The mustard cake is an excellent eco-friendly organic fertilizer that offers numerous benefits for plant growth and soil nutrition.
Benefits of Mustard cake fertilizer
Mustard cake fertilizer has several benefits, including:
1. Provides nutrients:
- Mustard cake is rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, which are essential nutrients for plant growth. It has the potential to enhance the production capacity of plants.
2. Improves soil fertility:
- The organic matter in the mustard cake helps improve soil fertility by increasing soil structure and water-holding capacity. It addresses nutrient deficiencies in the soil.
3. Environmentally friendly:
- Mustard cake is an organic fertilizer and does not contain any harmful chemicals or synthetic ingredients.
- It is a sustainable alternative to chemical fertilizers.
What is Mustard Cake?
In the process of making mustard oil,
- Mustard seeds are crushed in the machine.
- After extracting the oil, the leftover material also called a ‘Khali’ or ‘Khal’ or ‘cake’ is obtained. This Khali is a mustard cake.
- It is a high-protein supplement and can be used as an organic fertilizer for plants.
Natural source of NPK (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium). It is a natural source of NPK, with a typical ratio of 4-1-1 for nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Why is mustard cake fertilizer important in gardening?
1. It is a nitrogen-rich fertilizer.
- Everybody is aware of the fact that all types of plants (outdoor, indoor, flowering, non-flowering, or vegetables ) need nitrogen in ample amounts.
Note:
- A deficiency of nitrogen might spoil the plant.
2. Protein is needed for the growth of the plant and chlorophyll is required for the photosynthesis process. For protein and chlorophyll, nitrogen plays an important role.
3. Enhanced plant growth:
- Mustard cake fertilizer has proven to be very beneficial for many plants, especially vegetable plants. Growth of the plants gets enhanced at a notable pace after providing this fertilizer.
How to use Mustard Cake Fertilizer at home?
Mustard cake fertilizer is easily available in the market and can be purchased once and lasts for a longer period of time. There are two methods to use it.
1. Use mustard cake fertilizer in liquid form
- Take a small amount of cake (break the big pieces into small pieces) and
- dilute it with water
- Cover the vessel and keep it undisturbed for 24 hours. Always make it in a little quantity as it is very dense by nature.
- It will dissolve in the soil itself. So, do not keep it for more than 24 hours.
Note:
- If it is too cold, then you can keep it for one to two days, but it should not be left for more than two days in water to decompose.
- After 24 hours, the cake will have dissolved completely.
- There will be some smell of mustard cake in this liquid fertilizer.
- Dilute the mixture with 10 times more water, which means mixing 1 part of mustard cake liquid fertilizer with 10 parts of water.
- After mixing very well with a mug or jug, you can give this fertilizer to the plants.
- It will show results after 4-5 days on the plants and would last for a longer duration.
2. Use mustard cake in powder form
- Grind the mustard cake into a powder using a grinder.
- In the pot, remove the top layer of soil, sprinkle the mustard cake powder, and water the soil.
- Additionally, the powder can be incorporated into the soil mixture to enhance its fertility.
Important points to keep in mind while using mustard cake fertilizer in plants:
1. Do not spray mustard cake liquid fertilizer on the leaves, recommended only for the soil.
2. This fertilizer locks the moisture in the soil. Feed the plant with this when the soil is dry.
3. After giving this, give water when the soil is completely dry.
4. Mustard cake fertilizer can be given to the plants at intervals of 20-25 days.
5. The mustard cake should be stored in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. This will help to preserve the nutrients and prevent the cake from becoming rancid.
Use of Mustard Cake Fertilizer during Summer season:
The mustard cake should be applied during the growing season when the plants are actively growing and can benefit from the nutrients.
- It’s also a good idea to avoid using it during hot, dry weather as it can burn the plants.
- During summer months, large quantities of mustard cake should be avoided and when used, it should be diluted with additional water in its solution.
By keeping the above points in mind, you can use mustard cake fertilizer effectively to improve soil health and promote healthy plant growth.
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