How to use potato peelings as fertilizer: for the garden, for the garden

Every gardener understands that for abundant harvests, plants need periodic feeding. Potato peelings as a fertilizer are not only an effective additive, but also an environmentally friendly component. Their periodic application improves the growth of both garden and indoor plants.

Composition and benefits of potato peelings in the garden

Natural fertilizers that you can make with your own hands have always been valued among summer residents.Potato peelings are beneficial for plants, so they have been used for several centuries to improve soil fertility and increase the yield of many crops.

Among the advantages are:

harmless to plants;
the ability to protect plantings from sudden frosts;
strengthening the root system;
improving seed germination and accelerating the growing season of adult plants.

Potato peels are a source of valuable vitamins and nutrients

for the garden

Excellent agrotechnical indicators of fertilizer on potato peelings are ensured due to the rich vitamin and mineral composition of the feedstock. The peel contains a large amount of starch, organic acids, micro and macroelements - sodium, potassium, phosphorus and calcium. In addition, the composition includes a large amount of vitamin C, fat and glucose.

Advantages of using potato peelings in the garden

A special feature of using fertilizer based on potato peels in the garden is its minimal price. Cleanings are most often simply thrown into the trash, but when properly prepared they can compete with mineral and organic fertilizers.

The most important advantages are the following:

ability to increase the level of humus in the soil;
improving soil aeration;
100% digestibility in soil;
limiting the growth of weeds;
assistance in the fight against garden pests.

Potato peelings are an environmentally friendly material. Regardless of the error in dosage, they will not harm the soil and will not cause plant death. The prepared fertilizer will also not cause harm to people and animals.

Methods of using potato peelings for the garden

When properly prepared, natural fertilizers can produce bumper crops.Since the application of bait based on potato peelings is most often carried out in the spring, raw materials for it must begin to be prepared in the fall. Since the volume of the final product will be significantly less than the prepared mass, it is worth trying to collect enough cleanings.

Important! It is not recommended to simply scatter potato peelings around the garden - there is a high probability of attracting rodents.

There are several ways to make fertilizer from raw materials. It is necessary to follow simple rules for making bait. Potato peelings should not be collected from rotten root crops - the fermentation process must be strictly controlled.

Drying

The easiest way to preserve cleanings is to dry them. The collected raw materials are thoroughly washed with running water and laid out on the windowsill on the sunny side of the house. They are periodically turned over to avoid debate. After 10-12 days, the material will be ready for use or further storage.

Drying is the easiest way to prepare fertilizer from peelings

Important! You can speed up the drying process of potato peelings by doing it in the open air. In warm, sunny weather, the fertilizer will be ready after 3-4 days.

Modern kitchen devices make the life of gardeners much easier. Using a convection oven allows you to prepare fertilizer in 3-4 hours. Thoroughly washed peelings are placed in the oven at a temperature of 80-90 degrees. For better air circulation, it is recommended to leave the door slightly open.

Freezing

Only fresh peelings are suitable for preparing fertilizer in the freezer.The use of previously frozen or boiled raw materials minimizes the nutritional properties of the finished bait, since heat treatment destroys vitamin and mineral reserves.

Potato peels are washed to remove dirt and dried to remove excess moisture. It is then placed in plastic bags and frozen in the refrigerator. Given the large volume of workpieces, it is recommended to purchase a separate device. In cold winters, you can store the peels on an unheated balcony.

Gruel

Preparation of fertilizer according to this principle involves short-term infusion of the peel in water and further processing of the raw material into a homogeneous mass. Potato peelings are washed with water and then scalded with boiling water to remove possible harmful organisms. They are then dried and placed tightly in large glass jars or food-grade plastic buckets.

Important! It is not recommended to soak potato skins for gruel and infusion in iron containers - there is a high probability of adverse chemical reactions.

Cleanings are poured with warm water, covered with gauze and left for 7-10 days. As soon as they swell, they are ground in any convenient way. The resulting slurry is immediately used for its intended purpose or stored in a cool place for up to several months.

