I make this really easy and economical conditioner for soil. There are a few Neem trees in our locality and once in a while, I go pluck a handful of leaves. These leaves are quite bitter in taste and are used for medicinal purposes in India. I grind the leaves with a little water to a fine paste and add a spoonful of turmeric. Add more water to thin it out and mix it evenly in the soil in all pots. This conditions the soil well and also acts as a pesticide. The plants flourish well after a dose of Neem paste is given to them. It is very effective and entirely free.
I have heard of neem being used as a pesticide. We have coconut trees and each year we give it a neem cake treatment. We also put some salt that neutralises the acidity in the soil. The compost that we make at home is also fed into these trees.
I have a compost bin where we put the vegetable trimmings and fruits rinds. It is my main source of compost. When I need to condition the soil especially for potting material, I mix the regular soil with dried grass and compost. The dried grass are the weeds that I pull from my garden, I keep it in a pile for future use. Sometimes I receive a sack of rice husk from a friend that I also use as a soil conditioner.
I too give a dose of neem cake to my plants occasionally and it is very good too. Although I have space restrictions, I am thinking of starting a compost bin. Any tips on that please? And do you any culture in your compost to speed up the process?
Time is of the essence for everyone and so I do not resort to any sophisticated methods to create our compost. I have several pits in our compound where garbage is dumped and used soil from pots and other areas is layered once a week. Once the pit is full it is kept there to mature for a year. You can use a plastic perforated tub and put the garbage there. The tub should have a lid. You should churn it occasionally.
I am afraid that we do not have this tree in our region, we can buy the turmeric from some specialty stores. Your conditioner for soil seems to be very cheap and very good. I am using natural coffee for my yard, I use it since 3 years ago and I saw that my flowers and tomatoes are looking great year by year!
Thanks for the tip. I had been looking for ways to improve the soil in my pots. I have just started my our garden and am new to this. The neem soil conditioner seems to be just what I need. I have many neem trees in my locality and I can use them. Turmeric is the spice which is used regularly and therefore is readily available in the kitchen. In fact, I am going to start doing it from today.
I just heard from my neighbor yesterday about buying the neem oil from the Indian shop as pesticide. I am not sure if we can get the neem trees here. It would be good if we can get the leaves directly as it will be more natural and less expensive too. I am finding ways to get rid of those insects in my garden, as my plants are dying.
