Protect your dog by making your own organic fertilizer for the garden.
Your dog spends much of its time around your garden, and you want to be sure your companion animal is safe. The American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) included fertilizer in its list of top 10 pet toxins of 2010. Make your own organic fertilizer from basic household products or nontoxic plants and be sure your dog is protected.
Comfrey
Russian comfrey (Symphytum X uplandicum) is an excellent natural source of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen -- all ingredients in commonly used fertilizers. Comfrey can be used in a number of ways to provide homemade fertilizer that is completely safe for dogs. Make mulch out of freshly cut comfrey leaves for flowers, herbs, berries and fruit trees. Brew a tea made from comfrey leaves and stems by steeping them in water for three to six weeks; water the plants with it. Make a concentrated liquid fertilizer by packing freshly cut comfrey tops into a container, weighing them down and letting them decompose over a few weeks. Dilute the concentrate 15-to-1 and use it to water and spray the plants.
Organic Fertilizer
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County offers a quick and easy recipe for making your own homemade organic fertilizer. Use 4 parts seed meal or chemical-free grass clippings, 1/4 part each of agricultural lime and gypsum, 1/2 part of dolomitic lime, 1 part bone meal and 1/2 to 1 part kelp meal. All ingredients are safe to use around dogs. Mix these together and use in combination with manure to fertilize your vegetables and flowering plants.
Coffee Grounds and Egg Shells
Used coffee grounds have 2 percent nitrogen content, some phosphoric acid and a small quantity of potassium. Eggshells contain the same ingredients, plus calcium and other trace elements that make them a good fertilizer. Save these items, dry them out in your oven and crush them in a blender. The resulting fertilizer can be used around fruit trees and vegetable plants, in pots and on roses and camellias.
Compost Tea
Make a compost tea from molasses, seaweed emulsion, citric acid and fresh hay. Put the ingredients into an old sock and boil in a 5 gallon pot of water for eight to 12 hours. Allow the tea to cool and use the tea to spray your garden.
Dead Fish
You can also make an organic emulsion from dead, liquefied fish. Infuse the fish in 5 gallons of water and leave it for a few weeks, adding grass cuttings, dead leaves and materials such as sawdust to help bulk the emulsion. Add molasses or brown sugar to help reduce the odor of the fish. Stir it periodically and once the emulsion turns a dark brown, it is ready to use. This is also completely safe for dogs, however, be prepared for the dog to find the smell interesting and possibly roll in it.
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