Top 20 Homemade Fertilisers That Help Plants Grow Naturally

Homemade fertilisers and healthy garden soil

Simple, natural ways to improve soil health and support long-term plant growth

December 23, 2025

Most people start gardening with good intentions. You water regularly, maybe add something from the garden centre, and hope for the best. Sometimes it works. Other times, plants just sit there looking tired, no matter what you do.

That’s usually when people assume they need a stronger fertiliser. In reality, plants rarely need more force. What they need is better support — especially from the soil.

A lot of the nutrients plants rely on already exist around the home. They just don’t come in a bag. When used properly, homemade fertilisers help improve soil slowly, which is what plants actually respond to long term.

This approach works particularly well in places like Landscaping Perth, where soil types can change from one street to the next. Gentle, natural feeding gives plants time to adapt instead of pushing them too hard.

Below are twenty homemade fertilisers that gardeners use every day — not because they’re trendy, but because they quietly work.

1. Compost

Compost doesn’t solve one problem. It solves many small ones at once.

It improves how soil holds water, how roots move, and how nutrients stay available. Over time, soil becomes darker, softer, and easier to work with.

Plants growing in compost-rich soil usually don’t need much else.

Best for: Almost all plants, lawns, garden beds, trees

2. Banana Peels

Banana peels are often mentioned, but they’re usually misunderstood.

They don’t work instantly. Instead, they break down slowly, releasing potassium over time.

Buried shallowly, they feed the soil first — which then feeds the plant.

Best for: Roses, flowering plants, fruit trees

3. Coffee Grounds

Used coffee grounds still contain nitrogen, but they’re best treated gently.

A thin layer mixed into compost works far better than dumping them straight onto soil.

Too much at once can actually slow things down.

Best for: Leafy plants, compost piles

4. Eggshells

Eggshells are a long game.

They take time to break down, which means calcium is released slowly.

Crushing them helps, but patience matters more.

Best for: Tomatoes, capsicums, leafy greens

5. Grass Clippings

Grass clippings are powerful, which is why they need to be handled carefully.

Thin layers work well. Thick piles don’t.

Best for: Lawns, vegetable beds, leafy plants

6. Epsom Salt (When There’s a Reason)

Epsom salt is often overused.

It only helps when magnesium is actually missing.

Best for: Tomatoes, citrus, roses (only if deficient)

7. Wood Ash

Wood ash contains useful nutrients, but it changes soil chemistry.

A little goes a long way.

Best for: Vegetable beds, alkaline-tolerant plants

8. Compost Tea

Compost tea is one of the gentlest ways to feed plants.

Think of it as support, not medicine.

Best for: Pots, garden beds, recovering plants

9. Aquarium Water

Fish waste provides nutrients in a form plants understand.

Best for: Indoor plants, vegetables, garden beds

10. Leaf Mulch

Leaves protect soil, slow evaporation, and slowly turn into nutrients.

Best for: Trees, native plants, garden beds

11. Vegetable Cooking Water (No Salt)

Minerals remain behind after boiling vegetables.

Best for: Vegetable gardens, raised beds

12. Rice Water

Rice water feeds soil microbes more than plants directly.

Best for: Seedlings, houseplants

13. Used Tea Leaves

Tea leaves break down easily and add organic matter.

Best for: Compost, garden beds

14. Rinsed Seaweed

Seaweed contains trace elements that help plants cope with stress.

Best for: Fruit trees, garden beds, stressed plants

15. Young Weeds (Before They Seed)

Weeds pull nutrients from deep soil layers.

Best for: Compost piles

16. Crushed Nut Shells

Nut shells take time to break down.

Best for: Compost systems

17. Aged Animal Manure

Fresh manure is too strong.

Best for: Vegetable growers, estate lemon trees

18. Fertilization with Liquid Sugar

Sugar feeds soil microbes, not plants directly.

Best for: Soil build up, compost tea

19. Old Bread (Must Be Composted Before Use)

Old bread feeds soil microbes.

Best for: Compost piles

20. Soft Garden Prunings

Fresh green trimmings break down quickly.

Best for: Mulch layers, compost systems

Why This Approach Works

Homemade fertilisers don’t rush plants. They improve soil structure, moisture balance, and microbial life.

Final Thoughts

Healthy gardens aren’t built in a weekend. When soil gets better, plants usually follow.

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