Heather Vallier, PhD, spoke with the Cambria Garden Club at their monthly meeting in February regarding fertilization of garden plants. Dr. Vallier is a plant pathologist, business owner, and graduate of Cal Poly. She consults with businesses and homeowners on plant diseases and plant health. She shared her favorite “brew”, or liquid fertilizer, with us. Dr. Vallier is in the process of making a YouTube video showing how to make the brew. Watch for it.
Here is a simple recipe for a homemade liquid fertilize given to the Cambria Garden Club members by Dr. Vallier. She recommends the mixture be made with over-ripe bananas (potassium) and used with flowering plants like roses, geraniums, and begonias. For perennials shrubs and vines, leave out the bananas.
Direction for making your own plant brew:
Liquify 2 very ripe bananas with a cup of water in a blender or NutriBullet
Add 2 tsp. Miracle Grow crystals
Add 1 capful Super Thrive plant vitamins
Add 2 oz. or 2 capfuls of Organic Kelp or Seaweed concentrate. I used a seaweed/fish emulsion mixture that I had it on hand, instead of just seaweed. Sorry, Heather, for altering your recipe. I do that.
Mix thoroughly. Add to watering can with 1-gallon water, stir, and apply to soil. It’s a good idea to cultivate and water the soil around the plant beforehand to allow for better absorption.
It is recommended that you fertilizer plants every 6-8 weeks during the growing season
Heather’s recipe did not say to dilute with 1-gallon water but I think it is implied.
I love mixing and inventing concoctions like this. I should have been a science teacher! I also love experimenting and documenting results. A garden is like a great big science project! I’m trying this on my Shasta Daisies now. I’ll let you in on the outcome.
Thank you to: Dr. Heather Vallier
The Crop Doctor Laboratory – Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
(805) 927-7707
Will this concoction make my ‘never blooming’ dwarf agapanthus bloom….ever?????
Hi Bev,
I’ve only fertilized my agapanthus once and my yard was a “sea of blue”. I have them planted everywhere. Because the leaves were turning yellow and the numbers of blooms declining, I broke down and used Miracle Gro on them. Perhaps the dilution could be halved. They don’t need much. By the way, if you want more dwarf agapanthus, let me know. I’m always having to divide them.
When I saw the over-rippend (is that spelled right?) bananas, I thought of how I fertilize my stag horn ferns. I place blacken banana peel on the top of the ferns. they’re thriving and I consider them specimens.
Thanks, Carol. Maybe that’s why those ferns are so beautiful. I’ve heard of burying banana peels under roses too.
By-the-way, thanks for calling attention to my misspelled word. I need a proof-reader for this blog. I’ll correct it when I get a minute.