organic fertilizer

[goddess]

iam interested to see what other grapes are using as an organic fertilizer.iam hoping to avoid using any fertilizer that is not organic in my allotment.have read about nettle and comfrey tea but for a new plot having enough supply will be difficult.iam particularly interested in making fish emulsion ,compost tea ...that kind of stuff to experiment with.thanks for any advice.g

[Two_Sheds]

Comfrey Tea, you can't beat it. It grows so quick so you can grow it, crop it and use it to fertilise your other plants this year. I got mine offa eBay for about a quid each. It dies back in winter but comes back every spring. I now have six plants in a shady spot where nowt else will grow.

[Protea]

you can buy buckets of organic chicken poo as pellets (not messy at all) which is good if you have poor soil and need an alround fertiliser.

Using green manures that fix nitrogen and then chopping them into the soil will provide nitrogen and is as organic as you can get

[rustylady]

Start a compost heap - all weed topgrowth can go in, plus lawn cuttings, pet bedding, etc It may not be an immediate fix but is well worth while. Any farms or stables near you for animal manure? You need to let it rot for a while, but it is an excellent soil conditioner.

[dexterdoglancashire]

I bought some dried comfrey off ebay and use it to make a "broth" to feed my compost heaps and plants as well. Bernie aka Dexterdog

[johnty greentoes]

I like what 2 sheds said.

I will be using comfrey, horse **** and what was sold to me as organic chicken manure. I don't think it is organic with a capital O - it's just that it isn't chemical fertiliser.

I guess myplot will be truly organic in 5 years - isn't that how long certification of a farm takes.

In the meantime I will be content to know my land is detoxing.

[smallblueplanet]

.....and what was sold to me as organic chicken manure. I don't think it is organic with a capital O - it's just that it isn't chemical fertiliser...

LOL! I wouldn't be too sure of that when you think how they treat battery chickens! I wouldn't be surprised if their poo is full of chemicals.

[goddess]

DEar all,thanks for the advice.i looked on ebay for some comfrey plants but it say you need to wait a year before you cut it.the question is if i get it now can i use it later in year or not?

[JennieAtkinson]

Goddess - I have LOADS of nettles surrounding my veg plot, so in a few weeks time I shall be nipping the tops of the young ones and putting them in a bucket with water and waiting for the "stew" to develop. About 3/4 weeks depending on the temperature. I do this successionally for the next couple of months. After that the nettles get a bit woody.

I then dilute this 1/10 and use as a feed. I'm sure you could find plenty of nettles around! I always leave a few around though as they do attract the butterflies.

I also use chicken "poo" pellets if I need something stronger.

[Snadger]

I like what 2 sheds said.

I will be using comfrey, horse **** and what was sold to me as organic chicken manure. I don't think it is organic with a capital O - it's just that it isn't chemical fertiliser.

I guess myplot will be truly organic in 5 years - isn't that how long certification of a farm takes.

In the meantime I will be content to know my land is detoxing.

At the coloidal level the plants won't give a chuff!

Seriosly though, the downside of using all these organic concoctions is that you have no idea what the NPK value is, what your plant requires, and whether you are adding surplus psuedo chemicals generated by these organic methods!

[smallblueplanet]

....surplus psuedo chemicals...

Like what.

[johnty greentoes]

Like what.

Good question

[dexterdoglancashire]

surplus psuedo chemicals

Didn't know you knew any foreign languages Snadger! LOL

Bernie aka Dexterdog

[nudger]

I'm kind of trying as many as possible, the list includes to date Nettles brewed in a large bin with a tight fitting lid (trust me you need one with this stuff) rabbit poo dug in the ground as well as added to the compost heap, horse manure free from a local stable and well rotted to boot. And as an insecticide i'm trying some rhubarb leaves stewed in the same way as the nettles (as seen on the Big Dig) it repels me so it shouldn't be a problem in detering just about anything except houseflies that seem to be attracted to it.

[goddess]

Hi Nudger.i have some rhubarb leaves stewing.i agree flies seem to be attracted to it .i have sprayed the Broad beans with it as theywere plagued by bean beetle.not sure os success yet