Organic Fanatic Collective

[ThaiPhoon]

I use rice husk charcoal in my soil. It is perfect because there's no need to crush it! I mix it in with compost and also add a few handfuls of it to each pot. There are other post about tera preta WAYYY back in this thread as well.

Organics is so simple and it is the RIGHT way to grow - outdoors for sure! Modern agriculture is destroying the earth - interestingly enough, the big chem industries responsible for creating the chemy ferts are also at least partly responsible for the prohibition of our beloved plant...go figure....

Peace

 

[Suby]

Hello all!

I am glad to see some familiar faces in the OFC

I am thinking about trying to make some of this Terra Preta, I'd like to use rice husk charcoal as my friend TP suggest!

I have a batch of plants about 1/2 way through flowering in my revised mix that includes 1/3 coco for 1/3 perlite and 1/3 Promix HP, so far the results have been very good.
I have them flowering in 5 gallons of this mix a piece, the big paint bucket kind, there is no way they will fully root those bad boys.
I had them vegging in this same mix but I hit a snag, coco makes alot more N available so the amounts in my original mix will have to be cut down quite a bit like a little more than half, but I picked up on it early and was able to fix it with a few applications of bacerial tea.
So far the mix dries out faster which is good seing as they are in the 5gals, it takes about 3weeks for them to dry out enough to water, we'll see if this changes later in flowering.

Spirulina, I will have to pick some up and some powdered milk and work on some fungal teas, I'm still missing neptunes Harvest, the only hydrolized form of fish emulsion I can find on the web.

Suby

 

[Guest]

Thanks Silver Surfer. I think it was you who gave me several links when i first mentioned tera preta in a thread to see if you folks knew of it.

Charcoal dust huh, and here's me thinking granules would work (probably will). Nice to find out I should wet it for safety's sake. Be worth mentioning this safety aspect if we find recipes we like and pass them on. I'll even get a dust mask when I make it I think, got to save me lungs for a wee hobby of mine.

Rice husks is interesting. The redistribution of most crop 'waste' into charcoal would be similar, nice fine charcoal. Now how to rig up a solar charcoal maker without breaking the bank or uglifying the yard.

One thing the modern research suggests is that no noticeable difference will be seen in the first year. It's the next year and on where tera preta shines through with faster growth and increased yields. I think by the second year the rhizosphere has sorted out a good diverse community, the soil structure may heal a lot faster (1 year), increased humus would be a big player, nutrients on standby in the charcoal, michorizal network developed...

So I'm thinking it's more of a 'no till' method of growing. Or no fresh dirt mix every grow...

Not trying to be a bastard, just worth consideration when seeing what this stuff does.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

No worries BongSong.

Definately going to make me some of the black earth. Think i will add a half cup of bat guano for P along with the fish emulsion and kelp...

A nice mix with my compost, azomite, coco and perlite sounds in order

Where do ya reckon i might find rice-husk charcoal?

 

[Guest]

Where do ya reckon i might find rice-husk charcoal?

We don't grow rice in this country sorry can't help you there. I'm learning how to though, I want to add starch to my crops and most root veggies don't work in Aquaponics (large plant, no tubers).

Peanut shells'd make easy charcoal, other nut shells, all the macadamia shells that the rats got to out back would work...

I'm thinking I could start a small fire in a trench with tinder dry mulch/shells/husks thrown on then green leaves, let the material get burnt but not burnt off, and cover back in with dirt. Not practical in gardens bordering my house...

 

[Suby]

Covering the Basics

Covering the Basics

I was surfing this morning and fell of this article at this site:Organa
I felt it covered alot of sunjects and aspects I am still learning about very quickly and effectively.
I think this is a good read for those just starting out in the organic game.

Nature's Balance = Sustainability
For the first 5 billion years of the earth's history, the laws of nature and sustainability were the mechanism of soil creation and maintenance. Because of ignorance, ancient farmers did not appreciate these laws. History abounds with examples of productive, organically rich topsoil being devastated by unenlightened farmers, resulting in the downfall of entire civilizations.

Learning lessons from these failures, some cultures devised ways to enrich the soil with simple agriculture practices. They created new techniques and learned how soil-building amendments lead the way to "sustainable agriculture."

Sustainable Agriculture:
The practice of applying and cultivating quality soil, building organic materials and nurturing the natural flora, fauna and other natural life forms of the soil, for which there are in excess of one million in a healthy soil.

Letting nature alone, soil is built at the rate of one inch per thousand years. Using quality products properly and intelligently, this process can be sped up dramatically, and even soils that have been abused can be repaired quickly. The creation of a sustainable soil is greatly accelerated with the use of KELP, SAPONIN, and GYPSUM. Properly used, these products will create sustainable soils within a year or less.

In the last century the American farmer has lost about fifty percent of the prime farming top soil. The United States loses about 28 billion tons of top soil per year -- that's about 22,000 square miles, six inches deep. At this rate, the United States will run out of top soil long before it does petroleum. As with many ancient cultures, the American farmer will have to reject the current quick-fix system of chemical over-dependence, lest we repeat the mistakes of the ancient farmers.

Dirt is just dead stuff; Sustainable Soil is Alive
Healthy sustainable soil is a fragile, balanced community of unique life forms and nutrients. These life forms will produce or supply all the nutrients necessary for plants to thrive and reach optimum production.

This scientific recipe for one acre of sustainable soil contains all the elements of natural organic life needed to sustain itself. Rich organic soil has a minimum of ten to twelve percent quality organic content. The soils of the American southwest are usually less than one percent. By adding quality organic matter to the soil at a level of at least 6 percent, the soil can grow up to the twelve percent level rapidly. Please note: wood chip products do not qualify as quality organic content.

