How to use egg shells as plant food? How to use eggshell as a fertilizer? Eggshell as a source of fertilizer.

Evgeny Sedov

When hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

Natural home fertilizers are in great demand among summer residents and gardeners. There are many reasons for this: beneficial features, lack of chemistry, efficiency, availability, the ability to adjust the composition and concentration, depending on the needs of the plant. When eating eggs, many people do not suspect how many useful microelements the shell of this product contains. With a little effort, eggshells can be used to make an organic, environmentally friendly fertilizer for different plants.

Chemical composition and trace elements

Eggshell as organic fertilizer– a suitable alternative to industrial top dressings, a natural complex of microelements and organic compounds, created by nature itself to nourish the embryo. Such a fertilizer, prepared at home, will be useful for many crops, fruit trees and shrubs, indoor and garden flowers.

Pure calcium (a metal) is rare in nature. More often it can be found in compounds - bicarbonates and the salts formed from them, which make up chalk, lime, and also the shells of any eggs. Their shell contains about 90% calcium carbonate. It is well absorbed, because calcium carbonate has undergone a synthesis process in the bird's body. In addition to calcium carbonate, the egg shell contains other micro and macro elements indicated in the table:

Useful properties of eggshell

Calcium carbonate not only activates the growth of foliage and shoots, but also plays important role in the process of photosynthesis, metabolism and supply of oxygen to the plant. The main benefit of such a tool is to reduce the acidity of the soil and improve the quality of the land. Excessive acidification of the soil adversely affects fertility, plants develop poorly, get sick, and their productivity decreases.

To bring the acidity of the soil to normal, 500 g of eggshell fertilizer is required per 1 m2. For infertile, clayey, loamy, peaty and silty soils, this amount is doubled. Egg peel powder is an excellent baking powder that increases the air permeability of the soil. As a result, the roots of plants receive more oxygen, during a drought a hard crust does not form on the surface of the beds, loosening can be carried out less frequently.

Loose earth absorbs water faster, leaving no channels through which the liquid will go deep. Moisture is distributed evenly - this allows you to reduce the amount of water consumed. In addition to improving the aeration properties of the earth, eggshells repel pests - slugs, bears, moles. For the latter, you need to use large pieces of the shell that will interfere with their movement. Protection against black leg and blossom end rot is another useful property of natural fertilizer.

Application

Eggshell fertilizer is produced in several ways. The first is to simply sprinkle the powder on the ground and then close it with a rake. This procedure can be carried out before landing or after. Recommended uses:

1. fertilize the wells when planting potatoes, onions, beets, watermelons, melons, zucchini;
2. sprinkle on top of the ground, to protect against clutches of cabbage butterflies, cruciferous fleas, to reduce the growth of weeds and mulching;
3. use in infusions and decoctions when watering;
4. shallowly embedded in the ground around the trees, so as not to harm the root system.

Eggshell powder can be scattered by hand, but it is more rational to use a special home-made invention - in plastic bottle at the same distance from each other, make small holes through which the flour will evenly crumble onto the ground. To engage useful composition shell films, you can prepare infusions without removing them.

Egg shells as fertilizer for the garden

For top dressing garden plants better to use house cleaners chicken eggs- they have concentration useful substances above, but store-bought ones can also be used. At the end of winter, in a new laying, the egg shells contain the maximum amount of calcium and other nutrients. Peeling brown eggs is more beneficial than white ones. For high-quality fertilizer of one sq.m. soil in the garden you need to use powder from 100 shells. This method is not rational, therefore, top dressing or nutritional infusions are prepared from egg shells.

Plants that are grown at home on the windowsill need mandatory additional feeding, but many flower growers neglect this factor. A limited apartment environment for succulents and flowers is unfavorable, especially in winter - they lack light, oxygen and humidity. It is not necessary to feed the plants industrial fertilizers. For indoor flowers, the egg shell is perfect, from which a nutritious infusion is prepared:

1. It is necessary to grind the blanks with a blender, pour water.
2. Leave for 2-3 days, stirring occasionally.
3. During this period, nutrients will pass into the water.

Another way to use egg waste is to create drainage. To do this, the dried and calcined shell is broken into large pieces and placed on the bottom. flower pot several layers, with a total thickness of up to three centimeters. This layer provides abduction excess fluid from the roots, the normal circulation of water, does not allow it to stagnate, ferment or rot.

