6 Homemade Fertilizer Tea Recipes: Banana, Compost, Manure, Weed, Eggshell, and Cooking Water
One person's trash is another's fertilizer tea! These DIY home "brews" use items you have around the house and garden, and give your garden plants the nutrient boost they need. Check out these easy recipes!
Quick Reference: Fertilizer Teas
- What they are: water steeped with a nutrient source (peels, compost, manure, weeds, eggshells). Liquid drench or foliar spray for plants.
- Best all-purpose: compost tea (well-balanced NPK + microbes).
- Best for fruiting (high K): banana peel tea.
- Best for greens (high N): manure tea.
- Caveat from UMN Extension: compost/manure teas can harbor E. coli; do not apply foliar to leafy crops you will eat raw within 30 days.
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Related Almanac guides
A fertilizer tea is water steeped with an organic nutrient source, used as a drench at the soil line or as a foliar spray. The technique is centuries old and gives the home gardener a fast-acting liquid feed for the price of kitchen scraps. This guide is six tea recipes (banana peel, compost, manure, weed, eggshell, vegetable cooking water), the application rate for each, and the food-safety guidance UMN Extension publishes around using them on edible crops.
How Fertilizer Teas Work (vs Solid Compost)
Per Penn State Extension, fertilizer teas deliver mostly soluble nutrients fast. Solid compost and amendments deliver structure + slow-release nutrients.
- Solid amendments (compost, manure, mulch). Build long-term soil structure, slow-release nutrients over weeks to months, support soil microbial life.
- Liquid teas. Deliver immediately available NPK to plant roots and leaves. Work within hours to days.
- Both together is best. Solid amendments build the soil; teas top up during peak growth and fruit set.
- Foliar vs drench. Foliar spray (on leaves) is fast but only useful for hours to days. Drench (at the soil line) is slower but lasts 1 to 2 weeks.
The Food-Safety Caveat
Per UMN Extension’s compost-tea food-safety research, compost and manure teas can multiply E. coli, Salmonella, and other pathogens during the steep, especially if the source material is not fully composted.
- Apply manure tea ONLY at the soil line. Not as foliar spray on edible leaves.
- Wait 30+ days between any compost/manure tea application and harvest of leafy greens, herbs, or any crop eaten raw.
- Compost the source material first. Tea brewed from fully composted material is significantly safer than tea brewed from fresh manure or partially decomposed scraps.
- No risk for banana peel, eggshell, or cooking-water teas. These use cooked or single-source ingredients with no manure/compost in the chain.
6 Fertilizer Tea Recipes (Full Detail) + Application Notes
Below are the original 6 detailed tea recipes plus the application-and-storage notes.
1. Banana Peel Tea
Another way to use banana peels! These slippery coverings are loaded with nutrients, such as potassium, phosphorus, and calcium, and when used as a fertilizer, help improve overall plant strength, stronger stems, stronger root development, and more robust fruits. While you can toss your banana peels directly into your garden (like in trench composting), making banana peel tea is a much more effective method of delivering those needed nutrients to your plants.
To Make: Keep a pitcher of water in your refrigerator about ¾ full. As you eat bananas, place your discarded peels in the pitcher until it’s full. After about a week, strain out the liquid and reserve for your tea.
To Apply: Dilute this concentrated liquid solution 5:1 (five parts water to one part tea) and apply to the base of your garden plants, this mixture is good for potassium-loving plants such as tomatoes and peppers. Note that this tea does not contain nitrogen, so it is not a complete fertilizer.
Bonus: Adding this liquid fertilizer to your garden is also great for deterring aphids, as they detest the smell of bananas!
2. Compost Tea
Composting fruit and vegetable scraps is the number one organic fertilizer and an optimal way to return nutrients to your garden. In liquid form, this all-around feed is the homemade organic alternative to store-bought “miracle” fertilizers, giving your plants a balanced dose of all major nutrients needed for healthy growth and increased yield.
To Make: First, sift through your compost, removing any large items that have not broken down, such as large twigs or stones. Fill 1/3 of a bucket with your prepared compost and the rest of the way with water (collected rainwater is great for this purpose). Give your mixture a good stir and let sit for a week or two (preferably away from wildlife or near where the family congregates, as this tea could potentially get stinky). Strain.
To Apply: Use your tea as you would water. Place in a watering can and pour around the base of your plants. Note: Be sure to use within a day or two as the mixture doesn’t keep.
3. Manure Tea
It is no deep dark secret that manure is magic for plants, as it has been used as a soil amendment for centuries. This renewable and organic fertilizer can also be turned into a tea that your nitrogen-craving plants will drink up.
To Make: Fill a bucket 1/3 full with manure and fill the rest with water. You can use chicken, horse, cow, or sheep manure, however, never use manure from carnivores, such as cats or dogs, as these can contain unhealthy pathogens. Let your mixture sit for two to three days, giving it a good stir every day. After it’s finished steeping, let the solid particles settle to the bottom of the bucket and pour the liquid into another container to apply to your plants. The leftover solids can be added to your compost pile.
To Apply: Be sure to dilute your manure tea with water until it resembles the color of iced tea before you apply, as it will be too strong for plants straight up. Apply to you plants once a week, or as needed. You may have to hold your nose, but your plants will thank you.