Sustainable, Healthy, Organic Soil Will Produce Plants With:

Greater Root Volume
Deeper Roots
More-Efficient Uptake of Nutrients
Inherent Disease Resistance
Higher Yield
Higher Quality Plants and Flowers
Natural Stress Resistance to Heat/Cold/Drought/Transplant/Harvest
Natural Resistance to Pests/Blight/Insects
Low Maintenance Costs
Water Efficiency (up to 70-90% savings)
Non-Toxic/Safe for Children and Pets
Food with Flavor, Nutrition, and Texture
Chemical Free
Stronger Stems, Less Wind and Rain Loss
Longer Shelf Life for Fruit and Flowers
Retain More Water in Plants and Soil
Lose Less Soil Irrigation to Evaporation
There is a difference between Organic Farming and
Sustainable Farming and Gardening
Not all organic products contribute to the goal of sustainability; in fact, the improper use of many of the most common garden products, such as wood-based amendments, brown and green waste and manures, are often detrimental to the goal of sustainability. Many organic gardeners and farmers feel all organic products are good for the soil. This is not true -- many popular garden products effect the soil very negatively.

It is a Scientific Fact:
The introduction of commercial fertilizers, wood-based organic products, manures and contaminated water into sustainable organic soils can, in time, impede plant growth and damage the soil. Continued use and over-use will seriously impair and eventually sterilize the soil. (Certain specific conditions may require some fertilizer enhancements.)

The more chemicals you use,
the fewer worms you will have helping you.
Undesirable Products
Wood-chip products
Wood products (including those found in most commercial potting soils and "composts" are composed of about 98% cellulose (carbon fibers) and 2% nutrients. This carbon fiber needs substantial quantities of nitrogen to break down, requiring high-nitrogen chemical fertilizers to supplement the natural sources of organic nitrogen.

Manures
Long-time friend of the organic gardener, manure has many problems that need to be understood if it is used on a regular basis.

All manures are high in salt; in heavy-clay soils salt buildup will be a major concern.
Commercial manures may have very high concentrations of antibiotics; these drugs pass through the animal's gut and are present in their manures. A major part of the success of sustainability is the building up of bacteria populations; commercial manures can impede this process.
Manures offer very short-term gain in a very limited number of nutrients.
Many commercial chicken producers are switching from drugs to arsenic for disease control.
Dead Dirt and Rotten Balls -- Stop the Insanity!
You probably have dead dirt, and you plants have rotten dirt balls. This is so typical of the gardeners, farmers and growers that come to seek our services. Dirt without life is just dead stuff, and typically the gardener and farmer will try to save their plants by over-fertilizing and over-watering. This is the prescription for doom and unhealthy plants and trees. We have even seen growers so desperate in their search for a miracle in a box that they directly inject phosphoric acid into the trunk of the trees to force them to grow roots in an vain attempt to save them. This is not necessary if you have sustainable soil.

Dead dirt wastes in excess of 90% of the water that is poured on it. If water just sits on top of the dirt, your soil is dead! In this condition, over 90% of chemical fertilizers will never see the root ball of the plant. Sustainable soil transports the water into the root zone, and will naturally manufacture its own fertilizer, all for free! (Praise the Worms!)

The typical gardener that uses the miracle in a box has lots of other boxes and bottles of miracles in a storage closet -- and some of those miracles are very expensive. The major difference with the sustainable gardener is that their closet is loaded with canned fruits and goodies from a productive harvest!

Commercial farmers kill the soil to grow crops;
Sustainable farmers grow the soil and harvest life.
It's Alive -- And it's Warm!
Sustainable soil is alive and bustling with activity -- over one million life forms are in a healthy soil. They range in size from so small that you need an electron microscope to see them, up to the blessed worms. All this life generates heat, and when you scoop a handful of good sustainable soil on a cool morning it will be warm to the touch. That is how old farmers could tell when their soil was ready for planting. On the other hand, dead dirt is literally stone dead cold.

Water and Air -- The Fuel of Life
Water and air are the fuel of all life on this blessed planet, including life in your garden. Your garden needs a critical balance of each to remain healthy and productive. Dead dirt is usually dry and lifeless at depths over one inch.

How Much Water -- and How Often
To start your garden off to sustainability, we recommend treating your soil with saponin and kelp extracts. The saponin will allow the water to percolate deeply and the kelp will feed your soil's dormant micro-organisms. Remember, we want to create a zone of life from your current one-inch deep (or less) to over eight inches. A 1000-sq. ft. area contains approximately 25 tons of dead dirt and initially we will need a lot of water to bring it back to life.

The good news is that after the soil is alive, your water usage will be drastically reduced. After your soil is alive and achieves sustainability, you should expect a 70% to 90% reduction of your water bill, and if your sewer bill is determined by your water usage (as it is here in Southern California), your savings will be tremendous!

After achieving sustainability, you will water rarely, but when you do it will be a deep watering. The best test is to take a spade and dig a plug out of the soil to a depth of 6-8 inches and check the moisture content. You should be able to cut down the number of waterings from daily, to twice a week in the summer, once a week in the fall and spring, and once a month or not at all in the winter, depending on the rainfall you receive). The actual number is dependent on many factors, so always test the soil and use good common sense. Look at your yard in the early morning; if the plants are limp and appear to be stressed, they probably need water. After testing the soil physically and determining that it is time to water, water it deeply -- at least one to two gallons per square foot.

