Teas for fertilising plants

[Feral007]

I know I've seen various tea's mentioned on here. And even mentioned them myself. But I was reading someone's post about having sooo many weeds on her new allotment. No nettle or comfrey, but a lot of dock. And I thought to myself (because all the teenagers are still in bed) - Is there benefit to be had from other 'weeds' like dock? And is there any reason you wouldn't use certain weeds?

I put Fertilising Tea's into the search engine, and it came up with about a million posts. Mostly the ones I recognised were where we mentioned the one's I already know.
And then I saw it brought up Targeted Weightloss and my mind bogged as it is prone to do.

So decided to make a new thread to see All about Fertilliser Tea's - and that way I can have all the information in one spot. I'm really really interested in these tea's since I'm using organic methods where possible and would like to make use of the things that come out of the ground, to put back in.
Can I just ask if there are any that seem to be particularly attractive to dogs can you let me know because I've already had trouble with the Aldi organic fertilizer and the vegetarian dog.

[alldigging]

I would imagine any persistent weed stores lots of nutrients in its roots to enable it to grow.

It doesn't take a huge leap of imagination to work out that using those nutrients to fertilise other plants is a good idea.

For docks and dandelions I'd probably suggest mashing and then putting in a bag in a tub of water for some time. (Just to ensure no slivers of roots got watered on)

Nettles, comfrey, borage,and probably lots more other plants could be used to make fertiliser tea.

I spose you'd want to use things that aren't best put on the compost heap - that way you make full use of the vegetation in your garden.

[taff]

I have a weed barrel as well as a comfrey and a nettle one.
I put in every weed that I pull up or cut down, and fill with water. Every few weeks I empty out the dead weeds round the base of the comfrey [stinks....] and I use the water in the same way as the comfrey or nettle tea.
It smells just as bad as either of those two, provides somewhere for the things that lay rat tailed larvae, and feeds the plants for free

[alldigging]

rat tailed larvae

Now they are some of the most gross things I've ever seen!

[mcuk]

This is a slightly different topic, but one thing I have noticed is that users on YouTube often use compost tea. Basically a big container of water mixed with a handful of compost. Air is then pumped through the liquid for 24 hours before watering their plants. I have never seen them compare the results to a baseline (mostly hearsay), so no idea if it really does help.

[veggiechicken]

Not quite a fertiliser but I throw my rhubarb leaves into a tub of water, then add all the slugs and snails I come across and stir them up with a Rhubarb flower stalk.
It should make an evil poison for something! (Not the Mother in law)

[Feral007]

lol VC - you have the MIL I have the Ex That's what potions are for surely?

Yes, it's sounding good with these tea's. I just figured that if they are taking good things out of the soil, and they aren't in seed then it would be replacing things rather than throwing them out.

Sounding good to me. Snails and slugs, hmmm, pity snakes can swim

[veggiechicken]

Don't let on but I no longer have a MIL. Potent stuff that rhubarb leaf!!!

[lottie dolly]

comfrey to feed
rhubarb leaf's/chilli & garlic, to help ward of bugs and cabbage whites
horse tail to feed it strength,as it's roots bring up netrients from way down,
in fact anything that can be drowned and stinks,is good,personally,i put anything not destined for the compost into a barrell include nettles if you have any,plus it keeps for next year,fill the barrel with what ever,nexy year strain it of into another barrel for easier use,or bottle it,

[Bigmallly]

Re Home Brews, I have just found this comment on another forum by one of their Mods. What do you reckon?



I am not having a laugh.

It is not a question of harm to the environment. It is a question of what is legally allowed.

It is against the law to use as a pesticide any product which is not licensed. Home-made pesticides are not licensed and are thus illegal.

As previously advised, we cannot and do not condone this. What you choose to do in the privacy of your own garden is entirely up to you. But we have a responsibility to ensure that the correct information is given to those who wish to a) be properly informed and b) comply with the law.

This has been repeatedly discussed on this forum in the past, if you choose to do a search rather than just stick your tongue out, Coach.

I shall now lock this thread as the OP's post has been answered and all the information which needs to be there is there.

[Florence Fennel]

I've seen that before somewhere too BM. I don't make pesticides. I do kill snugs though. Funny how snail is an anagram of slain and most of my small brassicas have been

[Florence Fennel]

Sorry Feral, on the topic of tea - I make comfrey (I think I did about 4 gallons yesterday as I have used all last July's batch), nettle and since reading about weed tea on here I shall be making some of that too. I'm all for free fertiliser.

[dominic10]

I'm experimenting with different 'teas' this year and now have a batch each of nettle, comfrey, seaweed, borage and horse manure - all in containers with lids, very important. I know comfrey is supposed to be really good as it has deep roots and takes nutrients from the soil. Noticed a crop of dock in my garden and found this link Make Your Own Organic Fertiliser - Making Your Own which mentions dock leaves in the same sentence as comfrey so I think I will harvest the dock before it flowers and start another tea.

[Two_Sheds]

all in containers with lids, very important.

Leave a couple inches of air between the brew and the lid ~ even importanter

[taff]

It is against the law to use as a pesticide any product which is not licensed. Home-made pesticides are not licensed and are thus illegal..

I see your quote and I raise you another one...

"However, the new EU rules could mean that, bizarrely, many home-made alternatives to pesticides are strictly speaking illegal, because they haven't been approved by testing. Such is the case with the common practice of spraying washing-up liquid to guard against aphids. Thankfully, the government's Pesticides Safety Directorate sees this as a technicality.

"It's hardly likely that anyone is going to be prevented from spraying their roses with Fairy Liquid," says a spokesman. The best alternative to chemical warfare in the garden is, of course, to go organic. "