparing eggshell powder. This can be done in different ways.

1. Crush the shells into medium pieces and then crush them in a mortar. This method is labor-intensive, but does not require anything other than a mortar and pestle.
2. Pack the shells in a tight cloth bag and then either roll them out with a rolling pin many times or tap them with a hammer. In this case, things go much faster, but some small particles may remain intact.
3. Crush the shells by hand into medium pieces and then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder. One of the most effective ways– at the output you get bulk fertilizer, which is very convenient to work with.
4. Some gardeners grind eggshells in a blender (previously diluted with water) or a meat grinder. In terms of their effectiveness, these methods are inferior to a coffee grinder, but are quite applicable.

Important! When working with eggshells, exercise some caution - if you are not careful, you can get hurt on the sharp edges.

Step 4. Pour the resulting powder into a fabric bag or jar and store the container in a dark and warm place until use.

Video - Eggshells as fertilizer

Using powdered eggshell fertilizer on a garden bed

Eggshell powder, prepared according to the method described in the previous section of the article, should not be added to the soil immediately, but gradually. The first time is when planting seeds or seedlings along with other organic and mineral fertilizers. In this case, from 30 to 50% of the total amount of shell is added. This process is called primary feeding.

The remaining amount of powder is divided into equal shares added during other feedings. Considering that there are never too many eggshells, it would be rational not to simply scatter them over the garden, but to apply them directly into the holes, around the stems of the plants. Over the entire summer season, you should use from 0.3 to 1 kg of powder per 1 m2 or per unit of crop. Therefore, if you don’t have much eggshell fertilizer, then use it only in the most important areas of the beds, and use it rationally.

It is also worth saying that there are plants for which the use of this substance will have the best effect. Conversely, there are those crops for which it is undesirable to use eggshells. The first group includes:

• lettuce and other greens;
• swede;
• pumpkin and other melons;
• fruit and berry trees and bushes - apple, cherry, currant, raspberry, etc.

You should not use eggshells as fertilizer for zucchini, spinach and violets.

Important! If you combine eggshells with other organic or mineral fertilizers, then adjust their dosages applied to each plant or each square meter of bed. Remember that excess amounts of some chemicals are just as harmful to crops as a deficiency of these micro- and macroelements.

Eggshells for seedlings

Recently, they have become very popular peat pots for germination of seedlings. First, they are used as small containers, where, on fertilized soil, a strong and “promising” sprout is obtained from the seed. Then this pot is placed in the ground, the seedling is not removed from it. The peat container in the soil decomposes, and the plant continues its development further. Egg shells can also be used in a similar way.

Step 1. Prepare the shell. It should be from fairly large eggs (for purchased eggs this is the “selected variety” group, also designated as C0). The presence of severe damage to the shell is undesirable - when breaking eggs, remember that the shell for the white and yolk will then be used in pots for seedlings.

Step 2. Rinse the inside of the shell with warm water. Carefully make a hole in the bottom using a pushpin or a needle - this is necessary for drainage. In the absence of a hole, in case of excessive watering, the soil in the improvised one will be excessively wet, which may not have the best effect on the health of the sprout.

Step 3. Fill the eggshells halfway with soil. Considering that we're talking about about germinating seedlings, it is better to use purchased garden soil having a large amount of nutrients.

Step 4. Place the seeds in improvised pots made from egg shells and sprinkle soil on top. If necessary, add a small amount of water.

Step 5. Place the pots obtained from the shells on the egg tray or box in which they were purchased. Then place everything together on the windowsill, under sunlight. Wait until the seedlings are ready to plant in the soil. Do not forget to monitor the condition of the plants and water them regularly.

Step 6. When the seedlings reach the desired state, plant them in open ground directly in eggshells. At the same time, lightly squeeze the latter to break it, but not damage the sprout. Thus, the shells will decompose in the ground over time, and crop seedlings in the garden will receive useful substances for growth.

Eggshells as a fertilizer for tomato seedlings are well-deservedly popular. Eggs are a unique product that does not have any useless components. Egg shells contain many microelements useful for plants, especially rich in calcium carbonate. It contains about 90 percent of this compound, but the crystalline structure is different from chalk and lime, therefore it interacts well with the soil and dissolves in it when crushed. It also contains magnesium, phosphorus and organic substances.