Air -- All Life Below the Surface Breathes It
We can't stress enough the integral need for the successful sustainable gardener or farmer to be able to manage the water and air requirements of the soil. The ritual of daily watering dictated by an electronic timer is a miracle of electrical engineering, but is the kiss of death to the soil. Daily watering actually puts a water barrier at the surface and impedes the flow of air to the million-plus life forms that need it to thrive, and help you reach sustainability. Daily applications of water also deposits lots of chemicals from the city water supplies. It is these chemicals that form the white scum that you see on your dead dirt.

Look at your garden after a good rain and notice the worms on the surface; they come to the surface because they need air to live. The worms are lucky because they are highly mobile and can do this; many other life forms die because the soil will not pass the water and continue the flow of air to sustain them. During times of flood, crops can last only a few short days before suffocating.

Plants Derive Nutrition From the Air
When you have healthy, organic soil that is teeming with biological life, those life forms actually pull nutrition from the air itself. The atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen, and bacteriological forces will use that as a source of nitrogen for your plants, reducing the need to add chemical nitrogen fertilizers. The trees and plants in your yard are about 50% carbon, yet nobody fertilizes with charcoal. So where does this carbon come from? This structural carbon is pulled by the plant from the carbon dioxide in the air. And healthy plants and soils are more efficient at breathing in these vital components.

They Want to Live
All life forms want to live. For five billion years the planet did very well -- before man arrived, anyway. It is humans, all of us, who have harmed the planet. Sustainability is nature's way, and to reach it you need at little more care, a little time, some simple logic, and respect for all life forms, big and very small. If you follow the simple and logical recommendations we have written about in this booklet, you will have a very successful growing experience, and your land will respond and meet your expectations.

The Power of "UN" -- (Please Don't Use the "F" Word)
To become organically balanced, your "dead dirt" needs to be UN-fertilized with organic products that will biologically accelerate this process in a sane and scientifically sound method, respecting the laws of nature and not the stockholders of chemical companies.

Give a person a fish and they will eat for the day; give them a fishing pole and they will never go hungry. This is the approach ORGANA promotes. Our methods and products promote the expansion of natural life forms in your soil in the same organic way that mother nature has done for billions of years, long before there were "Miracles in Boxes."

The power of "UN-fertilizing" will also help repair massive damage to the environment caused by chemical fertilizers. This pollution is particularly damaging to unborn and young children. On our website we have posted a Newsweek article about the 139 dead zones in the continental United States, and other information about environmental damage from over-fertilized soil.
Preparing Your Soil for Sustainability

Before You Start
It is important and wise to obtain a Science Report on your soil. Organa Corporation is a world leader in the sustainable movement and we always recommend a Science Report before starting a job. A simple, low-cost soil and water test can save many dollars and lots of frustration for the grower, farmer and home gardener.

In our experience, most labs are in the business solely to sell you chemicals. They give you a report on the inorganic matter in your soil, and sell you more of that. They don't even consider that the most important component of the soil is the living organic matter. When we examine most soils with this in mind, we see an over-abundance of chemical fertilizers and toxins in the ground and very little organic matter.

Think of your car with a full tank of gas, but no spark plugs in the engine. You can put all the extra gas cans in the trunk and the back seat, but until you put the spark plugs back into the engine, you're not going anywhere. All the nutrients in the world are worthless without the spark of life from the millions-plus living organisms of the soil. Without the spark, you will produce only inferior, weak and under-developed plants.
The best soil scientist in the USA is Dr. Garn Wallace, founder of the Wallace Lab, 365 Coral Circle, El Segundo, California 90245. You can reach Dr. Wallace at 800-GREEN 99. The Wallace Lab specializes in the analysis of the healthy relationship between nutrients and life forms. There are few other labs that are able to do that.

Working the Soil
There is no substitute to working the soil. American farmers and their children have left the farm because working the soil is lots of hard work. We offer no miracles in a box; to get to sustainability you must work the soil! After you have created a sustainable soil system, then the worms and bacteria take over and they work the soil. Praise the worms!

All of the recommended products should be tilled or worked into the soil, the goal being to make the soil as homogenous as possible, giving the roots an even source of nutrients and life forces. Remember, nature takes the path of least resistance, and homogenous soil is easy for roots to work in. You want to encourage the plant to spread as many roots as possible; the general health of the plant is dependent upon this. The worst thing to do is to use drip irrigation and dropping a couple of fertilizer tablets into a hole near the plant. This is a formula for root rot, and the eventual demise of the plant.

Potting Soils Are Dead Too
If you're one of those that think you can't grow a healthy plant and you've killed all the ones you have bought, what you don't know is that many plants at the garden center are speed grown in chemical factories and are ready to die once they leave the store. After you transplant it in your dead dirt or sterile potting soil it hasn't got a chance. The truth is, they were destined to die, and even the very experienced grower has a problem keeping them alive. Virtually all bagged soils are dead and sterile. Some come with chemical fertilizers, but they leach out quickly and the plants usually go into decline and die. The solution for many home owners who want indoor plants is to purchase silk plants. Well, now you can trade your silk plants in for real ones.

Potting soil can also be activated organically to provide much of the nutrition need to grow healthy plants When you buy bagged soil, also purchase Organa's POTTING SOIL ACTIVATOR KIT, with all the components necessary for you to have very healthy potted plants.

Beware of Advertising Hype (Chemical and Organic alike!)
All gardeners are faced with a long list of products and elements deemed "necessary" for the health of their soil and plants; you almost need a degree in chemistry to understand some of the claims. While much of this information is true, often times you are told only enough of the story to get you to buy something. The truth is, healthy organic soil will produce most of these things naturally, and a fried chemical soil will just as surely destroy them. Here is some of the truth behind the hype.