Infusion

In contrast to the rather long preparation time for the gruel, the infusion of potato peelings will be ready for use the very next day after brewing. The washed peel is placed in a glass jar and poured with boiling water in a 1:1 ratio. This fertilizer can be used not only for garden plants, but also for home plantings and seedlings.

Composting

Using potato peelings to make organic compost has been practiced for generations. It has been scientifically proven that skins speed up fermentation by releasing large amounts of heat. When using purifications, compost decomposition is almost doubled.

Potato peels significantly speed up the compost formation process

Important! Fresh potato skins can develop fungus over time when used in combination with other vegetables, herbs and sprouts.

In the case of potatoes, it is best to use monoculture compost. In this case, the peelings will ferment evenly, rotting and fungal damage are excluded. To completely protect your garden from various diseases, you can use already boiled peelings for fertilizer.

Potato flour

Preparing bulk bait from potato peelings is an excellent solution for all gardeners. This fertilizer is distinguished by its versatility in use and ease of storage. Completely devoid of moisture, it can easily be stored for up to several years, maintaining its nutritional properties.

Potato peelings are dried until completely dehydrated in an electric dryer or oven. Then the raw materials are ground in a blender or coffee grinder to a fine powder. The finished fertilizer is poured into plastic bags and stored until further use.

When and how to use potato peelings as fertilizer

Even having prepared high-quality fertilizer, you may not get the desired results if simple rules of agricultural technology are not followed. Although excess fertilizer will not cause serious injury to plants, it will not promote increased vegetation. At the same time, insufficient application of nutrients can even worsen the final yield.

It is important to remember that depending on the method of using potato peelings, not only the proportions and doses of fertilizer, but also the recommended application period may completely change. The use of potato peels as fertilizer for the garden or fertilizing for fruit and berry crops is significantly different from a set of measures for caring for flowers or house plants.

How to use potato peelings in the garden

The most popular way to use fertilizer is to use it to increase the yield of garden crops. When applying the correct doses of bait, experienced summer residents achieve accelerated germination and rapid growth.

Potato peelings for the garden work best with the following crops:

watermelons and melons;
cucumbers and zucchini;
cabbage;
onion;
turnip;
garlic.

Dry fertilizer from purifications is a real complex of mineral and organic substances

Separate dosages are prescribed for each cultivated plant. In addition, in many cases it is recommended to use fertilizer prepared by different methods - in some cases compost is better, in others - decoction or gruel.

For plants of the pumpkin family

Most melon crops love fertilizer from potato skins. Peeling works best with cucumbers, increasing their yield by 40-50%. In addition, flour from peelings is ideal as a complex bait for watermelon, melon or zucchini.

Dry fertilizer is applied at the time of planting seedlings in open ground or a greenhouse at the rate of 500 g per 10 liters of water. In the future, it is recommended to treat the crops with potato infusion. The bushes are sprayed with it once a week until the first ovaries form.

For cabbage

Potato peelings are ideal as a starting fertilizer when planting crops in open ground. When feeding cabbage seedlings, their survival rate improves and the formation of the root system is accelerated. For fertilizer, the best choice is a gruel prepared from dried raw materials immediately before planting.

Important! To make the pulp, you can also use fresh or frozen peelings that were frozen several months ago.

The prepared mass is divided into small lumps. Each of them is laid out on the bottom of the planting holes. A seedling is placed on top and rooted, sprinkled with a layer of soil. As additional bait, you can use periodic spraying with infusion or adding a small amount of dry flour from the peel.

For onions and root vegetables

Most cruciferous plants in the garden will respond very well to the application of potato-based fertilizer. This product is best suited for onions, garlic and radishes. It was also noted that the yield of other root crops - turnips and radishes, also increases significantly with proper complementary feeding.

For onions, an infusion prepared with potato peels is best suited.

Cruciferous root vegetables prefer infusion on potato skins. The first spraying of seedlings is carried out no earlier than May 20 at intervals of two weeks. Fertilizers are applied until the crops are fully ripened.

For feeding seedlings

Young, immature plants are very demanding of the soil. Even in rich soils, the survival rate of seedlings can leave much to be desired, so experienced gardeners recommend adding a root activator to the planting holes—a slurry of peelings or an infusion of them.A small amount of fertilizer is added to each hole, after which the seedlings are directly planted.

