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Hardiness Zone: 6a
Jamish from Ransom, Kansas
A: Jamish,
There are several homemade lawn tonic recipes that have been around for years. Here are a few variations:
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:
Or this last one from Jerry Baker, America's Master Gardener:
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
About The Author: Ellen Brown is our Green Living and Gardening Expert. Click here to ask Ellen a question! Ellen Brown is an environmental writer and photographer and the owner of Sustainable Media, an environmental media company that specializes in helping businesses and organizations promote eco-friendly products and services. Contact her on the web at http://www.sustainable-media.com
Related: 
Homemade Lawn Fertilizer Recipes
By Deborah (Guest Post)
07/15/2008
My lawn, a large part of it is suffering from 'take-all patch" self diagnosed. From what Ive read about it on the internet. This is not good, and it is spreading . Does anyone know of a homemade formula to treat this.From what I understand the lower the nitrogen level the better for this lawn condition. Must also be child and pet friendly.
Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks, Deborah
By Albert Jackson (Guest Post)
07/25/2007
Do you have a home made Garden Fertilizer? If so I would like to try it here in Va Beach , Va.
Would your home made lawn Fertilizer work good on my Vegetable Garden ? And do you have a good home made Bug spray for a Vegetable Garden?
By (Guest Post)
07/08/2007
Does this really mean a 20 gallon hose end sprayer?
Editor's Note: These appear to be pretty common:
http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.co ... prayer-20-gallon-p-63024.html?ref=42
By siris. (Guest Post)
07/09/2006
A relative told me about an Oriental family that insisted the boys pee into a pail at night. It was thrown on the lawn and flower beds in the morning.
I tried it on the lawn and ended up with a spot darker and denser than the rest. Obviously it works.
By
05/31/2006
Mix together 1 can beer, 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup liquid dish soap, 1/2 cup liquid lawn food, and 1/2 cup molasses or corn syrup. Put into a 20 gallon hose end sprayer (the kind with a jar that attaches to the end of your hose and automatically mixes with the water) and water in the morning. Use this formula every 3 weeks, or so.
A similar formula: http://www.ehow.com/how_9123_make-own-fertilizer.html
If you google "homemade lawn fertilizer", you will find many formulae!
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