To find out what kind of soil is on the site, you can take the soil to the laboratory, where they will issue a conclusion with the data. If you are using indicator tape, dampen it with wet soil and you will immediately know the result. There is another way: take a few tablespoons of earth into a bottle, fill it with a glass of water. Instead of a lid, use a rubber nipple. Shake the bottle vigorously for several minutes until foam appears. If the rubber on the nipple stretches a little, then the soil is alkaline, strong gas formation is an indicator of acidified soil.

What crops are egg shells suitable for as fertilizer?

Each plant has its own preferences - some like acidic soil, others like alkaline soil, some grow well in the sun, some cultures like shade. If one plant likes eggshell nutrition, it can harm another. All plant cultures are conditionally divided into three groups, among which are plants that respond well to the application of calcined fertilizer:

1. Garden - stone fruits (cherry, plum), pome (pear, apple, quince), currant, blackberry, raspberry, gooseberry.
2. Garden - tomatoes, Bell pepper, eggplant, cabbage, lettuce, radish, onion, pumpkin, parsley, celery, watermelon, melon, legumes (beans, peas).
3. Indoor flowers - everything except azalea, camellia, violet, gardenia, pelargonium, fern, pansies and hydrangeas, because These plants love acidic soil.

Horticultural crops

Infusion of eggshells is useful for almost everyone garden plant. Experienced Specialists use this tool in a complex way - together with industrial mineral supplements, which increase the level of soil acidity, and egg shells help to reduce it. So the pH level will remain at the same level, but the plant will receive the maximum amount of nutrients. The use of shell powder prevents the development of flower diseases such as blossom end rot and blackleg.

White, red, pink and especially black currants will respond well to this fertilizer. Every spring, when the soil is completely thawed, and in the fall, before the first frost, it is recommended to sprinkle trunk circle plants with eggshell powder and then loosen the soil. In a similar way, you can fertilize raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries. Mixed 50 to 50 ground shells and sifted wood ash are added to the holes when planting strawberries.

All fruit trees respond well to calcium supplementation. In autumn, the near-stem circle is sprinkled with powder and the soil is loosened. The norm is considered to be approximately 0.5–0.75 kg of substance per 1 m². For pome fruits, the recommended dose is reduced by 30%. stone fruit trees love slightly alkaline soil. Annual flowers (asters, chrysanthemums) and perennial shrubs(barberry, peony, lavender, tulips, roses) is recommended to be watered with an infusion of egg peels every 2-3 weeks.

garden

Egg shells for the garden are used when germinating seedlings different cultures and for mature plants. An excess of nutrients can be worse than a deficiency, so too frequent feeding can harm plants. Crushed shells are added to the wells when planting onions, carrots, potatoes, and beets. Such top dressing not only saturates the plant with microelements, but also protects against underground pests. If you sprinkle the powder on top of the beds, it will prevent the appearance of slugs.

For any type of cabbage, it is recommended to add ground shells when planting seedlings, then regularly feed at the same time as chemical fertilizers. For gourds, fertilizer is applied under the roots when planting or when digging the earth at the seedling location. Solanaceae should be watered with infusion once a month. Zucchini, cucumbers, herbs, spinach, and any kind of onions respond well to such a fertilizer. You should not get carried away with feeding young fragile seedlings, because. Plants need nitrogen to grow green.

Use this natural fertilizer for indoor plants can be in the form of infusion or drainage. It is recommended to feed flowers with egg shells before watering, unlike the use of other types of organic fertilizers. It is better to use them no more than 2-3 times a month. The shell of the eggs is used for drainage of potted plants. It is also mixed with the substrate, but in a limited amount - 0.3 teaspoon per flower.

If you have tried collecting egg shells, then you know that the most main disadvantage this process - bad smell coming from stale organic waste. There are two ways to collect and store the shell, without an unpleasant odor:

1. Rinsing under running water to get rid of organic residues and films. The disadvantage of this method is that the fertilizer will not retain the nutrients contained in the films. But the subsequent calcination will take place without problems associated with smell.
2. Baking in the oven. Plus - useful microelements from the shell and films are preserved, minus - during drying, an unpleasant odor may come out, which will disappear over time.

