Egg shells can be a great organic additive to your garden. They can be used for germination, to deter certain pests, as well as to add valuable nutrients to the soil.
Use egg shells as seed starting containers This is an economical and sustainable way to start gardening. Since space is limited in your egg shell planter, this seed starting method works best for small, low growing plants such as herbs and flowers. Egg shells are an organic material and full of calcium, which helps plants thrive.
Once the seedlings are ready to be transferred to a larger pot or planted in thegarden,you can put the entire shell into the ground where it will decompose and nourish both the soil and your plants.
They are simple to prepare. ∙Start by saving your egg shells from breakfast and baking. Halve them and rinse them out thoroughly.
∙Create drainage by making a small hole in the base of each egg shell with a small needle.
∙Use a small spoon to add seed starting medium to the egg shell. Using seed compost rather than
potting soil will allow the roots to grow freely and create a strong and healthy plant. ∙Add the seeds to the soil and gently push down, just until the seeds are fully covered.
∙Place the egg shells in an egg carton on your windowsill. Use a spray bottle to gently mist each egg shell with water every 2 to 3 days.
Once the seedlings are a couple of inches tall, it’s time to transplant them out in your garden or in a container. Gently crush the egg shell and plant it in its chosen location, making sure it is completely buried. The egg shell will naturally decompose in the soil,
providing extra nutrients to your plants, helping make them healthy and strong.
Egg shells can be used as a fertilizer The shell of a chicken egg is comprised of about 95% calcium carbonate, 0.3%
phosphorus, 0.3% magnesium, and traces of sodium, potassium, zinc, manganese,
iron, and copper. Calcium is an essential plant nutrient. Fast-growing plants deplete
the soil’s supply of calcium very quickly. With their high calcium content, egg shells are
an ideal supplement and feed for outdoor flowers, vegetables and fruit trees in your
garden.
To replenish the soil’s calcium content during winter, sprinkle crushed egg
shells over the container or border garden where you will plant come spring. Or, add
crumbled egg shells directly to the bottoms of your planting holes. Egg shells are
beneficial when growing vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants or to
garden plants such as roses hydrangeas, spider plants, ferns and ivy. (However, you should avoid using eggshell fertilizer on acid-loving plants, like blueberries, azaleas, and
geraniums, if you already have soil that is veering towards alkaline.)
This homemade fertilizer can also be added to you plants through a calcium solution. Finely crush
your egg shells, turning them into water soluble calcium that can be added to your watering can, and will be easily absorbed by the plant’s root system.
Pest deterrent
Egg shells can also be used as a form of organic pest control. Try sprinkling crumbled eggshells around the plants where slugs and snails, cutworms, or other crawling pests like to gather. The shells act like shards of glass which will keep them at bay around your delicate plants. Egg shells are also believed to deter cabbage white butterfly who mistake the white sheen as other competitors. Cats don’t like walking on noisy, sticky, or sharp things so if you have a furry friend that likes using your garden bed as a litter tray, egg shells are the perfect solution.
Composting When composting egg shells, make sure you wash them before adding them to your compost pile so that they don’t attract animals. Crush the shells to a powder, which when added to your compost will benefit plant growth and aids in building cell walls. The egg shell pieces come out small this way and are rarely noticeable amongst the compost and mulch.
Making use of the egg shells in the garden is an economical way to recycle something that is normally seen as waste and thrown away.
Leave a Reply