cheap enviro friendly plant food

mutley74

any suggestions for a cheap enviro chemcial free plant food?
Not really interested in buying the plant food sold in pound and diy stores as its all chemical based. Is there anything natural that can be added to a watering can?

(this is based on when seedlings are maturing in a good compost) (i am newbie green finger so excuse any ignorance)

dogstarheaven

comfry and nettle leaves soaked in a bucket and left for a couple of months will do the trick. here's a link for you to find out more info..

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/index.php - titled 'Comfrey Liquid Tea'

btw, it really stinks like sxxx! so beware. but it's free plant food once you've bought one plant which you can harvest it's leaves several times a yr!

mutley74

dogstarheaven wrote: »

comfry and nettle leaves soaked in a bucket and left for a couple of months will do the trick. here's a link for you to find out more info..

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/index.php - titled 'Comfrey Liquid Tea'

btw, it really stinks like sxxx! so beware. but it's free plant food once you've bought one plant which you can harvest it's leaves several times a yr!

not sure what comfrey plant is, but will keep some nettles next time i see them! DAK if used teabags left in the water can are any good?

Furny

dogstarheaven wrote: »

comfry and nettle leaves soaked in a bucket and left for a couple of months will do the trick. here's a link for you to find out more info..

http://www.allotment.org.uk/vegetable/comfrey/index.php - titled 'Comfrey Liquid Tea'

btw, it really stinks like sxxx! so beware. but it's free plant food once you've bought one plant which you can harvest it's leaves several times a yr!

Hi
I fancy having a go at this, i've read up that comfrey grows in abundance but the Bocking 14 variety is not as bad.
The above article states you can start them off in pots but has anyone fully grown them in large pots/containers? bacause of how its meant to grow & the large roots i'm wondering if it is possible as i do not have a garden.
Thanks in advance.

dogstarheaven

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/article-1048976/Comfrey-compost-The-superfood-plants.html - this article written by the lovely Monty Don who enthuses about the importance of comfrey and says you can use it as a mulch which will then attract slugs and snails (which i didn't know about) as well as a sacrificial plant it's got super-rich nutrients esp. for container grown veg. i haven't grown this before as i normally pick mine from the outside of an allotment perimeter fence. that way, i don't have to plant it in the garden and i can pick it as often as it grows. they have v long tap roots so i don't think it'll do that well in a container tho', but you you try...

mutley: this is a link for nettle liquid but i mix this with the comfrey as sometimes i don't have enough leaves to do a whole batch. let me know how you all get on with the godawful stench!

http://www.nettles.org.uk/nettles/activities/nettlemanure.asp

dogstarheaven

mutley74 wrote: »

not sure what comfrey plant is, but will keep some nettles next time i see them! DAK if used teabags left in the water can are any good?

you can spread the contents of teabags around camellias as a cheap feed alternative. i'm not sure what effects of it going in the bucket with the comfrey. best to stick in the compost heap if you have one or to spread over you soil..

niki23

Someone once told me about planting cress to nitrogen fix the soil, and then digging that insto the ground. I'm not sure if that would be enough on it's own!

Optimisticpair

If it is for edible plant seedlings there is also Seaweed, with the salt washed off, steeped in water like comfrey or nettles. That's cheap if you live near a beach or can collect some on a day out. You could put that and a mixture of other organically produced greenery in tights or stockings or hessian sack and leave it for about a month to stew. You draw off the liquid and then dilute to a very pale colour. After a while pop another bag of mixed greenery in and haul out the spent bag.

Orange_King

Thanks to dogstarheaven I will be trying to inflict this nettle food on my veggies in the coming weeks - is it suitable for everything or should I be selective in using it for things that grow above the ground?

Are comfrey plants available from garden centres?

balloo_2

You could buy Organic Chicken Pellets and leave them to soak in a bucket or dustbin stir it up and water it in.

dogstarheaven

Orange_King wrote: »

Thanks to dogstarheaven I will be trying to inflict this nettle food on my veggies in the coming weeks - is it suitable for everything or should I be selective in using it for things that grow above the ground?

Are comfrey plants available from garden centres?

here's a link to the benefits of using nettle manure liquid. http://www.u-r-g.co.uk/nettle.htm
i also didnt know it could also act as an insect repellant as well as a feed..
i'm not sure about comfrey being sold in garden centres. i haven't really noticed it but then again, i've never had to search for it either. i do know it's readily available in herb nurseries.
here's a link to a herb nursery which had a stall at a recent garden show http://www.herbalhaven.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=2&op= it's also the Bocking 14 variety too. not only are they v friendly and knowledgeable but their delivery costs are v reasonable as well.


hope this helps orange king!