How to use it to fertilize fruit and berry crops

Potato peelings are a truly universal remedy for gardeners and gardeners. It can be used not only for planting cabbage, onions and garlic, but also to improve the yield of fruit and berry crops, such as:

raspberries;
strawberry;
gooseberry;
currant.

A properly selected feeding strategy for berry bushes and small fruit trees will allow you to obtain abundant harvests even under the worst weather conditions. The vitamin-mineral complex contained in potato peelings is a powerful stimulant for most berry plantings.

For gooseberries and currants

The best way to improve fruiting of berry bushes is a gruel made from dried or fresh peelings. Fertilizer is applied after the first fruit ovaries appear at the rate of up to 500 g of the finished mixture for each bush. The result of this bait is a significant increase in the size of the collected berries.

For raspberries and strawberries

For raspberries, an infusion of potato peels is better suited. They treat plantings every 2 weeks after the first fruit buds appear. Immediately after the snow melts, you can feed the raspberry bushes with infusion to activate the roots.

Strawberry beds are treated with dry fertilizer obtained from potato peelings

Strawberries are more finicky from the point of view of agricultural technology. Experienced gardeners do not recommend treating immature bushes with strong infusions and gruel.Strawberry beds are treated with dry potato fertilizer twice a season - after the snow melts and after the first whiskers appear.

Fertilizing flowers with potato peelings

The most common way to use potato peels as fertilizer for flower plantings is to water pots and flower beds with a decoction of unpeeled potatoes. The peel will completely release the nutrients into the water. It must be cooled to room temperature, and then used for watering flowers.

Important! Watering home flowers and street flower beds with decoction and infusion of potato peels is done no more than once a month.

In the case of growing saprophytic crops, such as orchids or dracaenas, you can cover the substrate with a layer of potato peels. With this approach, it is important to take care of reliable drainage - ordinary sawdust is best suited.

Feeding indoor plants with potato peelings

Home flower beds and green succulents also need periodic feeding rich in vitamins and minerals. Lack of nutrients makes them look dull and is also one of the most common reasons for their wilting. Using potato peelings as a fertilizer allows you to restore their bright appearance, as well as strengthen the immune system and restore vegetative processes.

Attention! It is most important to apply fertilizers in winter, when plantings experience an acute lack of sunlight.

For indoor plants, an infusion of potato peels is most often used. Plants are watered with it in small quantities. It is important to observe the frequency of watering within 1 time every 1.5-2 months.

Which plants should not be fed with potato peelings?

Despite the completely organic origin of the bait, there are several significant limitations in its use. Most often, such measures are due to the fact that the raw materials are similar in nature to other crops in the garden. For example, if the potatoes were affected by fungal diseases and the peelings were not disinfected, the fertilizer could cause serious damage to future Solanaceae plantings.

It is not recommended to use potato peelings as fertilizer for nightshade crops.

The highest risk group includes crops related to potatoes from a biological point of view. These include tomatoes, bell peppers and eggplants. Diseases can damage both future root crops and the green part of plants.

Rules for using potato peelings in the garden

Despite the ease of use of this natural fertilizer, there are several simple recommendations and restrictions that can significantly improve yields and protect plantings from possible diseases. Many inexperienced summer residents simply throw cleaning on the beds - this approach can not only cause the appearance of rodents in the garden, but also provoke the onset of a serious disease. When a large amount of heat is generated from the rotting peel, the stems and leaves of the plantings can be damaged by rot or fungal diseases.

It is important to remember about the frequency of bait. You should not apply fertilizer in the form of an infusion more than once every 2 weeks. The gruel can be used once every 1-2 months. Dry fertilizer from cleanings is used no more than 2 times per season.

Conclusion

Potato peelings have long been used as fertilizer by many summer residents and gardeners.They are used to improve fruiting of many crops, as well as to accelerate vegetative functions. The high content of minerals and ease of use make this product very popular on many private farms.

How to use potato peelings as fertilizer: for which plants, for flowers