The "Miracle in a Box" Isn't
At the garden center we are bombarded with an endless ocean of chemical products. Most make outrageous claims, or deem themselves "miracles," when what they are selling you is poisonous, hazardous, and full of warnings. Which Miracle in which Box are you supposed to use? Or do you need to use any at all?

At extremely low rates chemical fertilizers are okay to use, and will give healthy soil a slight boost. The major problem is that most gardeners have "dead dirt" to start, and the use of high-powered chemical fertilizers just fries the life out of the soil and will certainly prevent necessary soil fauna from establishing. A very slight overdose of chemicals starts the decline of natural fauna, and as the dirt dies, the gardener must turn to a new and more powerful fertilizer, and the race goes on till the soil is fried and sterile.

NPK
Real, "happy soil" -- that is, soil "Organically Balanced" and in harmony with the laws of Mother Nature -- isn't triple 5, or triple 10, and surely not 46-0-0. Rather it is N (Nitrogen) 0.05, P (Phosphorus) 0.01 , K (Potassium) 0.03, along with millions of other natural nutrients and microorganisms. It's been that way for about 5 billion years. The terms NPK, Ec and pH are buzz-words of the 4 trillion dollar chemical industry, and they do their best to make you think that this is all you need to grow plants. The bottom line: if you use too much NPK, youre wasting your money and frying your soil.

Humic acid
The need for humic acid is thrown around a lot in the organic marketplace. The truth is that an organic and healthy soil will produce 30,000 lbs. of humic acid per acre annually. If you already have dead dirt the addition of any product with humic acid is, in real science, futile. If you have a healthy soil it is already producing all the humic acid that you need. Save your money.

Mycorrhizal Fungi
There are thousands of research studies on mycorrhizal fungi, and the benefit of this necessary form of microfauna is not in question. Science has identified at least 100,000 form of mycorrhiza in nature. The question is, does adding a few forms of mycorrhiza to dead dirt give any reasonable benefit to the soil, or is it just organic advertising hype? Healthy soil will naturally create all the mycorrhiza that your plants need, and if your dirt is dead or struggling, adding a few spores has questionable results. Mycorrhiza have a very limited shelf life and there is doubt that they can be kept alive in a package for more than a two weeks. The bottom line: save your money and let your "happy soil" build them naturally.

Vitamin B
The need for Vitamin B is pure snake oil; plants manufacture vitamins, they don't take them in. No real studies support these products and their claims. Save your money.

Nitrogen and Oxygen Products
All living things that require nitrogen and oxygen have created the life-support systems to supply them in abundance. If you need to add them to your soil, your soil is dead. All the nitrogen and oxygen a plant needs is available from the air, but it needs the help of the millions of microfauna found in healthy soil. Healthy, organic soil is teeming with these little helpers that are continually pulling nutrients from the air, making them available to the plants. Save your money and build "happy soil."

Worms will produce 18 tons of organic fertilizer
per year, per acre. The more worms that you have,
the less you have to work the soil.
The Organic Revolution is Here
Begun in the early 1980s, ORGANA is a recognized world leader in the organic revolution. At our core we are a science company, and the reason we get such good results is that we practice sound organic principals that have a sound basis in real science. Our products are used by commercial growers, landscape professionals, and city, county, and federal governments. ORGANA is not just more stuff in a box; our products get real results because they are designed using sound scientific principles.

Products from Nature That Help Build Sustainable Soil
KELP is one of the world's most nutritious vegetables. Eons have washed bits of all the minerals of the earth into the sea, and kelp -- hydroponically grown in the world's oceans -- is a living filter for these minerals. Adding kelp to your soil adds back trace amounts of the earth's mineral wealth. Coastal farmers for centuries have harvested kelp from the beaches and added it to their soil, turning once-barren beach sand into productive fields. Unlike all land plants which build cellulose for support, kelp does not -- because it floats in the water. As such, the protoplasm of the kelp is very low in cellulose -- about 3%, compared to wood products at 95%+ cellulose. This is important for a soil amendment because cellulose requires nitrogen to break down -- nitrogen that your plants need for their growth. Instead of cellulose, kelp's structure is composed primarily of sugars and carbohydrates that easily break down to make kelp's rich nutrients quickly available to the soil.

SAPONIN is derived from cultivated desert yucca, a plant that lives and even thrives in locations that have meager soil nutrients, scarce water and the stress of extreme hot and cold temperatures. Yucca, also called the "soap plant," has developed a special plant compound called saponin, a natural surfactant that helps water penetrate deeper into dry soil, dissolve soil nutrients, and provide for air circulation underground. These are important elements if you wish your soil's micro flora and fauna to flourish. In the desert, yuccas will be surrounded by colonies of other plants, all benefiting from the power of saponin.

GYPSUM easily gives you the biggest bang for your buck. For many reasons, gypsum can be considered the farmer’s and gardener's best friend. Over thirty benefits from its use on the land have been documented. It is a very important building component in the goal to reach sustainability. Gypsum is generally applied yearly at the rate of 10 pounds per one-hundred square feet. The best time to apply gypsum is just before the winter rains start. As the gypsum washes down into the soil you will get full benefit of the product. Annual cost to treat the soil with gypsum is about 1¢ per square foot.

Organa uses only pure, mined gypsum, and not recycled wallboard that appears in some commercial-grade garden products.

