Fermented plant extracts

[jaykush]

i just wanted to make a point to everyone on how safe these plant extracts are.

we all know how sensitive frogs are to chemicals and nasty stuff right? well there was two tree frogs swimming in my camellia flower FPE this morning before i applied. happy as can be, i wonder what they were eating.

 

[GoneRooty]

Jay, it was a frog day spa.

 

[Scrappy4]

i just wanted to make a point to everyone on how safe these plant extracts are.

we all know how sensitive frogs are to chemicals and nasty stuff right? well there was two tree frogs swimming in my camellia flower FPE this morning before i applied. happy as can be, i wonder what they were eating.

You would get more frog legs if you only tried AN....

 

[jaykush]

You would get more frog legs if you only tried AN....

now why didnt i think of that, i must go to the store right now and buy some. how much do you think i need? a couple hundred dollars?

 

[TACOE]

been using nettle, yarrow, lavender fpe's. Comfrey has been fermenting for over a month.. will try her out when i have time.

The nettle has been a great way to start getting little seedlings (lettuce, brassicas) used to ferts before xplanting or feeding fish.

Earlier this season I made clover as well as vetch fpe's. Nothing negative to say there.

Harvested a bunch of dill to test out.. I think it's high in copper or maybe it's sulfur.. maybe pest deterrent properties?
Also will be trying Lambs quarters (broad spectrum), and tansy (K) before the summer ends.
food for thought

hope everyone is enjoying success with their various FPE's.
Cannot WAIT for this summer to be over!
overwork + paranoia = a mess.

 

[jaykush]

be careful with tansy, its highly toxic.

 

[Stankie]

I removed 4 patches of Iris from my front walk last weekend. I saved the rhizomes and am planning on making at least one FPE from them. I have over 5 gallons of rhizomes. Anybody have any thoughts/warnings/'go for it'?

I have never cared for Irises. Ever since I was a kid, they just don't do it for me. Plus mine barely flowered and were FULL of grass.

 

[jaykush]

why iris? have you done any research on it?

lately everyone seems to be thinking anything and everything makes good FPE.

when really the random stuff makes far better compost.

and good compost grows far better pot with less effort.

 

[charlieD]

I made yarrow and mulberry leave FPE's with lacto b that still had milk solids in it, and now the finished product has a "sour milk" smell, along with the their own smell. Are these still usable? Thanks in advance for any help, oh and do nettle roots have a pepper-minty smell to them?

 

[jaykush]

yes you can still use it.

but why didnt you strain it first?

 

[charlieD]

Thanks for the answer Jay! I did strain it, twice actually, I think I was trying to get too much solution because my second run of lacto doesn't have near as much in it. Once again thanks, and if it wasn't for you I wouldn't be employing these wonderful, free, organic techniques.

 

[redneck shogun]

I'm not sure if it has been covered yet, may have I just don't remember, but what would you (anyone) recommend as an FPE to help with shock from up-potting in veg and early flower? Or is this just a fantasy?

 

[jaykush]

first off you shouldnt have shock, the plant should rejoice for its fresh soil and explode with growth.

that said, EWC slurry deals with those problems well.

 

[descivii]

Anybody do the traditional full season anaerobic compost pool?

 

[johnnybsmokin]

Hey all

Thought Id'e share a couple of pics with you of my comfrey and yarrow plants that are doing nicely in the garden.

As you can see the yarrow is starting to flower



And some nice leaves on the comfrey




Now the comfrey has had a hair cut since the photo was taken and the leaves are now "fermenting" to give me a nice FPE and prob next week it will be the yarrows turn for a hair cut as well.

So a question for Jaykush, is it best with the yarrow to wiat untill it blooms to cut and ferment or doesn't it really matter???

Can't wait to try out the new FPE's when they are done. Iv'e been using and alfalfa FPE now for the last month or so as well with good results

Thanks all for the info in this thread, great stuff.

Cheers Johnny

 

[TACOE]

I'm certainly no jaykush. But I believe he has said that blooms are loaded with nutes *(not that the other parts are not). I think he also suggests taking the whole plant (leaves stems and flowers) and ferment the whole shebang. Not necessary to wait for bloom. But your fpe would benefit from the blooms I'd say.*

Just regurgitating what I've learned.
*Good move growing ur own. I'd guess theres some benefit to that over wild roadside harvesting where u don't know what kinda stuff those plants are sucking up. Lord knows they suck up alot.

 

[jaykush]

as always my answer is it depends. it depends if you want it for veg or flower. for flower stick with the blooms and blooms that have set seed. for veg stick with the leaves. or like tacoe said, you can just do all of it.

if you dont have blooms dont worry. fpe from yarrow leaves is good stuff.

 

[mapinguari]

jaykush, and anyone else: that one cool site (http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/) says lettuce and brassicas are high in K. You ever hear about, or try, using that kind of plant for a flowering nute / foliar? I have lots of flowering / seeding arugula, bok choy, and several kinds of lettuce. If you haven't heard of it, can you think of any reason not to experiment with it?

 

[jaykush]

i use lettuce as a living mulch and kale as a fpe and powdered plant meal.

 

[TACOE]

Pretty cool use for 2 veggies, jk! *Kale is defo my all time fave veggie. *Easy growing, very healthy, great all around.
Many weeds (or at least accumulators), it seems to me, are high in K. Check out that bio accumulator chart link that CC posted somewhere, in this thread I think. Wish I could repost it, but Internet's too slow. I saved the page to my documents. Definitely a good reference. If you look for that link, also look for the farmacy query link. Very detailed list of chemicals in all sorts of plants.*

Edit: Ignore that whole second part lol.. Just realized we are referencig the same link
Still good use for kale and lett.