Homemade Lawn Fertilizer Recipes (2024)

Do you have an unhealthy patchy lawn? Making your own lawn fertilizer provides you with the opportunity to go as organic as you like. There are a myriad of fertilizer recipes to choose from many containing household products. This page contains homemade lawn fertilizer recipes.

coville123
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 433Posts

June 5, 2012

July 5, 2006

Questions:

Does anyone have a homemade lawn fertilizer?

Hardiness Zone: 6a

Jamish from Ransom, KS

Answers:

Jamish,

There are several homemade lawn tonic recipes that have been around for years. Here are a few variations:

• 1 can of beer
• 1 cup of ammonia
• 1 cup of plain liquid dish soap... (not liquid detergent)
• 1 cup any brand liquid lawn fertilizer
• 1 cup of molasses or corn syrup

Mix these ingredients into a 10 or 20 gallon hose end sprayer and apply evenly to the entire lawn in early mornings or later evenings. Water well. You'll find your lawn will need less water during droughts. Feed every three weeks or year round in warmer zones.

Or:

• 1 can of beer (no "light" beer)
• 1 can of soda (no "diet" soda)
• 1/2 cup of liquid soap
• 1/2 cup of liquid ammonia
• 1/2 cup of mouthwash

Or this last one from Jerry Baker, America's Master Gardener:

• 1 cup of beer
• 1 cup of baby shampoo
• 1 cup of liquid lawn food
• 1/2 cup of molasses
• 2 tbsp. Of fish emulsion
• Ammonia

The beer in these recipes promotes microbial activity (same goes for the tea, soda, corn syrup and molasses). Ammonia breaks down into nitrates, which provide the plants nutrients. This nitrogen also helps break dawn thatch into nutrients the lawn can take up. The soap helps the solution spread more evenly over the lawn as you apply it. And the mouthwash contains alcohol, which acts as an irritant to many insects. Occasionally you may also run across a recipe containing tobacco. This also acts as an insecticide.

I've never tried them, but these recipes are supposed to work on both your lawn and your flowers.

Ellen

Pin it!

May 12, 2009

Advertisem*nt

June 18, 2005

May 22, 2005

April 4, 2017

When making homemade lawn fertilizer you say to use a hose end sprayer; what is this?

You buy the sprayer at any garden center. It screws onto the hose and will dilute it to the correct proportions for your lawn.

hose is a garden hose. sprayer is the nozzel that goes on the end.

The other thing you can use is a hand held tank that has a hose and sprayer attached to it.

Wat setting should u use on ortho dial spray to equal a 10 gallon sprayer?

April 30, 2020

Here is a homemade recipe to make lawn fertilizer - www.gardenguides.com/112712-make-homemade-liquid-lawn...

Wow! I never knew you could make your own thanks for sharing. I will have to try these sometime.

chemistrycachet.com/.../
www.gardeningknowhow.com/.../homemade-lawn-fertilizer.htm

this link says it takes 44 gallons to spray one acre

www.domyown.com/about-how-many-gallons-of-water-would...

so you would have to see how many feet are in an acre, because your amount would be a bit less than 1/2 an acre

so 21,000 square feet, approx.

June 17, 2017

Is there a homemade recipe for liquid lawn fertilizer that can be used in a 25 gallon tow behind liquid sprayer? I have a John Deere sprayer.

You may have to take a 5 or 10 gallon recipe and multiply to get your 25 gallons. I feel sure there are simpler recipes to be found also.
Here is a quote: "Master Gardeners for Lawns recommend a concoction of 1 can beer, 1 cup ammonia, 1 cup dish soap, 1 cup liquid lawn fertilizer, 1 cup molasses. Hose end sprayer @ a 10 gallon rate evenly spread.

Here is a link to a similar recipe (which I also plan to try).

www.wisebread.com/secret-lawn-tonic-recipe-from-golf...

From garden-counselor-lawn-care.com:1 cup of plain liquid dish soap (not detergent) 1 cup any brand liquid lawn fertilizer (like Miracle Gro) 1 cup of molasses or corn syrup. Mix these ingredients into a 10 or 20 gallon hose end sprayer and apply evenly to the entire lawn in early mornings or later evenings.

evenly spead to how big of a yard?!!!!!!!

June 13, 2000

I believe you are referring to Jerry Baker's Feeding Spray for Lawns. It is recommended that this be applied every 3 weeks in the early morning. You can actually feed everything in your garden with this tonic. Use a 20 gal. hose end sprayer

*1 can beer
*1 cup ammonia
*1/2 cup liquid dish soap
*1/2 liquid lawn food
*1/2 cup molasses or corn syrup

For more of Jerry Baker's great recipes for garden products go to: http://www.jerrybaker.com

I have lost my Jerry Baker recipe for a spray to get rid of mosquitos. I used it last year and it was great! It used lemon dish detergent, dog flea detergent, and ammonia. Help me!

the amount to mix does this make 20 gal.to spray

August 9, 2016

The recipes tell you what to use and the amount, but not how much it will make. How do I find out the coverage?

Less is more. A lot of these fertilizers are made in a pail. You can get a gadget that attaches it to the hose as well. I would walk around and make sure all the grass gets a sprinkling. If your lawn doesn't look good, then you can add more.

March 23, 2015

You must query the provider of the fertilizer infomation. Note-in a recipe, each ingredient may be safe for children and pets, however, a large amount of any one ingredient or a combination of two or more ingredients may be a problem. I doubt any of the providers can guarantee safety concerns.

July 25, 2014

Hello Bobbie. I've seen many recipes for lawn food. The one including beer had:
1 can of beer
1 cup ammonia
1 can of soda (not diet/ sugar free) your
lawn needs the sugar
1/2 cup of dish soap (not antibacterial)
1/2 cup antiseptic mouth wash (gold type)
Mix this together in a large enough container.
Pour this magic potion into a hose end sprayer. Fill all the way. (32 oz.) Set the adjustable dial to 3 or 4 oz. and spray away. I don't know how large an area this will cover for a lawn. A typical hose end sprayer will dispense 20 gallons of product before you run out. So go easy at first. Don't use all of the product in a small area. Using this formula every 3-4 weeks should fo you good, but always use your judgement regarding how much to apply and when. Making a concoction of chewing tobacco in an old nylon stocking and steeping it in a half gallon of water can be used in place of the mouth wash stated above. This will keep the harmful bugs out of your lawn. It will give then an upset tummy and not want anything to do with your lawn. This will also work with plants. Look up Jerry Green on the internet. He has many home remedies we used here in Michigan, he having been based here and did many shows on Saturday mornings. He was the best and his tonics worked. Good luck.

April 29, 2014

April 22, 2013

March 17, 2013

April 29, 2011

March 28, 2017

Read More... Pin it!