You can store already dried shells for a long time, but not in cellophane, but in paper, rag bags or loosely closed glass jars. Prepared shells before use must be crushed into powder in one of the following ways:

• scroll through a meat grinder;
• grind with a coffee grinder or blender;
• crush in a mortar;
• wrap in a linen bag and crush with a hammer.

How to make eggshell fertilizer

It is recommended to prepare organic fertilizer from shells only from shells from raw eggs. During heat treatment a significant part of the nutrients is washed out of the shell, and the amino acids contained in the inner film are destroyed by 100%. Boiled egg shells are also used in gardening - as a soil baking powder or drainage for flowers.

Manufacture of fertilizer in the form of a powder

To prepare egg peel powder, it is important to follow certain rules. This guide will help you:

1. Rinse raw eggshells in running water to get rid of the remains of the yolk and protein. The thin film inside can not be removed. On the contrary, the film is removed from the boiled shell.
2. Put the washed raw materials on a cloth or paper towels so that all the liquid is glassed.
3. Then put the shells in cardboard or wooden boxes and leave to dry for another 3-5 days, preferably in the fresh air.
4. Grind dry shells convenient way to the state of powder. The finer the flour, the higher the quality of the fertilizer.
5. The powder should be stored in a cool dry place, in linen bags or wooden boxes, but in open state otherwise the product will suffocate.
6. Before use required amount the powder must be calcined in the oven for half an hour at a temperature of 100 C.
7. The prepared shell can be stored for more than a year without loss of useful properties.

Such powder is used not only as a fertilizer. This food supplement is given to pets, especially birds (chickens, ducks) to strengthen bone tissue. In some diseases, people also use flour, because calcium in this form is absorbed by the body by almost 100% and does not lead to the formation of pathological sand and kidney stones. All this makes the product very useful in household so it can be used for a variety of purposes.

To prepare an infusion of egg shells, you need:

1. 100 g of prepared powder pour 2 liters of boiling water.
2. Close the vessel tightly, put in a dark warm place for 10-14 days.
3. Shake the container with future fertilizer daily.
4. When the contents become cloudy and a characteristic fetid odor appears, the infusion will be ready.

For a quick infusion, follow these instructions:

1. Pour 250 g of flour into 3 liters of water, boil, boil for a few minutes, remove from the stove.
2. Pour the resulting solution into a large container with 5 liters cold water, stir thoroughly.
3. When the liquid cools to room temperature, the product will be ready.

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

The shell makes up from 12 to 20% of the total mass of the egg and contains a large number of macro- and microelements. It would be unwise to lose the opportunity to use this material in the dacha economy and to feed indoor plants. In the meantime, let's get acquainted with the composition of the eggshell and the content of various chemical substances.

Table number 1. The content of macronutrients in the eggshell.

Table number 2. The content of trace elements in the eggshell.

Eggshells are an excellent fertilizer for indoor and garden flowers.

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

The benefits of eggshells as fertilizer

The main advantage of eggshells is that they are actually free. Unlike mineral fertilizers or manure, the shell does not need to be purchased separately, just do not throw away the one that remains after cooking in the kitchen. But there are other benefits as well.

Another advantage of the eggshell is called environmental friendliness. If for some reason you do not trust mineral fertilizers produced by the chemical industry, then shells can be a good alternative. Eggshells, prepared as a tincture or powder, can be an effective nutrient for your plants.

A good harvest is always 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 qualitative composition soil in which seedlings are grown. In more detail .

Preparing eggshell tincture and fertilizing houseplants

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

Step 1. Collect the eggshell. It is desirable that it be as complete as possible. The shell obtained when using raw eggs is preferable to the one left after cooking - it contains more useful macro- and microelements, which are so necessary for your plants.

Step 2 Rinse warm water inner surface eggshell. This is necessary to remove protein residues, which, upon receipt of the fertilizer, will begin to rot and give an unpleasant odor. A similar phenomenon in the preparation of shell tinctures is unfortunately unavoidable, but it is desirable 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 both in a practically whole form (photo below), and in a crushed one (like what lies in the left bowl). If desired, turn the shell into a very fine powder using a coffee grinder or meat grinder.