ALOE has long been used as an agent for increasing cell-wall permeability, allowing for better absorption of nutrients right into the cells of the leaves, stems, and roots of your plants.

WORM COMPOST is vitally rich source of readily assimilable nutrition for your plants. This compost contains the by-product of organic materials that have been digested and left behind by Mother Nature's little miracle workers.

FEATHER MEAL, BLOOD MEAL, BONE MEAL and CHICKEN COMPOST provide nitrogen and other micronutrients to your soil, breaking down at varying rates for timed release of nutrients, and supplying a steady source of nitrogen needed to break down the wood pulp found in most "organic" composts.

Enjoy!

Suby

 

[quadracer]

I went Nettle hunting around my house yesterday looking for this plant that makes excellent teas and compost. I found a few growing around a creek but didn't take any, but then on the path home came across a huge patch.

At any rate, my arm is still tingling, even while wearing gloves. I threw a bunch in the compost pile, and saved the few that appeared to have flowered (for seeds later). Is there a good recipe for Nettle tea?

 

[Suby]

From the few recipies I've seen it involves filling a barrel to the top with leaves and then filling it with water.
It smells so outside is better..or if maried essential .
I think the fermenting of the leaves also help the extractiob but I'm not sure of this.
It also works great in compost piles and even in worm bins I have been told.

Suby

Nettle herb
Nettle is native to temperate regions of Europe and Asia. Nettle is now widely distributed throughout the world. Nettle is a member of the Urticaceae family, which includes as many as 500 species worldwide. Many species of Nettle are tropical. The stinging Nettle - Urtica dioica grows wild in nitrogen-rich soil. It grows abundantly in waste ground, hedgerows, ditches and gardens. Often considered a nuisance and weed it is important to the life cycle of many insects and holds great value as a "Natural Healer". Nettles have a long history of use in the home as a herbal remedy and nutritious addition to the diet.
The Nettle has long been valued as a medicinal and nutritional treasure. Nettle is rich in chlorophyll, and a good source of beta carotene; vitamins A, C, and E; tannins; iron; calcium; phosphates; and various other minerals, especially silica. Nettle has astringent, expectorant, galactagogue milk producing, tonic, anti-inflammatory, hemostatic, and diuretic properties. The active ingredients of Nettle include water-soluble polysaccharides that stimulate the immune system, and large protein-sugar molecules known as lectins. The entire plant of Nettle may be used in various medicinal preparations.
BENEFITS OF NETTLE
Nettle has a long history of medical use. The Romans used to rub the leaves of Nettle on their bodies to restore circulation to limbs numbed by the winters. Nettle also contains vitamin C and iron, and increases the absorption of the latter. This makes it useful in cases of iron deficiency related illnesses according to research. Studies show that nettle is a circulatory stimulant, helps prevent haemorrhaging and can be used in treating nose bleeds. Nettle tea offers great relief to hayfever symptoms. This is probably due to the nettles antihistamine qualities. Nettle is also been known to mildly lower blood sugar levels.
Nettle root blocks two enzymes, 5a-reductase, which makes the dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and aromatase enzyme, which makes estrogens. Studies showed that Nettle root extract was efficient in inhibiting these two enzymes.
An infusion of the plant is very valuable in stemming internal bleeding. Nettle is also used to treat anaemia, excessive menstruation, hemorrhoids, arthritis, rheumatism and skin complaints, especially eczema. Externally, the plant is used to treat skin complaints, arthritic pain, gout, sciatica, neuralgia, hemorrhoids and hair problems.The fresh leaves of Nettle have been rubbed or beaten onto the skin in the treatment of rheumatism. This practice, called urtification, causes intense irritation to the skin as it is stung by the Nettle. The formic acid from the Nettle is believed to have a beneficial effect upon the rheumatic joints. For medicinal purposes, the plant is best harvested in May or June as it is coming into flower and dried for later use.
Nettle leaf has recently become a popular treatment for allergies based on one preliminary study. Nettle leaf is highly nutritious, and in cooked form may be used as a general dietary supplement.

I was wondering about this myself. I found a little on it on the net and in reading 'Gardening for Life' by Maria Thun. I've added a small sample below.
From www.frenchgardening.com:
In France, bodies of serious research exist supporting the various benefits of applying nettle tea to your plants. Much as is the case for kelp emulsion, nettle tea seems to stimulate the 'immune system' of plants, making them more resistant to insect and disease attacks. Perhaps this effect is due to no more than the fact that the plant is in a state of optimal and balanced nutrition. (More on the site)
From:http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/organic/44253
Liquid manures and herbal teas are complementary in BD. Make liquid manures by fermenting an assortment of herb plants jointly with fish or seaweed extracts. Make herbal teas from only one fermented herb plant. Many reasons necessitate using these fermented products. Biological and dynamic processes in the garden include soluble nutrients, aids plant growth and disease prevention, supports earthly and cosmic forces.
Liquid extracts also aid the microbial life in the soil, roots (rhizosphere) and leaves (phyllosphere). Liquid manure and herbal teas aid the phyllosphere as cover crops aid the rhizosphere. Beneficial microbes aid in competing against disease-causing microbes. Biological extract's foliage sprayed may cause an entire plant response called induced resistance.
Uses from Thun: nettles can be used to counteract pests (larval and caterpillar infestation) and to stimulate growth. etc

 

[jaykush]

I went Nettle hunting around my house yesterday looking for this plant that makes excellent teas and compost. I found a few growing around a creek but didn't take any, but then on the path home came across a huge patch.

