Liquid Organic Fertilizer - Several Excellent Recipes

by Joseph Paul
(NY)

The following are excellent liquid organic fertilizers.

• Manure tea
• Green tea
• Kelp
• Bat guano
• Ocean fish emulsion
• Humic acids
• Sea minerals

Manure Tea - If you have a good source of manure, you can make a manure tea. First, put the manure into piles and let sit out in the air and age for 6 months to a year. To turn the aged manure into a tea, add about ½ gallon of manure to a 5 gallon bucket, fill with water, then add a tablespoon of molasses. The molasses will speed up the microbial activity. Now pour this mixture back and forth between this bucket and a second 5 gallon bucket several times (this process is called boxing). For the next 3 days, box it back and forth at least once a day to produce a manure liquid organic fertilizer.

Green Teas - Many common garden herbs and weeds can provide nourishment and nutrients for growing plants. As you weed, cut back or harvest your leafy garden greens, save them in a basket or bucket and mix them together to make a botanical tea. To prepare a liquid organic fertilizer tea, add the leaves to water and let soak for 3 days, stirring two or three times a day.

Kelp (seaweed) - Is a wonderful liquid organic fertilizer, which may come from any number of plants that grow in the sea. Kelp helps to release minerals in the soil and has growth-producing hormones that aid in plant maturation. It is available in dried, powdered form as well as liquid concentrate, and is easily made into teas.

Bat Guano - Is mined from caves where bat droppings combine together with decomposing bat bodies. Combine bat guano with water and box; then let stand overnight while the hard clods begin to soften and dissolve. Dip from the top when you feed the plants. Add more water to the remaining solids and use again. This can be repeated for several days, then dump any remains on the garden or a compost heap.

Ocean Fish Emulsion - Contains all of the trace minerals of the ocean, and is preferred over non salt water fish. When applied to your yard or garden, the fish odor can linger for days. However, it is a fast-acting fertilizer and makes an excellent tea.

Kelp and ocean fish emulsion can all supply needed nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and calcium as well as provide trace minerals.

Humic Acids - Are derived from decayed organic matter called humates. Humates chelate (combine) plant nutrients and release them to plant roots. They stimulate bacterial activity, and help to flocculate soils so that they have better water retention and aeration. This liquid organic fertilizer is an excellent source of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace minerals.

Sea Minerals - One of the more interesting Liquid Organic Fertilizers is concentrated sea minerals. While lacking in Calcium, Nitrogen and Phosphorus, concentrated sea minerals are a good source of potassium, magnesium and sulfur. But best of all, these sea minerals, while very low in Sodium, are the most intense source of the full spectrum of trace minerals of any fertilizer available. Sea mineral trace minerals are in ionic form, and are readily available to the plant. When sprayed on the leaf, many times leaves will turn a noticeably darker color of green in just 2 to 3 days. Sea minerals are also a great source of food for beneficial bacteria in the soil, thus strengthening the soil food chain.