Step 4 Fill the jar with warm water, tighten the lid tightly and let the liquid brew. The approximate time is 5 days for a 1 liter container. Shake the jar every day. An indirect sign of the readiness of the tincture is an unpleasant odor and turbidity 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 get to them in the easiest way.

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

Some gardeners and experienced houseplant owners prefer to use to make a tincture instead of tap water snow - it 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 a fertilizer is to grind the source material to the state of a free-flowing 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, even starting from the autumn-winter period. The shell obtained from raw eggs shows itself best as a fertilizer, while the remains of boiled eggs show themselves much worse - in the process of cooking, part useful elements goes out of them.

Step 2 Place eggshells in a storage container. It could be cardboard box, glass jar(with loose closed lid) or fabric pouch. Use for these purposes plastic bags or plastic containers undesirable - the shell must "breathe".

Important! Please note that during storage, the eggshell begins to emit an unpleasant odor. The reason for this is the protein residues on the inner surface, which begin to rot and decompose over time. Partially solving this problem will help you wash the eggshell in warm water or roast it in the oven, but you will lose some of the useful 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 shell into medium pieces and then crush in a mortar. This method is laborious, but it does not require anything other than a mortar and pestle.
2. Pack the shell in a tight cloth bag and then either roll it out with a rolling pin many times or tap it with a hammer. In this case, things go much faster, but some small particles may remain intact.
3. Crush the shell by hand into medium pieces and then grind to a powder in a coffee grinder. One of the most effective ways- at the exit you get a loose 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 they are quite applicable.

Important! When working with eggshells, exercise some caution - if you are inattentive about the sharp edges, you can get hurt.

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

Video - Eggshell as a fertilizer

Application of eggshell powder fertilizer in the garden

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

The remaining amount of powder is divided into equal shares, introduced with other top dressings. Considering that there is never a lot of eggshell, it would be rational not just to scatter it over the garden, but to bring it directly into the holes, around the stems of the plants. For the entire summer season, you should use from 0.3 to 1 kg of powder per 1 m 2 or per unit of crop. Therefore, if you have little eggshell fertilizer, then use it only in the most important areas of the beds, approach consumption rationally.

It is also worth saying that there are plants for which the use of this substance will affect the most. in the best way. Conversely, there are those cultures for which it is undesirable to use eggshells. The first group includes:

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

And 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 beds. Remember that an excessive amount of some chemicals is just as harmful to crops as a lack of these micro and macro elements.

Egg shell for seedlings

AT recent times peat pots for germinating seedlings are becoming very popular. At first, they are used as small containers, where a strong and “promising” sprout is obtained from a seed on fertilized soil. 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 ones, this is the "selected variety" group, also referred to as C0). The presence of severe damage to the shell is undesirable - when breaking eggs, remember that the shell for the protein and yolk will then go to the pots for seedlings.

Step 2 Rinse the inside of the shell with warm water. In the lower part, carefully make a hole with a pushpin or a needle - it is necessary for drainage. In the absence of a hole in the event of excessive watering, the soil in the impromptu will be excessively wet, which may not have the best effect on the health of the sprout.

Step 3 Half fill the eggshell with soil. Considering that we are talking about germinating seedlings, it is better to use purchased garden soil containing a large amount of nutrients.

Step 4 Place the seeds in impromptu pots made from eggshells, sprinkle with earth on top. Pour if necessary a small amount of water.

Step 5 Place the shelled pots on the egg tray or box they came in. Then lay everything together on the windowsill, under the 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 seedling reaches the desired state, plant it in open ground right in the eggshell. At the same time, lightly squeeze the latter to break, but not damage the sprout. Thus, the shell will decompose over time in the ground, and the seedlings of crops in the garden will receive useful substances for growth.

All gardeners and gardeners know that the soil needs constant nourishment, only then will large, healthy plants grow on it. But few of them are aware of the use of eggshells, the benefits of such fertilizer for the garden and how to use it. In the article, we will consider how to make the ideal fertilizer for the earth from improvised egg waste and how best to apply it.

The composition of the egg shell

The main share in the composition of the shell of chicken eggs is 95% of easily digestible calcium. In quail casings, this percentage is slightly lower, up to 92%. The remaining organic trace elements that are part of the shell are: magnesium (0.65%), potassium (0.11%), phosphorus (0.13%), other elements - sulfur, aluminum, iron. The content of certain components depends on what the chicken eats, what its variety is.

