A big diaper

Is the guy drinking the stuff or using it on his pot patch?

For now I will just stick with fish in a bottle, and make sure I dont drink it or smoke it.

Larry

All this is is a manure tea. Manure and compost teas are great for the garden. You could skip all of the other stuff and just add manure and molasses to a bucket of water, add some aquarium bubblers to oxygenate it, and in a couple of days, you'd have a pretty good fertilizer.

Barb,

I need some of the rye as I've got nematodes in one bed. Where did you order this from?

Laura

Laura, I got the Elbon Rye from Justin Seeds. It was here in just a few days. Great site...(link at the bottom of the page). I was sorry I didn't order some hairy vetch while I was at it.

Carol and Larry..I was just kidding around about the cow pee :)

Scardenelli...I was curious about this brew...it sounded kind of nasty and interesting at the same time. I can't say I understand the concept of "fermenting" anything to use as a garden fertilizer. The author talked about the ole moonshiner's advice about liguid sugars being more effective as a fermenting agent. This is for the garden..we're not trying to make moonshine, so I don't know why a person would have to ferment any of this stuff, or even oxygenate it??

Barb

Here is a link that might be useful: Justin Seed, Elbon Rye Source

Barb,

The purpose of oxygenating manure and compost teas is to encourage the growth of beneficial micro-organisms. It's similar to a compost pile. When you turn a compost pile you're introducing oxygen and keeping your pile aerobic, rather than anaerobic. So to keep your tea from going anaerobic, you can use aquarium bubblers. This is also accomplished somewhat less successfully by vigorously stirring your tea several times a day. The purpose of the molasses or any other sugar you would use isn't for fermentation, but to give a readily available source of food for your micro herd to eat. Google compost tea and you'll find all kinds of information. The method is the same for making manure teas, compost teas or herbal teas or whatever, for the garden.

A manure tea, depending on what manure you use, will be fairly high in nitrogen though, so I don't know whether it would necessarily double your yields. Excess nitrogen encourages leafy green growth rather than flowering and fruiting, so be careful with how much you apply.

-Matt

Barb

Dont think anything about the cow pee, nothing I love more than a good B.S. session.

If any of you guys live close to a feed store they will often get you seed in for you freight free if you buy by the bag.

I bought my rye, buckwheat and Harry vetch at the Farmers Co-op in FT. Smith. I could have gotten it in Greenwood freight free but I would have to wait a week or so for them to order in. This time of the year you can buy most of this stuff by the pound.

I only bought about $3.00 worth of the Hairy vetch, but still had more than I needed.

I finished planting all of my empty spots yesterday. When my Purple Hulls, sweet potatoes and winter garden croak I will plant more rye.

Larry

Hi Matt...thanks for the info on that. Seems I'd read it somewhere and forgot the science behind it. I used to have a fish tank and aerator but gave it up when the DS's left the nest.

I did make a compost brew out of comfrey this year. Nasty smelling stuff. I don't know whether an aerator would have helped or not.

Larry, I'm sad to say those good ole days are gone round my parts when the historic feed store that was located close by the Santa Fe depot closed. The personel in the new so called feed store, usually don't even know what your talking about. Corn gluten, bone meal, gypsum, dolomite lime? Ya might as well be speaking a foriegn language with these folks. But I will ask if they will order from now on. Thanks for the tip.

Barb

Barbara,

I agree with Matt that it is likely any compost or manure tea would give the same results as the more complicated homemade Indian fertilizer. I use both compost tea and manure tea in my garden and generally don't do anything except stir it. My favorite tea to brew in 5 gallon buckets is alfalfa tea, which the plants love.

I'm doubtful about the claims of doubled yields. It would depend, of course, on the kind of soil you're starting out with. Someone who has very poor soil might see a larger increase in productivity than someone who already has fairly productive soil. Based on personal experience, I have found the best way to increase yields is to grow in raised beds with loose, highly fertile, well-draining soils. It never ceases to amaze me how high production is in beds like that compared to grade-level plants in heavier, slower-draining soil.

You do have to use these fertilizer-type teas judiciously or you can end up with excessive foliar growth, which is great, I guess, if your crop is a leafy crop like lettuce or collard greens, but not so great for plants whose edible crop is not foliage. I have found too much compost tea gives my tomato plants too much foliage relative to fruit/flowers so they only get it occasionally....much less often than other plants do.

Sugar and dry molasses also can be added directly to soil or to compost piles to stimulate microbial activity. They are very useful for that purpose.

Dawn

Dawn...

The idea of mixing up a smelly brew, especially with manure in it is a big turn off, especially when you're supposed to liquify the stuff. I found the comfrey tea I made was probably more nasty smelling than I wanted to deal with again.

I think I'll stick to adding dry ingredients right on top of the soil or lightly incorporating them in...such as the dry molasses, (if I can order it), etc.

I have used comfrey in the bottom of planting holes as well as a mulch on top, around plants, but I suppose the foliage of any dynamic accumulator, such as the alfalfa you mentioned would work about the same to add nutrients? Just maybe a little slower, because they would have to decompose.

Thanks all, for all the info, and to Larry for the comic relief! :)

Barb