Nitrogen is an element that, like no other, can help landings at the stage of their growth. And herbal infusion for plant nutrition is the most economical nitrogenous fertilizer. The green mass in the compost completely decays in just 2-3 months, and even less in the barrel, so every year you will be provided with such useful fertilizing for tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, as well as a suitable component for creating warm beds. Let's talk in more detail about grassy top dressing-infusion in this article.
Pros of herbal infusion
We list the objective advantages of herbal infusion for plant nutrition:
- You get effective fertilizer at virtually no cost.
- This top dressing is pure organics, therefore its use is absolutely harmless.
- According to the effectiveness of herbal infusion, sometimes bypasses the advertised means.
- The fertilizer is universal - in addition to the mentioned peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes, it is also useful for fruit and berry crops.
How to cook herbal infusion for plant nutrition: general recommendations
So, before you knead your first herbal fertilizer, we will present you general recommendations:
- The combination of herbs for feeding can be very different (below we will introduce you to some recipes). Any plant without seeds is suitable - even the same weeds after weeding.
- Average proportions: 1 kg of grass per bucket of water (10 liters).
- Basically, the infusion is fermented in a large barrel. An important point: it is preferable to cover the container with glass, while leaving a gap for air access. So the mass will warm up faster due to direct sunlight and wander more actively. If there is no glass, it can equally be replaced by a black film.
- The grass is coarsely chopped and completely filled with water.
- So that the herbal infusion for plant nutrition does not exude unpleasant odors, microbiological special preparations sold in garden shops are added to the mass.
- Fertilizer is not applied in its pure form! Standard infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10 (top dressing / water).
Important components
And now we will dwell in detail on the important components of the solution:
- Nettle For the best effect, it is advisable to add nettle - it is rich in silicon and a number of trace elements.
- Hay . Fresh hay will be an excellent component for the prevention of fungal diseases in your crops. Before adding to the barrel, fill it with hot water and, after it cools down, place it in the total mass. Active propagation of hay bacillus will begin , and you will end up with an almost equivalent replacement for phytosporin, the enemy of pathogenic microorganisms.
- Yeast or crackers . Another great remedy against fungal diseases is yeast or rye bread crackers. 10 g of yeast is enough for a barrel. Dryers - 0.5 kg. Wet Yeast - 50 g.
- Bone meal or eggshell . A few kilograms of bone meal will enrich your homemade fertilizer with calcium. An alternative is well-dried and ground egg shells. A suitable dosage is 1/2 bucket per barrel.
We now turn to certain recipes for infusions received from experienced gardeners.
Recipe number 1: grass and ash
The fastest and easiest way, but the slurry from the grass for it should already be ready. We will tell you how to dilute the herbal infusion for feeding plants in this case: 2 cups of wood ash and 10 liters of high-temperature water, but not boiling water, are added to the fermented grass. Readiness will come in a day.
Application - an aqueous solution of infusion in the ratio of 3:10.
Recipe number 2: with chalk and jam
How to make herbal infusion for feeding plants using this method? First, prepare the components:
- A mixture of herbs (+ fresh hay - optional).
- 3 pieces of chalk of medium size (alternative - eggshell).
- 250 g of any jam - to speed up fermentation.
- Manure manure (optional).
- 2 cups of wood ash.
Grass is laid on half a barrel - freely, without tamping. Then it is poured with warm water. After all the components are thoroughly mixed and left alone - for 3 days in the hot season, for a week - in cool weather.
For use, the proportion must be observed: 1 liter of such a solution per 10 liters of water.
Recipe number 3: manure, urea and ash
Additional components add value to grassy dressing. In the infusion, it is recommended to put the following:
- 10 cups sifted ash.
- Manure.
- At will - a small amount of bird droppings.
- 10 tbsp. l urea (calculated on a 200-liter barrel).
Two liters of boiling water are poured into the resulting solution, insisted for several hours and then used as intended.
Recipe number 4: with superphosphate
We will share how to make herbal infusion for feeding plants of such a plan:
- Grind freshly cut grass. It is desirable to add as much nettle as possible to the composition.
- For every bucket of grass - a bucket of water. However, the liquid level should not be higher than 20-25 cm to the edge - there is a chance that the fermented solution will "run away" from the container.
- For 10 liters of water - 40-50 g of double superphosphate. Without this component, there is a high probability of potash starvation of plantings.
- Mix all the ingredients, put in the shadow for fermentation. Do not forget to periodically stir the composition in the future.
- After a week, the solution will be completely ready - this will be evidenced by the cessation of foam.
Apply this herbal infusion to feed plants in a ratio of 1: 2: 4 with water.
Recipe number 5: with EM drugs
Prepare the following components:
- Microbiological preparation: Vostok-EM1, Renaissance, Baikal or Bokashi.
- 200 liter plastic barrel - iron is not suitable due to the strongly acid reaction of EM products.
- 5 buckets of grass. Preferred lawn, nettle, bean tops.
- 1-3 kg of dolomite flour.
- 3 kg of bone meal.
Pour all of the above with water, leaving 10-20 cm to the edge, so that the magic solution does not "run away" during fermentation. Cover with glass or black wrap, leave to roam in a sunny place. After 10-15 days, expect the finished fertilizer. It is used in the proportion of 5 liters of solution to 200 liters of water. Thus, barrels of herbal infusion are enough to process 30 hectares of land.
Readiness and Application
When can we talk about the readiness of herbal infusion for plant nutrition? Depending on the ambient temperature, such products can be used within a week after preparation. The specific “aroma”, as well as the formation of foam on the surface, will indicate readiness.
In a pure form, planting is not fed with herbal fertilizer, because the solution is very concentrated, which can negatively affect the roots. It is best used as follows:
- Thoroughly mix the barrel with a stick.
- Scoop the solution, strain it from grass and other components.
- Dilute with clear water 1:10 (infusion / water).
- Perform such dressings with a frequency of once every 7-10 days.
Do not wait until the solution is completely consumed - as the barrel is emptied, fill it with new grass and other components (except manure), fill it with water. So you will have ready-made organic fertilizer all summer.
On universal methods of feeding
After you prepare an aqueous solution of herbal infusion, it's time to apply it to the case:
- Watering cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers is carried out at the rate of 1 bucket for 4-5 bushes.
- Fertilize root crops with an aqueous solution of herbal fertilizer as normal watering. This is best done in the spring, 2 weeks after the emergence of sprouts. Such fertilizer should be systematically used throughout June.
Fertilizing fruit
The product of natural agriculture - herbal infusion for plant nutrition - is among other things useful for fertilizing fruit and berry plantings. Feeding is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Make holes in the soil around the tree with a depth of 50-60 cm with an iron rod or an object like this.
- Prepare top dressing: 1 liter of fertilizer per bush, 2 buckets of infusion per tree older than 5 years. The solution is done in proportion: 1 liter of fertilizer per bucket of water.
- Pour the infusion into the prepared holes - so it will be faster near the roots.
- After fertilizing, it is important to leave the soil well moistened, and then cover it with a dense layer of straw or dry grass.
- An excellent solution would be to periodically carry out such a procedure all season.
To prepare an economical, effective and safe herbal fertilizer infusion, as you have seen, is not so difficult, the main thing is to be the owner of a suitable barrel. The tool is also very versatile - they can fertilize many plantings.