Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Manure tea, please!

"Why is a raven like a writing desk?"
The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 

TODAY'S SEEDS OF WISDOM

  • JUST BLOOMED TODAY
  • GARDEN UPDATE
  • MANURE TEA,PLEASE!
  • GARDEN GIGGLE
  • FAUNA
  • GARDEN GAMES
  • FEEDBACK
JUST BLOOMED TODAY
Johnny Jump Up/Viola

Pansies

GARDEN UPDATE
Today I planted my new amaryllis with crossed fingers for next Spring! I mixed chicken and horse manure with MiracleGro potting soil and put the pots in a nice sunny spot in the greenhouse, so we won't have to worry about the frost or hot, hot sun.


Didn't have much damage from those wild, wild winds yesterday...except for my eye, which got something blown into it and caused me to have a major corneal abrasion last night. But plant-wise, everyone came through like a champ, and even the fruit blossoms were spared. The bees have really bee-n working their little stingers off, and most of the blossoms have been pollinated. Looking forward to wonderful fruit again this year.

MANURE TEA, PLEASE!
Every year we make manure tea as a favorite treat for our plants. They adore it, and respond in kind with happy growth.What is manure tea? It is a concoction you make from water and manure, that ferments and makes a wonderful vitamin/mineral boost for your plants. You use the liquified form as a feeding for your plants every once in a while, especially when they are budding or growing.


I first saw manure tea on Martha Stewart's TV show, but she used an old burlap bag and tied it with hemp. Ok, who has HEMP just hanging around???I came up with my favorite alternative which I found at the local 99 cent store. It is a lingerie bag for laundering...you know the kind, a mesh bag to put your dainties in while washing. It's perfect to put your favorite mixture of manure or compost in and then just zip closed. It can be changed every year, or merely thrown away and a new dollar one put in its place. I attach a strong piece of plant wire to the corner and hang it inside the trashcan.

Then merely fill up the trashcan with water (the photo shown above is when I was cleaning out the container to fill with water...you will need to fill it up all the way). Some great alternatives are to add powdered MiracleGro (follow instructions for amounts) and use rainwater as well. Then every day or so, lift up the bag and swish it around. After it ferments for about 2 weeks to a month it will be ready for your plants.


The hubby is an amazing inventor and came up with an ingenious way of storing the manure tea. I'll share it with you! He took an old trashcan (helps if it has handles so you can secure it to a fence or bench), with a loose-fitting lid (you'll need one to keep the mosquito larvae out), and installed a spigot on the bottom so I could utilize all the good stuff on the bottom of the barrel.Then we perched it on an old tree stump for height, and secured it to the bench. Simply put a watering can underneath, turn on the spigot and voila! Liquid gold. Your plants will love you.


GARDEN GIGGLE

FAUNA
Remember, the tea is for the PLANTS 
GARDEN GAMES
Answers Tomorrow :)

FEEDBACK
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1 comment:

Betty said...

If you put a gray wig on the lady drinking tea in today's blog, she would look just like my old neighbor Florence who I saw as a ghost on the lot...Creepy!