At any rate, my arm is still tingling, even while wearing gloves. I threw a bunch in the compost pile, and saved the few that appeared to have flowered (for seeds later). Is there a good recipe for Nettle tea?

thats good to hear quadracer. it always brings a smile to my face when i find a nice new giant patch of nettles.

youll get used to the sting and actually it helps you out in a way. the liquid the stingers let loose bring toxins in your skin to the surface or something of the sort. it was used back in the day for treating bug bites and rashes. im with you though its a bit of a pain in the ass to deal with but it only last 30 mins.

if you throw some nettles in your compost i would wet them down and bruse them to break the cells of the leaves some, it helps heat up the compost like crazy. i got a few thousand if not 10,000 seeds from one nettle plant this year. already have a few started outside. as for recipes.

1 bucket
1/4 full of chopped nettles ( not flowering preferably)
soak for a week or two.
strain and dilute and apply to the plants.
they love it as a liquid feed.
as a foliar spray it helps the plant fight pests and disease.

you could also add a few fresh leaves to your teas or even a 1/4 cup or so of the liquid feed will work.

its also a key part of the quick return compost activator that works wonders.

 

[quadracer]

Thanks for the information, Suby and Jaykush. I've been collecting rainwater and soaking comfrey in it, so it's good to hear I can do the same with nettle.

As for the compost activator, nettle was the one of the last ingredients I needed to get. Now all I need to do is finish filling the compost pile.

I also was able to find some more comfrey root locally, so I will have 12 or so roots to start a nice patch. A comfrey/nettle patch would be great, just cut it half down and watch it grow back.

 

[Suby]

They cab be pretty agressive weeds so think about keeping them in pots so they are easier o control, once their roots establish it's a difficult plant to remove completely.

S

 

[Suby]

Another article i liked, it contained a little focus on fungal and bacterial teas

What are the Benefits of Aerated Compost Teas vs. Classic Teas?
Aerated compost teas are the latest in scientific organic research today. In many ways, aerated teas offer greater immediate benefits than classic compost, manure, or other homemade foliar teas. Just by applying a cheap aquarium air pump to a 5 gallon bucket of tea, you can get amazing results. (Cheap, inexpensive aquarium airstones are also recommended to be applied to the hose in the water. This produces a better distribution of smaller air bubbles to make the aerobic soil/comosting microbes breed better.) Instead of just brewing teas for quick valuable water soluble nutrients from the compost or manure, you can breed a larger population of beneficial aerobic bacteria and fungi in the tea. It is the microherd in our soil, compost, and teas, that is really more important in soil development and disease control than just the soluble nutrients. Aerobic microherd populations reduce offensive smells in compost piles, the compost teas, and the soil. Aerobic microherd also break down bad poisons and pathogens into safe nutrients in hot compost piles and aerated compost teas. Diluted anaerobic compost or manure teas are great liquid fertilizers and disease controllers also. Many people prefer the anaerobic teas better because they are simpler and easier to design and apply. However, recent research has proven that the aerobic microherd populations fight diseases and bad soil and plant pathogens better and supply more power to your soil's total health and texture. Keep in mind that all types of organic and natural foliar teas are designed to complement and enhance, not replace, basic composting, green manuring, and organic mulching techinques in your garden. The soil microherd continue over months and years to eat up insoluble OM in the existing soil and the extra soil amendments and break them down into more available soluble nutrients for plants later in the year.

Technically even in un-aerated teas there is still some aerobic action taking place for several days. All fungi is aerobic. Some bacteria are totally aerobic, some bacteria are totally anaerobic, and some bacteria can act both aerobic or anerobic based on the soil or tea environment. Un-aerated teas can continue to keep alive some aerobic or aerobic/anaerobic microbes, for up to 10 days in a watery solution. After 10 days, the whole un-aerated tea will contain only anerobic microbes.


You can expect different microbial population levels in your tea based on weather, climate, temperature, seasons, etc. In the summertime you can expect your teas to brew faster and get to your optimal microbial levels faster than in cooler fall weather. Also tea odors, color, and foaminess on top of the tea, will vary based on temperatures too.


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There are several different levels of teas as well as different recipes and styles. Here is the simple steps as outlined by one of our own GardwenWeb members who is an expert on teas and compost. This is a brief description of the different strength levels of tea making as outlined by "BILL_G" :


Level 1: Put a shovel full of good compost in a 5 gallon bucket of water, wait one week, and apply to garden or lawn either full strength or up to a 1:4 water ratio. This is an excellent source of ready available soluble nutrients. NOTE: If you stir your brew daily or every other day, it helps get more oxygen to the mix for better decomposition and better aerobic microbial population growth.

Level 2: Do same as above, but now add to the recipe a few cups of alfalfa pellets or some other cattle feed. Now you have extra nitrogen and trace elements from the bacterial foods.


Level 3: Do all above plus now add the air pump bubbler. Now you have more aerobic microbes to add to your soluble nutrients in the tea.


Level 4: Do all the above and now add a few tblsp of molasses or other simple sugar products. Now you really maximize the aerobic microbes in the tea, which in turn produce even more extra soluble nutrients from the bacterial foods.


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Here is my suggestions also. You can add more high nitrogen foods in the tea. Remember the only main ingredients that are necessary to make a good bacterial and soluble nutrients tea are: aerobic compost and sugar products. Everything else is optional. Your teas can be as creative as you are. Let's assume a 5 gallon tea recipe for our example:


1. Add 1/2 bucket of finished hot compost. This supplies most of the beneficial aerobic microbes and soluble nutrients. Some people use slightly immature aerobic compost because it has more fresh nitrogen in it, but less microbes than finished hot compost.