In order for the egg shell to contain a maximum of useful substances and easily digestible calcium carbonate, the bird needs to be fed only natural products, fresh, vitamin-containing. If the chicken lives under the conditions of a poultry farm, then with the feed she receives additional vitamins for rapid growth or receiving eggs. This method of raising birds affects the thickness of the shell and the chemical composition macronutrients. Scientists have proven that the brown shell of the eggs is thicker, it contains more calcium than the white one.

Collection and preparation of chicken and quail shells

• Collect all egg shells, rinse them thoroughly under running water. The main thing in this case is to remove excess protein with yolk. This item is allowed not to be carried out only if the eggshell is additionally dried.
• Dry future soil fertilizers under the sun. Keep in mind that if the shell is washed, the water will dry within an hour, and if there is excess protein or yolk on the shell of the eggs, then they can dry for about a day.
• When the shell has been cleaned, dried, it is worth starting to grind it in a coffee grinder, mortar, meat grinder or other device. In order for the shell of the eggs to turn into powder, it is possible to decompose it into cutting board and roll it several times with a rocking chair to roll out the dough. So it will be possible to grind very quickly, easily, so many housewives use this method.
• The degree of grinding depends on which fertilizer method has been chosen. For infusions, you need to use shells crushed into small pieces, and for direct addition to the soil, it is better to grind it into sand.
• In no case should you boil or steam eggshells, such heat treatment damages chemical bonds and loses the beneficial properties of the eggshell. It is possible to use decoctions, but the amount of calcium in them is significantly less.

What are the benefits of eggshells for the garden

Often improvised materials or waste can serve as good fertilizer for the earth, this applies not only to eggshells, but also to ash, wood chips, sand, humus. The composition of the egg shells contains a large amount of useful calcium, and this by itself increases the fertility of the soil. If the earth is fertilized with ground shells, then air permeability increases, which allows the plant to receive more oxygen. positive trait an increase in the looseness of the earth is considered.

Fertilizer to improve soil fertility

Soil fertility directly depends on its acidity. At high rates the earth will not be able to please with a large harvest. To reduce the acidity of the soil, it is worth adding 30-50 crushed shells from chicken eggs per 1 sq.m. Before adding this fertilizer, it is recommended to ignite it in the oven so that calcium is absorbed by the earth faster.

Often the acidity of the soil is reduced by expensive mineral fertilizers, and in order for them to be better absorbed, eggshells are mixed with agrochemicals, the mixture is added to the soil. This method helps to avoid negative consequences from using chemicals and significantly improve soil fertility by affecting its acidity.

When eggshells are added to the soil, it becomes more free-flowing, so the water that falls on such soil passes faster and does not leave open channels. This will reduce the amount of weeding to keep the bed moist, and reduce the amount of watering. Although visually it may seem that the digestibility of the eggshell is very low due to its density, but this is absolutely not the case, for several years the crushed shell will improve the condition of the earth.

Under what plants can you make eggshells

Eggshells as fertilizer with calcium are allowed to be applied under the following types plants for their better growth, development:

• Vegetables: tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, carrots, beets, potatoes, eggplant, cabbage.
• Fruit trees: apple trees, pears, plums, apricots, cherries, sweet cherries, cherry plums.
• Bushes: raspberry, gooseberry, currant, dogwood, viburnum.
• Flowers - any.
• Other types of plants that positively accept calcium.

It is recommended in some cases to grow seedlings of some garden plants directly in eggshell halves. In this manner young plant will receive the necessary calcium, and when its root grows in the hole, it will break the shell. This method not only initially helps the plant to obtain the necessary trace elements, but also fertilizes the future soil in which growth continues. Often this method of calcium fertilization is used in the cultivation of tomatoes, peppers, cabbage. Sometimes it can be effective when breeding watermelons and gourds.

How to use the shell in the garden

The egg shell can be used in a variety of ways, depending on the purpose and expected results. It is easy to add in a powder state, whole or slightly crushed. The main thing to remember is that even shell film can be a great addition to improve the condition of the earth, although it interferes a little when working with the shell.

