Gardeners urged to sprinkle eggshells on lawns this winter

By Alex Evans, Deputy Audience Editor

Gardeners are being urged to sprinkle egg shells (Image: Getty)

Trying to turn your tired, patchy lawn into a lush green outdoor space is a constant battle for gardeners every year, especially with the ups and downs of the UK’s weather lurching from freezing blasts of snow to baking summer droughts.

But one kitchen scrap could help bring your lawn back to life in time for the summer - egg shells.

Instead of using chemical fertilisers, gardeners can boost their grass, enrich their soil and boost plant growth using eggshells.

This is because the shell of a chicken’s egg is made up of calcium, which is an essential plant nutrient and also moderates acidity in the soil.

You can either apply them to specific plants, or add shells to water and use it to water the lawn.

As garden experts Gardenesque advise: “During the winter months, crush the shells by using a mortar and pestle and sprinkle over the container or garden border where you will plant come springtime. 

“Alternatively, you can add crumbled eggshell directly into the bottoms of your planting holes. It is beneficial to use egg shells when growing your own vegetables like tomato, pepper and aubergine or plants such as roses, hydrangeas, spider plants, ferns and ivy.

“Another way to add this homemade fertiliser to your plants is through a calcium solution. You can finely crush the shells and turn it into water-soluble calcium that can be added to your watering can, and will be easily absorbed by the plant’s root system.”

Failing this, you can simply pop eggshells into your compost bin. The eggshells break down over time and are full of essential nutrients.

They added: “You can add almost anything organic to a compost heap that is “green and brown.” Egg shells break down over time and because they are full of essential nutrients like calcium, minerals and proteins, are ideal for your compost bin.

“Make sure you wash your egg shells before adding them to compost so that they don’t attract animals. You will need to crush them to a powder, which when added to your compost will benefit plant growth and aids in building cell walls. The egg shell pieces come out small this way and are rarely noticeable amongst the compost and mulch.”