Making fertiliser from plants and manure already on our plots is a way of feeding crops naturally and cheaply. Here are some recipes for liquid feeds.
LIQUID MANURE
Make from any animal manure (horse, cow, poultry, sheep, goat, pigs, pigeons) provided the animals have been bedded on straw litter, not woodchip.
Equipment: - Hessian sack eg large potato sack - Large stone - Large water butt preferably with a tap - String and Baton
Method:
1. Put stone in bottom of sack and then put in about 40 litres of well rotted manure. Tie the top of the sack
2. Tie a baton! broom handle to the top of the sack and suspend inside the butt. Fill the butt with water.
3. Leave to ferment for 7 days - squeeze occasionally
4. Draw off the resulting liquid and dilute with water in the following ratios:
Cow / horse origin I : Water 2 Pig / goat I Fowl origin I : Water 3
5. The same sack of manure can be used to make a second batch of liquid fertiliser before you discard it on the compost heap
COMFREY LIQUID FEED
Make this from comfrey leaves in Spring and Summer.
Equipment- Bucket with lid / water butt with tap, stone / slab (depending on the amount you want to make!)
Method:
1. Pack fresh cut comfrey leaves into the butt or bucket to about 3/4 full, weigh down with stone or small concrete slab and top up with water.
2. Leave to ferment for 3-4 weeks in summer, twice as long in winter.
3. Draw off liquid and dilute with water 1:20
Be warned — the black liquid produced is VERY FOUL SMELLING so don’t place the fermenting liquid near a sitting area. But don’t be put off by this, it’s highly nutritious for plants!
4. Use the remains of the leaves as an activator on the compost heap.
NETTLE LIQUID FEED
Make this from nettle leaves in April and May. (Remember this one for next year!) This can also be used as a greenfly pesticide, as well as a feed.
Equipment- Water butt with tap / bucket, stone / slab
Method:
1. Fill the butt / bucket three-quarter full with fresh green nettles tops, weigh down with stone / slab, fill up with water.
2. Leave to ferment for 14 days.
3. Draw off the liquid and dilute in equal parts with water (ie 50:50) before use.
5. Compost the plant residue when the liquid is drawn off.
General Points for all liquid feeds
Use as a liquid fertiliser on the soil or grow bags, or as a foliar feed (ie apply using a fine rose setting or spray until the liquid runs off the leaves)
If in doubt, dilute on the weak side.
Plants will benefit from a weak solution twice a week rather than one strong application per week.
Always moisten the soil/compost before applying liquid feed.
Beware of using foliar feed in bright sunshine as scorch may occur on the leaves.
Use as a supplement to other feeds, eg bonemeal, as P (phosphorus) and K (potassium) may not be as well represented in these home made fertilisers as N (nitrogen)
Comfrey, Rhubarb, Nettle + Horseradish Leaves
Decompose readily, so are a useful quick acting fertilizer. If chopped up they decompose even quicker.
a) Spread leaves (nb no nettle or horseradish stems) in a 10-15 cm layer around onions, beans, potatoes, tomatoes and soft fruit plants to provide a top dressing / mulch.
b) Dig leaves directly into soil, or lay in trenches, before planting seeds or plants.