2. Use 2-3 tblsp molasses, brown sugar, or corn syrup. This feeds and breeds the aerobic bacteria. Sugar products are mostly carbon which is what the microherd eat quickly. Add about 1-2 more tblsp of molasses for every 3 days of aerobic brewing to make sure the sugar is digested before touching the soil at application time, and to guarantee that the aerobic bacteria population stays strong throughout the brewing process. Molasses also contains sulfur which is a mild natural fungicide. Molasses is also a great natural deodorizer for fishy teas. For a more fungal tea don't add too much simple sugar or molasses to your aerobic teas. Use more complex sugars, starches and carbohydrates like in seaweed, rotten fruit, soy sauce, or other fungal foods.


3. Add 1-2 cans of mackerel, sardines, or other canned fish. Supplied extra NPK, fish oil for beneficial fungi, calcium from fish bones. Most commercial fish emulsions contain no fish oils and little to no aerobic bacteria. Fresh fish parts can be used, but because of offensive odors, it should composted separately with browns like sawdust first before adding to the tea brew. NOTE: For those organic gardeners who prefer vegetarian soil amendments, you can skip the fishy ingredients, it's not necessary. There is plenty of NPK in alfalfa meal and other grains that you can use.


(NOTE: If you use canned fish products, you may want to let it decompose mixed with some finished compost, good garden soil, etc. in a separate closeable container for a few days before using. Since most canned meat products contain preservatives, this will guarantee that the good microbes in the tea will not be killed off or harmed in brew making.)

4. Add 1 pack fresh seaweed. Supplies all extra trace elements. Seaweed can contain about 60 trace elements and lots of plant growth hormones. Seaweed is a beneficial fungal food source for soil microbes. Liquifying the seaweed makes it dissolve even faster.


5. Add 1-2 cups of alfalfa meal, corn meal, cattle feed, horse feed, catfish or pond fish feed. Supplies extra proteins and bacteria. Corn meal is a natural fungicide and supplies food for beneficial fungi in the soil.


6. Add rotten fruit for extra fungal foods. Add green weeds to supply extra bacterial foods to the tea.


7. Good ole garden soil is an excellent free biostimulant. Garden soil is full of beneficial aerobic bacteria, fungi, and other great microbes. Some people make a great microbial tea just out of soil. Forest soil is usually higher in beneficial fungi than rich garden soil.


8. Fill the rest of the container with rainwater, compost tea, or plain de-chlorinated water to almost the top of bucket. You can make good "rain water" from tap water by adding a little Tang (citrus acid) to the water mix before brewing. Urine water is also an excellent organic nitrogen source for teas (up to 45% N).


9. Some people like to add 1-2 tblsp of apple cider vinegar to add about 30 extra trace minerals and to add the little acidicity that is present in commercial fish emulsions. Many fish emulsions contain up to 5% sulfuric acid to help it preserve on the shelf and add needed sulfur to the soil. You can add extra magnesium and sulfur by adding 1-2 tblsp of Epsom salt to the tea.


10. Apply the air pump to the tea. NOTE: Some organic tea brewers prefer not to use the air pump method. You can get some extra oxygen in the tea by stirring it daily or every other day. The air pump just makes the oxygen levels in the tea happen faster than by hand, thus greatly increasing the rate of aerobic microbial growth in the tea. If you prefer to use the air pump, let it bubble and brew for at least 1-3 days. (NOTE: The 3 days limit is just a good guideline. The real test of brewing time is by your own sight and smell test, because everybody's tea is different due to the various microbial species and breeding activity that takes place during the brewing process.) The aerobic tea is ready to use when it has either an earthy or "yeasty" smell or a foamy layer on top of the tea. If not satisfied with the look or the smell of the tea, go up to a week of brewing. The extra brewing time will help the microbes digest more of the insoluble bacterial and fungal foods in the tea and make it more available for your plant's or your soil's nutritional needs.

Apply this tea full strength to get full nutrient levels per plant, or dilute it from a 1:1 down to a 1:5 water ratio to spread the beneficial microbes over a 1-acre garden area (mix 5 gallons of tea per 25 gallons of rainwater).

To reduce straining, you can place all your ingredients in a closed panty hose or laundry bag during the brewing cycle (don't use a too fine mesh bag or the beneficial fungi can't flow properly through the bag).

Here's another method to avoid straining and to maximize the amount of microbes in application: Simply turn off the air pump, stir the entire mixture real hard, and then let the mixture sit still for about 30 minutes. Scoop off the top juice straight into a watering can for application.


You can apply with a watering can, or simple cup, or in a sprinkling system. All compost teas can be used as a foliar feed or soil drench around plants. They also make great compost pile nitrogen and bacterial activators to heat up the pile for faster finished composting. Always take the remains for teas and recycle them back into your compost piles.


As stated, you can use your homemade tea as a foliar feed or as a soil drench or both. Soil drenches are best for building up the soil microbial activities and supplying lots of beneficial soluble NPK to the plant's root system and the topsoil texture. Foliar feeds are best for quick fixes of trace elements and small portions of other soluble nutrients into the plant through its leaves. Foliar feeds are also good for plant disease control. Foliar feeds work best when used with soil drenches or with lots of organic mulches around plants. You can poke holes in the soil around crop roots with your spade fork, to get more oxygen in the soil to further increase organic matter decomposition and increase microbial activity in the soil.

Aerated teas can also be used to greatly speed up the decomposition process of hot compost piles. The extra aerobic microbes in the tea will breed and cooperate with the aerobic microbes in the organic matter in the compost pile.


