Houseplants are a great way to beautify your home AND grow various plants that can benefit your overall health. When tending to your houseplants, you have to make sure that they are getting the right amount of nutrients, which they get from sunlight, water, good soil, temperatures, and other nutrient sources.
You’ve also probably heard of the many different kinds of ways you can provide nutrients to your houseplants, including eggshells! But are eggshells good for houseplants, or is that just a myth?
Read on to find out!
Are Eggshells Good for Houseplants?
Short answer- YES, eggshells are good for plants. But what about houseplants, in particular?
Again, yes, eggshells are great for most plant varieties. It is especially beneficial for houseplants, as indoor plants may not have calcium bioavailable, compared to outdoor varieties that can absorb calcium through natural ways.
How does it benefit plants, though?
It’s all thanks to calcium. Calcium is one of the necessary key nutrients plants need to grow healthily, especially when indoors. Eggshells are a great source of calcium, as they contain over 90% calcium carbonate. As long as you use them correctly and on the right plant varieties, you can reap a lot of benefits.
After all, even WE humans and animals need calcium, and plants are no different. Calcium is responsible for changing the soils’ pH levels, mitigating soil damage caused by fertilizer overdosing. While calcium is indeed beneficial, you need to provide proper amounts of it, as too much of a good thing can also be bad.
What are the plants that like eggshells? Eggshells are very helpful on houseplants such as:
That’s because these plants grow best in an environment that’s rich in calcium. Another benefit is that the calcium from eggshells can avoid blossom-end rot, which is a serious problem caused by calcium deficiency, especially with tomatoes. Furthermore, using eggshells is a much healthier alternative compared to commercial fertilizer containing calcium carbonate, as this doesn’t have other added chemicals.
Even if you have plants that don’t require calcium, like succulents, they can still benefit from the other minerals eggshells own. Here the other benefits eggshells offer:
- Eggshells can work as a natural pest repellent. If you’re worried about snails attacking your houseplants, then you just need to spread crushed eggshells around them. The sharpness will prevent snails from attacking your plants, particularly broccoli, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, among other varieties.
- They may be used as replacements for pots for smaller houseplants. This is great for plants that are at risk of damage from cold weather and frosts. Simply open and clean the shell, fill it with soil, and drop one seed for transportable and compact seeding.
Using Eggshells for Houseplants
Another benefit houseplants offer is that they are very easy to use, you get to recycle, and there’s less food wastage! With that in mind, how can you use eggshells for your houseplants? Here are a few helpful tips you can follow:
- Make fertilizer tea by crushing the shells and adding them to boiling water, allowing them to steep overnight. Afterward, use the fertilizer tea by pouring them into the soil.
- Make a powder of eggshells, using eggshells in a bucket and spraying them with warm water, cleaning off remaining protein, which is helpful to remove unwanted smells and debris. Dry them overnight and place them in a blender or food processor, blending them until they are a fine powder. Sprinkle the powder directly on the soil of the houseplants.
- Mix the eggshell powder with white vinegar, leaving the mixture for a few hours. The calcium carbonate of the eggshells goes through a chemical reaction with the vinegar’s acetic acid. From there, you’ll have visibly foaming and free calcium, which plants will absorb well after pouring the mixture.
- Be sure that you wash the eggshells with warm water, regardless of the method you use. They should also be completely dry, which helps with the smell and to make it effective. You shouldn’t just break an egg then place the eggshells into the soil, as it won’t do anything but stink up the area!
Wrapping It Up
Yes, what gardeners have been saying is true! You CAN use eggshells for your houseplants, and they offer helpful nutrients that keep them growing well. They do wonders for the houseplants and are easy to use, so don’t throw those eggshells and use them for good!
I hope that this article answered your question, “are eggshells good for houseplants?” Now that you know the benefits of eggshells and how to use it, do start trying any of these tips to provide your plants the nutrients it needs for better growth!