Homemade Plant Food Tea

Create your own plant tea.

Plant food options abound at the garden centers, hardware store and home improvement stores. Products feature different strengths, nutrient ratios and even formulations--grains, pellets or liquids. Instead of buying commercial plant food, consider making your own homemade plant food tea. You will know exactly what went into it, an important factor if someone in your family has chemical sensitivities or allergies, and save money.

Things You'll Need

• Manure (horse, rabbit, cow or rodent)
• Burlap sack
• Water

Instructions

Manure Tea

1. Gather manure. Accumulate about five quarts. The source depends on what is available to you. Horse manure works well, but so does rabbit, cow and even rodent manure.

2. Place the manure in a burlap sack and tie it closed. If the sack does not have a tie at its opening, secure it with a piece of twine.

3. Put 5 gallons of water in a container that holds 8 to 10 gallons of liquid. You need enough room to steep the manure.

4. Place the sack of manure in the water container, just as if you were placing a tea bag in a cup of water.

5. Allow the manure to steep in the water for at least 24 hours. After 24 hours, the water will have turned dark brown.

6. Dilute the tea. Measure out 1 cup of the manure tea and add it to 1 gallon of plain water.

7. Fertilize your plants with the diluted tea.

Eggshell Tea

1. Fill a 2 -gallon container halfway with water. Use a jar or any container that can be covered.

2. Add eggshells to the water as you accumulate them from cooking.

3. Let the mixture sit, covered, for up to one month. Continue to add eggshells during the course of the month to make stronger tea.

4. Dilute the tea. After the eggshells and water have rested for one month, take 1 cup of the tea and add it to 1 gallon of water.

5. Water your plants with the diluted eggshell tea every week, or as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Before you put new plants into the ground, saturate their roots with the undiluted manure tea. This will add abundant nitrogen to the roots, acting as a sort of "pre-fertilizer" for your plant's roots.

• Do not use manure from cats, dogs, reptiles or humans to make this tea. Manure from those sources may harm your plants.

References

• Garden Guides: Homemade Plant Food

Resources

• CreativeHomemaking.com: Homemade Plant Food