Organic manure from egg shells

I have read on-line that calcium is a very important part of the plants diet. Back in school I remember reading about how a major portion of the egg shell is made up of calcium, lime and protein. This is the part of the egg that we throw away and every house consumes a substantial portion of eggs on a weekly basis. This got me thinking and thought of options to put the egg shells to a more practical use. 

Calcium

Calcium is a very important part of a plants diet. It is the most important nutrient after potassium and nitrogen. Calcium helps to maintain the chemical balance of soil, increases metabolic rate and helps to neutralize cell acid. Egg shells are composed of about 95 percent calcium. Calcium is an essential plant nutrient which plays a fundamental part in cell manufacture and growth. Most roots must have some calcium at the growing tips. Plant growth removes large quantities of calcium from the soil, and calcium must be replenished

Lime

Aside from calcium, eggshells contain lime and protein. Lime is added to soil when it is too acidic (low pH level) to neutralize the acidity and raise the pH level. Lime adds magnesium to the soil and helps increase aeration and drainage. Most commercial fertilizers contain lime.

On with our project........

Preparing the manure:

I send word to the kitchen that the egg shells may be passed on to me. Kept two open containers in the back yard with direct sunlight falling on it but protected from the rain. Why two containers ? one might ask. The egg shells in one dries completely as the other fills up.

Once the shells are dry and crisp I put the shells into my blender [ no not the one used for food in the kitchen, I have one in my home lab for these kind of experiments ]. Running the blender for a few seconds turn the shells into fine powder. I empty the contents from the blender into a storage container and the cycle continues. I do this once in two to three weeks and this gives me quite a lot of pure manure without any chemical.

This I add to my organically grown veg patch and also into my aquaponic system. Sometimes I add a thin layer just below the top layer of my growing bed. Do try this out and you will be amazed at the positive change in your plant growth.