Application of dry powder

• Dry egg powder should be poured into a bottle, make several holes there for even pouring. It is easier to scatter such fertilizer with your hands, but there is a chance of getting the result “there is thick, and there it is empty”.
• After that, it is worth watering the soil well until completely absorbed. egg powder. If small places with fertilizer remain on the surface of the earth, it's okay, it will be absorbed later.
• The procedure must be repeated several times, so it is better to stretch this process for a couple of days so as not to walk on wet ground.
• For high-quality fertilizer, it is recommended to use 80-100 eggshells per 1 sq.m of withered land.
• Dry powder can be diluted with water, watered with indoor plants or seeds during planting, so they get the right calcium.

How to make and use garden infusion

1. We collect several fresh egg shells (about 3-4 pieces) and without washing them, put them in a jar. Next, fill with warm water until completely covered and cover loosely with a lid or plate. When this mixture is infused, hydrogen sulfide will be released, which does not have a very pleasant smell, so it is better to remove such a container with a shell in a dark and distant place. After 3-4 days, the infusion is ready to work, they are allowed to water houseplants or garden plants, without even diluting them with additional water. Such fertilizer must be used in winter, spring, when the soil needs to be fed.
2. In 1 l warm water add 5 egg shells and their whites, mix thoroughly, cover, put in a dark, cool place. After 10-15 days, when a not very pleasant smell appears, the mixture is ready for application to the soil. To do this, it must be diluted with 10-12 liters of water at room temperature and sprayed onto the ground using a sprinkler. When it gets on the leaves of plants, this fertilizer will not burn them, so this infusion can be used for greenhouse crops, for any greens on open area.
3. Prepare 20 chicken eggshells, crush them a little, add 3 liters of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and keep on fire for about 2-3 minutes. After cooling, dilute the mixture with 5 liters of water, apply for watering indoor plants, horticultural crops. This infusion is very useful for growing spring seedlings, it will allow plants to grow quickly and take the maximum amount of minerals from the soil.
4. We mix 100 g of eggshell, onion peel, leaves walnut, add 50 g of lime. Pour all this with 1 liter of boiling water, insist 1 day. After filtering, the liquid should be diluted with 10-12 liters of water and the fertilizer is ready. It is recommended to make it in the spring, when the plants in the garden are just making their way. This infusion will help the greens grow healthy, large.

In addition to the fact that the eggshell is 94% calcium carbonate, it contains 27 different trace elements: silicon, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, nitrogen and other components from the periodic table. The crystalline structure of the shell, which differs from chalk and lime, does not allow it to be quickly absorbed by the soil, but due to the fact that calcium carbonate has already undergone synthesis in the bird's body, the shell can rightfully be used as lime fertilizer, improving soil fertility, deoxidizing it, and nourishing plants.

Which shell should be used as fertilizer

Experienced gardeners agree that just scattering egg shells over garden plot it is useless, and it should not be added in a crushed state for planting seedlings either. It is more necessary for "adult" plants than for seeds or young shoots, the growth of which can only be delayed from an excess of calcium.

In order not to harm the soil and plants and to get the most out of the leftover eggs, it is important to know some storage rules and pre-training shells. Both boiled and raw eggshells are used, but raw eggshells are much more useful, since a significant proportion of calcium is destroyed during cooking. Although the shells from boiled eggs will also help improve the structure of the soil.

It is important to properly store the shell, because in a plastic bag, if there are protein residues on the inner walls of the shell, it will quickly begin to go out. As a result, instead of benefit, harmful bacteria can be introduced into the soil. It is better to put a special container for dropping the shell. It can be a cardboard box or paper bag. The remaining protein is best washed off under running water. In an open box, the raw shell will soon dry out, and it will not be necessary to shift it for this purpose. The dried shell is crushed in a mortar, coffee grinder or with a hammer. The chosen method depends on the amount of accumulated product.

Methods for preparing eggshell fertilizer

The shell broken into small fragments is recommended to be added to the soil for digging. It can also be scattered over the surface in the places of planting cabbage, cucumbers to avoid the reproduction of slugs. Crushed eggshell powder can be poured directly into the hole. The recommended rate is 2 cups per square meter.

