Don’t Buy Fertilizer! It Is All Around You.

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Don’t Buy Fertilizer! It Is All Around You.

The cost of everything – from fuel to food – seems to be rising around the world. So, growing our own food is a good way to save money.

However, the cost of gardening materials has also been rising.

Plant expert Jessica Damiano writes about gardening for the Associated Press. In her latest story, she writes about saving money on fertilizer. She suggests that home gardeners make their own.

All plants require nutrients¹. Necessary nutrients exist naturally in most soils. But over time, they get used up. So, nutrients need to be added to the soil from time to time for plants to produce fruits and vegetables for our meals.

This is where fertilizers come in.

Most fertilizers contain three primary nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. (This is often represented by the N-P-K ratio on fertilizer containers.) Damiano explains how the three work. Nitrogen helps the plant turn its energy into green, leafy growth. Phosphorus helps the development of roots, fruits, and flowers. And potassium helps the plant's overall health.

Many fertilizers also have secondary nutrients, like calcium² and magnesium³. They sometimes have micronutrients such as iron, copper⁴, boron, manganese, and zinc⁵.

All these nutrients are necessary for creating the best growing conditions for a plant.

Here is some good news: There are many ways that home gardeners can save money while providing their plants with high-quality nutrients.

Cut grass

Consider cut grass. If you leave cut grass on the lawn, you may not need fertilizer.

As grass breaks down, it releases nitrogen into the soil. This will help grass to continue to grow. However, Damiano gives this warning: Do not use fresh cut grass in garden beds. It will burn your plants.

Compost is best for soil

Compost, she says, is the best thing you can add to soil.

Compost helps to control how much water stays in the soil. It keeps dry soil wet. It can help thick dirt, or clay, drain water. Compost also adds nutrients to the soil.

Damiano advises to use a lot of compost in plant beds or planting holes. She suggests using compost in place of mulch. (Mulch is placed on top of the soil.)

To make your own compost, simply collect fruit and vegetable scraps⁷. Do not add meat, dairy, or fats. You can keep the food scraps in a bowl in your kitchen. Whenever it fills up, bury the material directly in the garden soil. As the scraps break down, they add nutrients.

Just be sure to bury them at least 25 to 30 centimeters deep. This will keep hungry wildlife from digging them up. And bury the scraps several centimeters from the plants. This will avoid damaging roots.

Fish fertilizer

Many gardeners treat their plants with fish fertilizer. It contains nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur⁸, and sodium⁹, among other nutrients. And it could be costly¹⁰. So, Damiano suggests burying fish parts deep in the garden soil -- again 25 to 30 centimeters deep.

You can also make your own fish fertilizer by putting fish scraps in a closed container of water -- about 19 liters. Leave it for about a month. Then drain the liquid and use it to water plants. However, do not use processed fish that has added salt. Too much salt can damage the soil and your plants.

Use leftover¹¹ materials from around your house

Are you someone who fishes? If so, you can use scraps from the fish you catch. If not, your local fish seller, called a fishmonger, might give away — or sell at low cost — scraps and heads.

Are you a fish owner? Plants can also be helped from used fish-tank water. This water is rich in nitrogen and other nutrients.

Do you cook vegetables in water? If so, save it! The water is filled with vitamins and minerals that could help your garden.

And water from boiled eggs is full of calcium. This is especially useful for tomatoes and peppers. Just make sure to let the water cool to room temperature before using on your plants.

You can even use eggshells instead of buying garden lime. Both are made of calcium carbonate. Dry out the egg shells thoroughly¹². Then break them up into tiny pieces. Add the small pieces to your garden's soil. The same can be done with banana peels. They are full of potassium and good for plants.

Words in This Story

garden – n. a piece of ground in which fruits, flowers, or vegetables are grown

primary –adj. first in order of time or development

ratio – n. the relationship in number or quantity between two or more things

lawn – n. ground (as around a house or in a garden or park) that is covered with grass and is cut regularly

compost – n. a mixture that consists largely of decayed organic matter and is used for fertilizing¹³ and conditioning land

mulch – n. a material (as straw or bark) spread over the ground especially to protect the roots of plants from heat or cold, to keep soil moist, and to control weeds

scrap⁶ –n. a piece of something that is usually thrown away

drain – v. to remove liquid from something

1 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

3 magnesium   

n.镁

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The water contains high amounts of magnesium.这水含有大量的镁。

4 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

5 zinc   

n.锌；vt.在...上镀锌

参考例句：

• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。
• Zinc is used to protect other metals from corrosion.锌被用来保护其他金属不受腐蚀。

6 scrap   

n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废

参考例句：

• A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
• Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。

7 scraps   

油渣

参考例句：

• Don't litter up the floor with scraps of paper. 不要在地板上乱扔纸屑。
• A patchwork quilt is a good way of using up scraps of material. 做杂拼花布棉被是利用零碎布料的好办法。

8 sulfur   

n.硫，硫磺（=sulphur）

参考例句：

• Sulfur emissions from steel mills become acid rain.炼钢厂排放出的硫形成了酸雨。
• Burning may produce sulfur oxides.燃烧可能会产生硫氧化物。

9 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

10 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

11 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

12 thoroughly   

adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地

参考例句：

• The soil must be thoroughly turned over before planting.一定要先把土地深翻一遍再下种。
• The soldiers have been thoroughly instructed in the care of their weapons.士兵们都系统地接受过保护武器的训练。

13 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网