Methods of application

Eggshells are often used as fertilizer for tomato seedlings by summer residents; you can feed tomatoes at different stages growth starting from seedlings. You can fertilize and feed in several ways:

• direct application to the soil;
• infusion of water;
• pollination of seedlings to prevent further diseases;
• planting seeds in shells;
• drainage.

Important! You can only use raw egg shells. You should stock up on shells throughout the fall and winter to ensure you have enough at the start of the season.

Instructions for feeding tomato seedlings with eggshells

Eggshells as fertilizer

The soil in the cup with seedlings is gradually depleted and loses useful elements, because... the plant takes everything nutrients necessary for his development. This affects the growth and condition of plants. Most gardeners prefer to feed not with chemical fertilizers, but with environmentally friendly, inexpensive natural products.
Algorithm for preparing egg shell powder:

• rinse the shell or bake it in the oven;
• it can be stored in cardboard, paper boxes, and fabric bags. You cannot use polyethylene bags or plastic containers;
• In order for the soil to be more productive, the workpieces must be thoroughly crushed and not used whole or in large pieces;
• The powder should be prepared at the beginning of the season;
• crushed using a coffee grinder, mortar, rolling pin;
• the powder should be stored in glassware, paper or fabric bag.

The prepared eggshell powder is applied to the soil in stages:

1. when planting seeds;
2. when planting seedlings;
3. the remaining powder is added in equal parts during further feeding.

During the season, it is recommended to fertilize plots at the rate of 300 g to 1 kg per square meter of garden. If the product is available in limited quantities, it is applied directly under the stem of the tomatoes.
Mature plants do not need copious amounts of powder, otherwise fruit set may be delayed.

Tying may stop

How does eggshell infusion work for tomatoes?

A water infusion, which is rich in calcium, is very good for feeding seedlings. It has the following effects:

• planting material germinates faster;
• the above-ground part of the plant is actively gaining growth;
• metabolism and photosynthesis improves.

The infusion for irrigation should be prepared in compliance with certain rules:

1. Rinse the shell thoroughly, removing dried protein, immediately after the egg has been broken, and dry;
2. Finely chop the clean shells of five to six eggs, grind them in a coffee grinder, a meat grinder with a fine grid, or crush them with a mortar. There should be no pieces in the powder;
3. Place the powder in a container and pour boiling water at the rate of one liter per powder from five to six shells;
4. Leave for five to seven days, stirring or shaking occasionally;
5. The finished solution will be cloudy, with foam and a specific odor;
6. Dilute one part of the solution in three to four parts of water.

Feed the seedlings at the rate of one tablespoon per two-hundred-gram glass once every two to three weeks.

Important! The protein remaining on the shell and ending up in the soil begins to rot and helps the development and nutrition of bacteria.

How to grow tomato seedlings in eggshells

Growing seedlings in shells gives excellent results, plants develop quickly and produce vigorous shoots, because small volumes contribute to good seed hydration. Carefully break off the top of the egg, wash it, fill it with soil and plant the seed. It is best to place the shells in egg boxes, which are very convenient for labeling.
When replanting, break the shell and carefully release the lump of earth with roots. You can crush the shell with your hand and plant it in another container or in the ground along with the fragments.

With this method there is no risk of damage to the root system young plant. The broken husks can be used as part of compost.
Large pieces are also used as drainage; they are placed at the bottom of the cups before planting the seedlings.

Large pieces

Is it possible to put eggshells under tomatoes?

The shell increases soil fertility. Magnesium and calcium in its composition are necessary for the normal development of seedlings. Calcium carbonate is recommended to be used to deoxidize the soil, which helps improve its composition and structure. It is enough to add two tablespoons of powder per square meter. Young plants are in great need of organic calcium, which they easily obtain from the egg shell.

Pay attention! After feeding the seedlings with ground eggshells, the tomatoes will not be affected by blossom end rot. This disease occurs when there is a lack of calcium.

Before planting seedlings in the ground, it is very useful to add flour from shells ground in a coffee grinder to the holes.
The powder should be periodically sprinkled under young plants to prevent the appearance of a fungal disease called blackleg.
The shell repels pests - mole crickets, slugs and snails; boiled eggs can also be used for this. The pieces should be placed around the planted seedlings and mixed with the soil so that their sharp edges prevent the pest from getting to the stem.

How best to feed tomatoes with eggshells should be decided based on the volume of your reserves. Feeding seedlings from egg shells is an effective and practically free way to obtain good harvest tomatoes. It is beneficial in any form, but should not be used uncontrollably.