Their dry crushed shells can be prepared as liquid fertilizer. To do this, flour from 5 chicken eggs should be poured with a liter of boiling water and infused, stirring occasionally. The time of "ripening" of the solution, depending on the temperature of the room, can take 1-2 weeks. Turbidity and an unpleasant odor should not be scary, this just indicates the readiness of the fertilizer.

The resulting infusion should be diluted with water 3 times and used to water the plants once every two weeks. Some gardeners prefer to add large shells directly to the barrel of water intended for watering the beds. Since water is constantly used, it does not have time, but in 2-3 days of infusion it warms up and is saturated with trace elements from egg waste.

To reduce the acidity of the soil, eggshells are used in equal proportions with ash. True, it will take a lot of money for the whole garden. Two teaspoons of the mixture can produce liming only 1 kg of soil, but if you carry out this procedure from year to year, adding fertilizer to the holes, fertility will improve over time, and the acidity will decrease.

A zealous owner puts a lot of waste into action. And our summer resident finds a use for every trinket. Not many eggshells are thrown away in a year, but many people collect and hoard them to use in the garden. Whether there is an economic sense in this, everyone decides for himself.

What is the value of eggshell as a fertilizer

It cannot be said that the eggshell is a complete fertilizer, but it contains many useful components. Approximately 90% it consists of calcium carbonate - this is the same substance as natural chalk or limestone. Therefore, the use of shells in crop production makes sense, especially on acidic soils. The remaining 10% account for an impressive list of elements, including those that are very necessary for plants.

So, 100 g of raw shell contains 80 mg of potassium, 400 mg of magnesium, 150 mg of phosphorus, as well as copper, molybdenum, zinc, cobalt, etc. Is it a lot or a little? If shells could be accumulated a few kilograms, it would be complete replacement purchased mineral fertilizers. In real life, it is a useful addition to them. But if there is an opportunity, why not take advantage of it?

The composition of the shell depends a little on its color and origin, but the approximate numbers are the same.

The main point in using the shell is to reduce acidity and improve mechanical characteristics soil. To put acidity in order on unsuitable soils, at least fifty chicken eggs must be used per 1 m 2. Of course, it’s easier to pour lime, but ... Normally ground shells are also a baking powder for the soil, contributing to the supply of oxygen to the roots, but don’t forget about trace elements!

The shell is also used as a protection against many pests: if you grind it not very finely, then the sharp edges of the shell scratch the delicate skin of the slugs, injure the insides of the bear. The shell also prevents the spread of certain plant diseases developing in the soil.

How to use the shell

It is almost impossible to harm plants with eggshells (except for those that love acidic soil!). Nevertheless, fertilizer must be prepared and used correctly so that the work does not go down the drain.

shell preparation

The maximum benefit will be when using shells from raw eggs: after all, when cooking, many trace elements will pass into the water. In the shell of boiled eggs, in fact, only calcium will remain from the useful components, and it is hardly worth spending time on preparing it. With the shell of raw eggs proceed as follows.

Variants of use in the garden, garden and for indoor plants

If the eggshell is used as a fertilizer, it is applied to the soil when digging or the plants are fed with infusion (the powder is poured hot water, after a day filter and water the beds). For example, under cabbage or gourds, when planting in the hole, add a teaspoon of powder. Under berry bushes in spring, a handful of crushed shells are shallowly buried in the soil. Annual flowers, onions, beets, legumes are watered with infusion of shells 2 times a month.

The shell should not be used when growing those plants that grow on slightly acidic soils: hydrangeas, petunias, ferns, basil, sorrel, etc.

AT indoor floriculture you also have to be careful. Many flowers prefer acidic soils, so under them the shell is not used at all. These are, for example, gloxinia, pelargonium and all kinds of violets.

For other indoor flowers, a lot of shells are not required. So, when planting on a standard pot, they take, mixing with the soil, no more than half a teaspoon of powder. Once a week, flowers are watered with a diluted infusion. For this, 2 tbsp. spoons of powder are poured into 1 liter of boiling water and infused for 5 days, after which it is filtered.

In addition to being used as a fertilizer and soil deoxidizer, eggshells are used for the following purposes:

Eggshells are a valuable source of trace elements and a good soil deoxidizer. If used correctly, it saves money and improves the structure and fertility of the soil both in the garden and in pots for houseplants.