Growing up, my parents didn’t drink, but my dad kept beer in the refrigerator- he used it as part of a mix he used to fertilize the garden with. I was fairly old before I realized beer was for drinking, not fertilizer. Feel free to tee-hee at me all you want.
Over the years, he has toyed with different recipes to make his grass grow greener, and he has finally come up with his favorite- based heavily on Jerry Baker’s recipe from his book Green Grass Magic, with only minor changes. I finally got dad to share his recipe with me, so I could pass it on to you, lucky Shakyard readers!
You can use this during any season to make your lawn greener, to give your vegetables and other plants a kick, or as a regular fertilizer. If you use this regularly, do it about every 3 weeks.
12 oz. beer- any kind is fine, even Nasty Light. Just whatever you happen to have.
8 oz. ammonia
6 oz. liquid dish soap (Make sure it doesn’t have any degreasers and is not anti-bacterial. Just a cheap-o brand is best)
6 oz. liquid lawn food
6 oz clear corn syrup (like Karo Syrup)
Mix these in a bucket and pour it into a hose end sprayer, and spray away!
Why does this work? The beer acts as an enzyme activator, and the ammonia is an easily digestible form of nitrogen. The soap cleans the grass and softens the soil, and the corn syrup helps it all stick. Happy fertilizing!
Ha! I used to own a Jerry Baker book and kept a big old jug of tobacco juice and beer in the garage closet.
Hugs,
Holly