Onion skins are known to have various uses. They consist of natural ingredients such as iron, calcium, magnesium and copper. Despite this, we still throw away onion skins today. Yet few know of a unique use for bowls. From the raw peel you can make a homemade, organic fertilizer for your own harvest. Onion skins offer several benefits for your flower or vegetable plants. You can find out how to use onion skins as fertilizer in the following article.
Onion skins as fertilizer: DIY fertilizer recipes
The skins of the vegetables are packed with vitamins and minerals in unprecedented concentrations. The onion peel fertilizers strengthen the plants, protect them from the appearance of insects and prevent a variety of diseases. The bowls contain:
Carotene, which is the most effective antioxidant for plants. Phytoncides that protect against diseases and pests. Vitamin B – Seedlings have a very high requirement for vitamin B.
The fertilizers made from onion skins contain these trace components. However, the peel contains much more – substances that help the plants to grow healthily and bear fruit successfully.
The benefits of onion skins as a fertilizer have been confirmed by researchers
the in „International Journal of Scientific Development and Research“ Research published in January 2022 suggests that the chemical constituents of onion skins, including flavonoids, phenols, tannins and others, are beneficial for plant growth when used as fertilizer. Previous studies have shown that onion skin contains a significantly higher amount of quercetin than the edible onion. There is evidence that fertilizer made from onion skins can protect plants from bacterial and pathogenic diseases and promote plant growth.
Which plants benefit from onion skin fertilizers?
Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, strawberries and berry bushes can benefit from top-up fertilizer. The flowers in the garden can also be fed with an onion skin fertilizer.
Make your own organic onion peel broth
A decoction of onion skins can be sprayed onto the plants or you can water your plants in the root area with it. A pot of water and 2 cups of onion skins is all it takes to make a broth for the plants. You should mix everything well and bring to a boil. After letting the brew sit for 3-4 hours, you can continue fertilizing.
Important tip: When the leaves start turning yellow, spraying with this mixture will help rebalance the nutrients. Spraying should be repeated twice with an interval of at least 10 days after the leaves have turned yellow. You can also use this mixture as a spray on zucchini to encourage new blooms to develop. Almost any plant recovers from such treatment and begins to bear more fruit.
Ecological manure made from onion skins
You can also use onion skin manure as a natural fertilizer. To make this manure you need 500 g of onion skins and 2 – 3 l of warm water. Leave the mixture in a jar in the dark for about 20 hours. You should make sure that the container is sealed airtight. Because water leaches all beneficial compounds from the onion skin throughout the day, this product has a higher concentration of micro and macronutrients.
There is nothing better than this remedy for the care of flowers: thanks to the B vitamins that help the plants to strengthen their root system and rebuild their defences, there are no more harmful soil bacteria.
Tomatoes can benefit from onion skin manure at any stage of development, from seed to harvest of the end product. If sprayed once a week, the tomato plants will develop much faster. Tomatoes with yellowed leaves can be saved by treating the bush with the manure thoroughly. You can also feed newly planted seedlings with the natural fertilizer – the amount of fertilizer will increase as the plant matures. Tomatoes need a lot of water after they have been doused with onion peel broth or liquid manure.
How to use onion skins in the garden?
We’ll tell you what else you can do in the garden with onion skins.
Plant potatoes in onion skins
To protect potatoes from the harmful wireworm, you should use onion skins. As a rule, they are used as follows: even before planting the potatoes, the holes are prepared by placing onion skins in them to deter pests.
A notice: If you want your potato tubers to be more resistant to fungal diseases, consider sprinkling them with onion fertilizer before planting.
Chopped onion skins can also be placed in the planting hole for better results when growing carrots. This leads to reliable pest control and better fertilization of the plants.
Chopped onion skins as fertilizer for cucumbers
Cucumbers benefit greatly from feeding onion skins as they provide both fertilizer and protection from aphids and other pests.