If you do not have manure-producing animals at home, ask a local farmer. Many have an ample supply they would be willing to part with. Or you can purchase manure at your local garden center.
4. Weed Tea
When your garden gives you unwanted nuisance weeds, make fertilizer tea! In fact most weeds contain many essential powerhouse nutrients, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which your garden plants will eat up. It’s a good all-purpose fertilizer for all your plants.
When picking weeds for your tea be sure to choose those that have not yet gone to seed (you don’t want to be planting more weeds into your garden), or have been sprayed with chemicals. Nutrient-dense weeds that work perfectly for this tea are alfalfa, yarrow, purslane, chickweed, dandelions, wild fennel, and stinging nettle (especially if cut in the spring).
Comfrey is another weed that can be turned into a fertilizer tea and your tomatoes and other fruiting plants will love it. Steeping the leaves in water draws out the nutrients, making it an excellent tea choice.
To Make: Next time you are weeding your garden, toss all those unwanted nuisances into a pail. Top them with water, cover, and let steep for a few days, up to three weeks. Your tea is ready when it turns black and begins to stink. Strain with a cloth or strainer. If you’re using comfrey, wait until it is about two feet tall and then cut it two inches from the ground, chopping up the leaves, stems, and flowers before steeping in water. Chopping the weeds into smaller pieces will help them break down more quickly and aid in nutrient absorption.
To Apply: Apply this fertilizer tea diluted (one part tea to ten parts water) as often as once a week. Water around the base of your plants with a watering can or spray it onto your plants as a foliar (leaf) feed.
5. Eggshell Tea
The benefits of eggshells are no stranger to the gardener. They can be crushed, used to start seedlings, and yes, even made into a fertilizer tea! Eggshell fertilizer tea is an inexpensive, nutrient-rich, all-natural addition to your garden stockpile as it feeds your plants a hefty dose of calcium, an essential plant nutrient.
Broccoli, cauliflower, Swiss chard, and spinach thrive with an extra dose of this calcium-packed fertilizer. Your tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants will benefit too, as the calcium boost helps prevent blossom-end rot.
To Make: Collect your empty (clean) eggshells. Boil a gallon of water in a large pot and add 10 to 20 eggshells. Turn off heat and allow the brew to sit overnight. Strain the cooled liquid and use it to water your plants.
To Apply: This tea can be applied weekly. No need to dilute. You can alternatively save the cooled water left over from hard boiled eggs, provided you don’t add salt to the water.
6. Vegetable Cooking Water Tea
This is a tried-and-true Almanac tip: the next time you cook up some vegetables on your stove top (whether steaming or boiling), don’t dump that treasured water down the drain! This (unsalted) water is infused with nutrients that can be used to fertilize your houseplants and garden plants. Just use it to water as usual.
Bonus Recipe: You can also save your vegetable peelings in a bag or small bucket, boil them in water, and allow them to cool and steep overnight. Strain, and water your plants with the liquid. Be sure the vegetables are organic or haven’t been sprayed.
Fertilizer Tea FAQ
What is fertilizer tea?
Water steeped with an organic nutrient source (kitchen scraps, compost, manure, weeds, etc), then strained and applied as a liquid feed to plants. It is a fast-acting top-up that supplements (not replaces) solid amendments like compost in beds.
How do you make banana peel fertilizer tea?
Chop 2 to 3 banana peels, place in a 1-quart mason jar, cover with cool water, cap loosely. Steep 3 to 5 days at room temperature. Strain. Dilute 1 to 5 with water. Apply at the soil line of fruiting plants (tomatoes, peppers, squash) once every 2 weeks. High in potassium, good for fruit and flower set.
Are fertilizer teas better than store-bought fertilizers?
Different tools for different jobs. Teas are free, mild, and immediately available. Store-bought fertilizers (organic or synthetic) deliver precise NPK and are consistent batch to batch. Most home gardeners benefit from using both: compost and tea as the everyday feeding, store-bought to correct specific deficiencies a soil test identifies.
How often should you use fertilizer tea?
Every 2 to 4 weeks during the growing season for most teas. Daily application is too much and can wash out micronutrients. Compost tea every 1 to 2 weeks for foliar feeding on non-edible plants is fine.
Can you store fertilizer tea?
Briefly. Banana peel tea: 5 to 7 days in the refrigerator. Compost tea: use within 24 to 48 hours before microbial population shifts. Manure tea: use within 24 hours and never indoors. Eggshell tea: 7 days at room temperature.
Will fertilizer tea burn my plants?
Most homemade teas are mild enough to apply undiluted to established plants. Dilute 1:5 to 1:10 for seedlings. The main risk is over-application of high-N teas (manure, weed) which can cause leggy growth and lower fruit set.
Natalie LaVolpe
Natalie LaVolpe is a freelance writer and former special education teacher. She is dedicated to healthy living through body and mind. She currently resides on Long Island, New York, with her husband, children, and dog.
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
- Natalie LaVolpe
My go to favorite is my chicken manure tea .used and applied as u have mentioned above ..my next go to is fish emulsion teas .I go to my local fish market and leave bins for fish by products .I bring them home .if I dont bury them in my compost directly .I boil them on outside propane used for crawfish boils . Let cool set in 30 gallon trash bin with lid for usage as needed