Many people spend a lot of money on various fertilizers and soil additives. These materials are used to improve the soil quality and to give your plants all the nutrients they need.

However, a big downside is that fertilizers and soil additives are not always helpful and they can sometimes harm your plants if not used wisely. Another downside to these products is that they are usually expensive.

Luckily, there is a good solution. You can provide your plants with all the nutrients they need by using nothing but household items. You'd be surprised to know that things you throw away can be very valuable for your plants. These throwaway items can be used to build the soil and boost your plants' production.

Using Kitchen Scraps

Instead of using fertilizers and other commercial products, turn to mother nature and various household scraps you'd normally toss away. Instead of throwing them away, use them to promote plant growth and blooms. They will help your plants and the best of all, you won't have to spend any money on them.

All these scraps can be used to make a very useful tea form your plants. The tea is made easily, so anybody can use this inexpensive method to improve their plants' growth.

Here are 7 great recipes to try. All of them are very easy to make. Typically, you will only need two items to make these healthy teas: a bucket and some water. Just mix the ingredients and leave the mixture to brew outside. You will get a great tea you can use for your plants.

Try these recipes:

Boiled Vegetable Water Tea

Boil some vegetables in the water. Make sure that the water and vegetables are unsalted. Allow the water to cool. Use the water as a tea for your plants. Simply pour it on soil around the plants. This water is very healthy because it contains many nutrients from the vegetables.

Kitchen Scrap Tea

To make this tea, save vegetable peelings in a small bucket. Cover them with boiling water and allow the mixture to steep overnight and up to two days. After this, strain it and use the tea to water your plants. Make sure to use only plant-based scraps for this tea, never meat or dairy scraps.

Yard Refuse Tea

Instead of kitchen scraps, you can use scraps from the garden to make tea for your plants. Take grass clippings, but only if they are pesticide-free, or you may use twigs, leaves, dead flowers and anything else that you can rake up or prune/deadhead.

Store these yard scraps in a pail and cover them with water. Allow the mixture to steep for about a week or so. Make sure it's covered. When it's ready, strain out the bits. You may add them to your compost pile later. Use the tea in your garden.

This is a great recipe for plants, but be warned: such a tea may contain seeds that straining can't catch. To make a truly powerful tea you may combine kitchen scraps and yard refuse items into one big, strong tea for your plants.

Compost Tea

Compost tea is very powerful and rich in nutrients. All you need to make this tea is a pail full of water and a shovelful of compost. Mix compost with water and leave it for 3 to 7 days. Use this tea on your plants.

Manure Tea

This tea can be used as an all-purpose fertilizer. You should apply it every 2 to 3 weeks for the best effect. To make this tea, add a shovelful of well-rotted manure to a 5 gallon pail. Fill with water and leave the mixture to sit overnight. Apply the tea to the soil only. Don't let it come in contact with leaves or stems.

Boiled Egg Water Tea

You can use water in which you boil the eggs and use it as a tea for your plants. After the eggs have boiled, the water will be left with traces of calcium left behind from the egg shells. Wait until the water is cool before using. Such a tea will help with bloom and plant growth.

Seaweed/Kelp Tea

For those who live near the ocean, making a seaweed/kelp tea is the best solution. Simply collect some dried seaweed from the beach. Make sure to collect only the cold-water seaweed. Rinse the seaweed well in order to wash off salt. Put the seaweed in a barrel. Cover it with water to the top. Make sure to place the lid over the container. Allow the tea to brew for at least 2 months.

To use the tea on your plants, dilute the mixture with water and make a spray. Such a tea will speed up flower and fruit production in your plants.

Photo credit: Suzie's Farm