making a manure tea

Discussion in 'Soils, Fertilizers and Composting' started by Jamey, Apr 25, 2007.

  1. Jamey

    Jamey Member

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    I was wondering if you can make a tea from manure, and if yes what type would be the best for this.
     
  2. chimera

    chimera Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    Sheep or cow manure may be good, can be a lot of undigested seeds in horse manure.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2007
  3. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    The method I use is put manures in a hessian or similar bag and make a big teabag out of it. Imerse it in a drum of water and dunk it every couple of days to keep the stuff moving and allowing the manures to mix. Sometimes I leave it for about 4 weeks. Other time I have left it for months at a time. When ready take the bag out and empty the contents on the compost and feed the tea to the plants.

    Liz
     
  4. Artemisia

    Artemisia Member

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    Thank you for sharing that, Liz. So I gather you use it undiluted. I had made some a couple of years ago that I think would have been quite a bit stronger than yours (depending on how much manure you use) and wasn't really sure about how much to dilute it. I wondered more about that since reading in Steve Solomon's "Gardening When It Counts" about making manure or compost tea. He writes (on page 155) to fill a barrel or garbage can with water, dump a bucketful or two of fresh manure or compost into it, and allow it to brew for a week, stirring every few days. He goes on to say "you'll determine how much you need to dilute the tea according to your results in using it". I didn't find that awfully helpful though I understand the inability to be categorical here. Maybe one might want it to look like weak tea?

    A.
     
  5. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I have never diluteed mine but then I don't give each item massive amounts. It's a bit like giving a handful of bone meal (blood and bone). I used chicken, horse, donkey alpaca and some times goat if they had been confined. The bag was the size of a large pillow slip (onion bags work well) and the drum was one of those blue chemical type drums with lids. Only mine was a grey one. So maybe that size it was diluted. I don't think you can cause any harm what ever the strength. Think how much would be there if it went in as just raw manure and dug in.

    Liz
     
  6. Jamey

    Jamey Member

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    Thanks for the info. If you are using mature manure, as sold in a nursery, can you just add water and give it a good stir? Or does it need the fermentation time regardless?
     
  7. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

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    I would leave it sit for a week or so so it really infuses or let's the nutrients out. Think of making tea. The longer you leave it the better /stronger it gets

    http://www.ehow.com/how_14654_make-manure-tea.html

    I don't have to do the step about straining it. I have just been looking at my tank for rain water (small one) actualy more a barrel and it has a tap in it. I think I will get number one son to put a tap in my manure barrell then I can just syphone it off.

    Here you go even comes with recipes.

    http://www.rittenhouse.ca/hortmag/Bruce/ManureTea.asp

    I should also say that the use of liquid fertilizer of the organic kind was being used on freshly mowen fields when I was back in Switzerland on a visit. They don't tell you about the delightful perfume this emmits in the travel shows.
    Liz
     
  8. Artemisia

    Artemisia Member

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    Thanks again, Liz.

    A.
     

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