DIY Fertilizer Recipes: Weed Tea & Balanced Organic Mix

Commercial fertilizer works, but homemade builds soil health, costs pennies, and avoids synthetics. Two proven recipes.

Recipe 1: Weed Tea (Liquid, Fast-Acting)

1. Chop 1 lb mixed weeds (dandelion, nettle, chickweed—variety = more nutrients).
2. Place in 5-gal bucket, add 8 cups water.
3. Cover; ferment in sun 2–4 weeks, stir weekly. (Smelly—keep away from house.)
4. Dilute 1:10 with water. Apply to root zone, then water in.
5. Refresh: replace weeds, add water, repeat.

Recipe 2: Complete Organic Dry Fertilizer

Source ingredients at feed/grain or garden store (or online).

• 4 parts seed meal (cottonseed, alfalfa)
• 1 part bone meal or rock phosphate
• ½ part kelp meal
• ½ part dolomitic lime
• ¼ part agricultural lime
• ¼ part gypsum

Mix in 5-gal bucket. Apply at planting (spring), then side-dress every 3–4 weeks.

Why These Work

• Weed tea: broad-spectrum minerals + microbial boost.
• Dry mix: balanced N-P-K + calcium, magnesium, trace minerals.
• Both feed soil life, not just plants.

Make your fertility. Save money. Grow nutrient-dense food.