You should not use any liquid soaps as a spreader-sticker agent in a fertilizing/biostimulant tea like this. It can hinder or harm your aerobic microbes that you just grew in the tea. You need to use better products in your tea like liquid molasses, dry molasses powder, fish oil, or yucca extract as a spreader-sticker.


A good aerated tea is very economical. 5 gallons can be diluted to biostimulate an entire acre of garden via foliar spraying only. If you soil drench only, it takes at least 15 gallons of tea, before diluting, to cover an acre of garden soil. Also there is enough aerobic bacteria and fungi in a good 5 gallon batch of aerated tea, that is the equivalent of about 10 tons or 40 cubic yards of regular compost!


These homemade aerated compost teas are just as powerful, maybe more powerful, than any commercial natural or organic fertilizer or soil amendment on the market today. And they are a lot cheaper too! So have fun, be creative, and keep on composting!

S

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

Awesome info Suby!

Yucca sounds good. Any idea where to locate Yucca except buying a plant?

I have some nettles along with all the other goodies in my bubbling tea.

I also have a couple comfrey plants but will take a while before they are decent size. I have read somewhere that Russian Comfrey is the best... is this true?

My plants with the dry milk powder are doing well. They are Reclining Buddah's in coco/perlite and around 6 weeks into flower.





I also mixed up a batch of Terra Preta using the recipe from ABC. I added a half cup of bat guano and used Azomite for the trace minerals.



I have added it to a soil mix and then made a mix of 1/3 coco, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 soil. Used this mix for some 3 week old seedlings... results good so far except maybe just a tad too hot for one strain - Maroc/Pakistani, Nirvana

I think this Terra Preta thing is worthy of its own thread...

 

[jaykush]

how much charcoal did you mix with it. im in the middle of a terra preta experiment. im doing 4 different mix ratios and one base without it. one of them i mixed 1pt charcoal, 1pt soil, 1pt castings, 1pt perlite. then the rest either have more charcoal or less. and one has activated charcoal that we use to filter the smell. when i water that one it sizzles as the activated carbon hits contact with water.

nice plant btw.

 

[jaykush]

a nice read for the novice organic gardener. lots of good info covering all the basics of soil structure, organic matter, organic cycle, etc....its a pdf so you will need a viewer.

http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1971e/eb1971e.pdf

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

I reckon i used 3-4 cups Terra preta when i mixed up my soil recipe.
I then used this soil to mix with my coco and perlite at equal ratios...

I soaked a third of a bucket of wood charcoal with a half cup each of Seasol (kelp), Powerfeed (fish emulsion), Indo bat guano, 4 tsp Azomite and drop of Superthrive in 5 litres water. I left this overnight and mixed with equal amounts sand and soil.



Just using it for seedlings at mo and around my transplanted veggies.

 

[SilverSurfer_OG]

nice plant btw.

Yeah thanks

I am loving growing and smoking this strain... Way to go Soma!!

 

[Guest]

Notes:

Golden Syrup is a more refined liquid sugar product that has been working well in teas for me. It makes your tea and veg smell sweet and when there isn't any blackstrap available, this product, ever in the fridge for making pancakes, is all good.

Won't have the micro-nutrients of molasses, I think molasses is better, but without it, it IS worth it to use Golden Syrup till you get molasses. Maple sysrup is not common here, but should work equally well.

Pillowcases make great socks for keeping dirt/peat etc in if you don't want to strain your tea. EDit: No , they don't. Peat and lime = carbolic acid = rotten pillowcase = mess.

Fishwater makes excellent activator for teas. Normally plenty of nitrogen, plus bacteria.

Terra Preta is documented as being ineffective in the first year. Experiments and research on this material is very limited however, and a soil mix from a wise organic MJ grower might well 'activate' the benefits of this medium sooner.

I second we start a thread dedicated to this stuff.

And uh, have a good day, OFC rocks!

 

[jaykush]

Golden Syrup is a more refined liquid sugar product that has been working well in teas for me. It makes your tea and weed smell sweet and when there isn't any blackstrap available, this product, ever in the fridge for making pancakes, is all good.

Won't have the micro-nutrients of molasses, I think molasses is better, but without it, it IS worth it to use Golden Syrup till you get molasses. Maple sysrup is not common here, but should work equally well.

i have been using pure cane sugar. works like a charm and damn it is cheap. i got 5 lbs for 2$ i can supply what isnt there with dozens of other things so its all good. ive used maple syrup a few times when i was dry on everything else, it does the job.

theres a thread on the terra preta as well here just starting but it should be good.

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=73866

ps ill second the fish water, and add pond/river/stream/lake water to that list.

 

[Scay Beez]

Suby -> SFI Recommended Fish emulsions http://www.earthfort.com/shopexd.asp?id=71

SilverSurfer_OG -> Yeah regular comfrey doesn't come close to russian comfrey. Yucca is powerful stuff. It helps plants deal with extreme heat and dryness like aloe vera and mulla mulla. It is probably the fastest fungi catalyst out there. Increases oxygen to the soil and loosens the soil as it breaks down. It is very similar to cortisone also. Wetting agent when sprayed on the leaves. Highly recommended. It is often sold wildcrafted (gathered in nature) or organic with varying quality. The higher the brix rating the stronger the yucca.

Good source of high brix rating liquid:

http://www.tandjenterprises.com/yucca.htm

Bong Song: Pure sugar cane has only magnesium so watch your K:CA:MG levels.

Unpolluted river water rules all water. I'm highly jealous of all lucky souls with an unlimited tap. hahahaha!


- sbz