Dilution rate

[rary]

On the other thread about comfrey feed ESBKevin mentioned extracting the comfrey juice by using pressure rather than steeping the comfrey in water which would evedently make the extracted solution a lot stronger and on checking GW the lady who was showing her way of doing it said she uses a dilution of 10 to 1 which makes it a lot stronger than a 10 to 1 water extraction method, has anyone tried both methods and if so what one would you recommend

[greenishfing]

I have used both methods and generally just dilute it until it looks like weak tea - not scientific but it seemed to work.

[mothhawk]

When I had comfrey to use I did as GF and just sloshed some in the can. Watching GW, Mr Don seems to use it almost neat, judging by the colour of the liquid that comes out of his can.

[ESBkevin]

The thing about compost teas is that for us 'hobbiests' the science is a bit 'about that much'. We don't time or particularly control the steeping process so every batch will vary in strength. Does it even get stronger if you preserve it with some plant tissue in it?
I think the 10 or 20 to 1 ratio is just an estimate so you don't waste it all in one go. I tend to put about 15-20mm in the bottom of a 9 Ltr watering can. I use that once a week or perhaps a little more often. My soil is heavily mulched which also provides slow release feed through the season.
If your soil is poor or the plants show signs of stress maybe more often or a higher concentrate for a while. I'ts very difficult to be more specific. Over feeding just wastes the stuff because the plants only uptake what they need.

[rary]

Thanks ESB you just answered what was going to be my next question of how often to feed the plants