Believe it or not, leftover beer makes a handy spot-fertilizer for your yard, and it’s purely organic, since it’s the yeast in the beer that does the job. This works best for homebrewed beer, since you end up with a thin layer of yeast on the bottom of each bottle, but it can work with commercial beers too. The idea is that the acid in beer will kill any pests, and the sugar and yeast will add beneficial soil microbes, assisting growth.
Beer as a Lawn Spot Fertilizer
Just collect any dregs in a plastic gallon jug; a milk jug works fine. Once you have enough, you can transfer some to a sprayer bottle and spray the solution on places in your yard that have turned brown or aren’t growing well. The beer fertilizer will help the affected grass grow back in more fully.
Using Beer in the Garden: Composting Beer and Slug Traps
Composting Beer
You could use it in your garden too, but it might not be as effective or beneficial as other liquid fertilizers. A better choice is to compost dregs, beer and wine making leftover supplies, beer and wine for nitrogen materials. And, then use the compost.
Slug Traps
The most effective use of beer in your garden is in slug traps. Simply bury a container, like a cottage cheese container or pie pan level with the soil, and fill with beer. Slugs love beer and the fermenting yeast. The trap lures and “keeps” them, deterring them from your plants. The traps need to be checked frequently, possibly daily.
Want to learn more about using beer around the garden?
Check out these helpful resources from Extension centers on composting beer and slug control:
Backyard Composting of Yard, Garden, and Food Discards from NC Cooperative Extension
Garden Tips: Insects, Pests and Diseases- Slugs and Hostas from Purdue Cooperative Extension Service
If you use non organic beer how do you have an organic fertilizer. I have wondered why people think if they compost non organic materials they have organic compost. Does that go away when it rots???? I think the words natural and organic have been used incorrectly by most people lately. Am I wrong????♀️
First of all “organic” is a sham. . it’s something create by the food industry to help market their products to an ever increasing health conscious society. Even the term “organic” is not pure because growers still can use “natural” pesticides and fertilizers that often more dangerous then synthetic. https://www.sciencealert.com/eating-only-organic-food-is-a-sham If you’re making compost from household items, many contain GMO products. . another fake argument, since the majority of all produce is GMO foods. https://inside.battelle.org/blog-details/five-good-reasons-to-support-gmos Without GMO your fruit and produce would be pitifully small and inadquate. That’s what GMO does, it genetically modifies the plant to make it healthier, more able to resist disease/insects, and bigger for more production and effectiveness. Even organic beer is only required to be 95% organic. So a compost made up of kitchen produce items, grass, etc. most likely isn’t certified organic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ecT2CaL7NA&t=3s
“Without GMO your fruit and produce would be pitifully small and inadequate. That’s what GMO does, it genetically modifies the plant to make it healthier, more able to resist disease/insects, and bigger for more production and effectiveness. ”
Says you and everyone with a financial interest in the subject. But scientists and doctors disagree among themselves and the evidence through double-blinded, controlled, peer reviewed studies, is simply not available in sufficient statistical numbers to warrant that assumption.
Blessings