The mustard cake is a blessing for home gardeners looking for an organic fertilizer & try to keep their soil & the fruit free from any chemicals. It is readily available in the market & is obtained as a byproduct in a mustard oil mill.
In this article, you will learn what exactly is mustard cake fertilizer, how to use it in your garden and other interesting facts.
Here is a quick answer to:
What is Mustard Cake Fertilizer?
When oil is extracted from mustard seeds, the byproduct is left in the texture of the cake, this leftover is known as Mustard Cake. It contains all the necessary nourishing elements required by plants. As a result, gardeners commonly use mustard cake as a fertilizer.
Mustard cake fertilizer contains Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium & other necessary elements that help in the growth of a plant. Its NPK is generally 4:1:1.
On top of that, it is totally sustainable/eco-friendly and doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals. If you are on a constant hunt for organic fertilizer then Mustard Cake is one of the best options to consider.
Mustard Cake Fertilizer for Plants – How to Use it?
Mustard Cake is a slow-release fertilizer & can be used for different purposes for plants such as:
Added in the Potting Soil
If you are one of those plant parents who make potting soil at home for each plant according to its requirement. You can add mustard cake in powdered form to the potting soil as a replacement for fertilizers.
(Learn to: make potting soil at home in India)
Use approximately 1 tablespoon of mustard cake powder for a 12-inch pot of flower and vegetable plants, while making potting soil and it will work like a charm.
Even if you don’t make your own potting soil, whenever you think one of your plants needs a bit of food, you can sprinkle mustard cake powder over the top layer of the soil and mix it carefully. Don’t forget to water after the mixing is done.
[Note – Keep this golden rule of gardening in mind, whenever you add fertilizer to the soil, immediately water it for it to release its nutrients as well as fertilizers are very hot in nature and can burn the plant if water is not added.]
As a Pesticide
Mustard cake when added to the soil also acts as an insecticide and helps in preventing the growth of fungus as well in case of root rot. It also prevents the soil from many pesticides.
Make Liquid Fertilizer
You can easily make liquid fertilizer with Mustard Cake Powder. The quantity you want to make totally depends on you.
For general use:
Mix 60-80gm of mustard cake powder in 1 liter of water, mix it well and then cover it and let it sit for 36-48 hours. During this time, the mixture will start to fermentate. Once it crosses the 36 hours mark, stir it well again. Fill this water in your garden sprayer and water your plants with this amazing liquid fertilizer.
Also, check – Best Fertilizer for Flowering Plants in India
Where to buy Mustard Cake Fertilizer?
Mustard cake (Sarso ki Khali) is readily available in small mustard oil mills. if there is one near your locality you can get it from there at cheap rates as this is just a byproduct for them and they usually have it in abundance.
If not then you can buy it from Amazon, here are some of the best mustard cakes I found:
Conclusion:
Mustard cake can be used as a great nourishing source for plants which poses no harmful threats to the soil.
I hope this short but “to the point” guide was able to help you understand what is mustard cake and its use in the garden.
If you still have any doubts, you can comment down below and I will try to solve them as soon as possible.
