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It requires surprisingly little effort to make your own organic fertilisers from various waste materials we generate every day around the house. Not only does this help the environment, it also saves money in fertiliser and potting mix costs. It can also be done effectively in very small spaces, so even if you are a high density dweller, it is still very practical to make your own fertiliser.
There are a number of options as to the type of organic fertiliser you can create. Liquid organic fertilisers give an instant boost to your plants as the dissolved nutrients are immediately available to the plant which is particularly important for very fast growing vegetables such as tomatoes and lettuce.
Liquid organic fertilisers
1. Worm juice. Worm farms are one of the best ways to make organic fertiliser that is highly nutritious and adds beneficial microbes to your soil and potting mix. As the worms chew through your kitchen scraps and other organic materials such as cardboard and shredded paper, they release nutrients and also add valuable humus that stores water and nutrients. Collecting the liquid that accumulates naturally under your worm farm works quite well, however, it must be stressed that this liquid is generally very concentrated and should be diluted to a light brown colour (about the colour of a weak cup of tea).
A second way to make your worm liquid fertiliser is to use a watering can to run about 10 litres of water through your worm farm. Putting a relatively large volume of water through at one time dilutes the fertiliser strength of the liquid down to something that is ready to use without further dilution. This process can be done every week if necessary. You can watch a video of how to do this on Angus Stewart Youtube channel
2. Liquid manure. If you have a chook house or some other free source of manure then fill an old pillow slip or Hessian bag with manure and plunge it into a bucket of water and allow it to soak for a few days. The nutrients from the decomposing manure will leach from the bag into the water and the resulting brew may need to be diluted down to the consistency of a weak tea before you apply it to your plants through a watering can.
3. Bokashi composting. This is an interesting form of composting invented in Japan that is particularly applicable to apartment dwellers. An airtight bucket with a snap on lid is filled with your kitchen scraps which are then sprinkled with a bran preparation that contains specific micro-organisms that begin the decomposition process within the bucket. 
These special microbes have evolved to grow and thrive in conditions where there is very little oxygen, hence the airtight bucket that also conveniently shuts out pests such as mice and cockroaches. At the base of the bucket there is a compartment with a tap to collect the liquid that results from the decomposition process. This liquid is diluted with 10 parts of water to each part of Bokashi liquid and is an excellent fertiliser. The solid residue left in the bucket when it is full can be buried in the garden, compost heap or worm farm where it breaks down very quickly to humus.
The bottom line is that with a small investment of time and effort there are several simple DIY ways to turn your kitchen scraps and other common household waste materials into rich liquid organic fertilisers that are a well balanced source of nutrition for your plants as well as adding priceless humus that builds up the health of your soil with beneficial microbes. And a healthy soil leads to a healthy, disease resistant plant.
I am also a huge fan of worm tea Angus. I have a worm farm and just flush it with a watering can of water each weekend. It seems to keep the worms happy and I then just water down the ‘tea’ a little and put it on the garden. Worms are great for all those tricky things that the chooks won’t (or shouldn’t!) eat like teabags, watermelon peelings and other harder vegie scraps. Love the worms!
Can I get the ‘bran preparation that contains specific micro-organisms’ locally – anywhere? What specifically am I asking for?
Hi Phil – the bran preparation to which Angus refers is a proprietary mix produced by Bokashi. You can read more about it at http://www.bokashi.com.au/bokashi-one-composting/how-to-films/ . You can buy it from Bokashi shops in Brisbane. http://www.bokashi.com.au/retail-outlets/qld-brisbane/
I recently purchased worm juice. I would like to know if I can fertilize all my plants with a mixture of worm juice, seaweed and molasses every 10 or 15 days. I have many Australian native plants in pots in addition to exotics like roses, gardenias and citrus. regards mohandas