How to Make Liquid Fertilizer for Plants
If you care for a large number of plants, you are most likely spending a fortune on fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers not only eat away at your pocketbook, but they also introduce harsh ingredients to the soil surrounding your plants. Getting back to nature will eliminate any harm that could potentially be caused by these chemicals and will allow your pocketbook to begin saving change once again. A natural liquid fertilizer that will provide your plants with essential nutrients is a suitable replacement for the chemical fertilizer. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- 5-gallon bucket with lid
- Grass clippings
- Raked leaves
- Weeds
- Water
- Stick
- Strainer
- Watering can
- Manure
Instructions
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Compost Tea
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1
Fill a 5-gallon bucket up to the 2 1/2-gallon mark with grass clippings, raked leaves and unwanted weeds.
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2
Pour water into the bucket until it reaches the 5-gallon mark. Stir the compost-tea ingredients with a stick.
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3
Set your bucket out in the sun for a total of three to four weeks. Stir the compost tea every seven days.
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4
Strain the contents of the 5-gallon bucket to remove the clumps of grass, weeds and leaves. The remaining liquid is your compost-tea concentrate.
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5
Pour 1/2 cup of the compost tea concentrate into a watering can. Add 5 cups of water and stir. Distribute this homemade liquid fertilizer in the soil surrounding your plants. Use 1 cup of homemade liquid fertilizer for each plant. Repeat once per month during the spring and summer months when the plants are actively growing.
Manure Tea
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6
Shovel horse, cow or chicken manure in to a 5-gallon bucket until it reaches the 2 1/2-gallon mark.
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7
Add water to the bucket until it comes up to to the 5-gallon mark. Stir the ingredients with a stick.
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8
Set a lid loosely over the manure tea and place it in the sun.
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9
Stir the contents of your bucket once every seven days for a total of four weeks.
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10
Strain out any remaining clumps of manure to reveal your manure-tea concentrate.
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11
Place 1/2 cup of the manure-tea concentrate in a watering can. Add 5 cups of water and stir. Feed your plants with the all-natural liquid fertilizer. Use 1 cup of liquid fertilizer for each plant. Repeat once per month during the growing season.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Seaweed can also be added to the compost tea, but it must be rinsed off before it is added to the bucket. This will remove some of the excess salt on the seaweed.
Do not use manure from a household pet, such as a cat or a dog, to create manure tea for your plants.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Photos.com/Photos.com/Getty Images
