Organic Fertilizer (home-made)

[cyprusmax47]

If you have a garden you know that now is the time to start fertilizing. Many people use complete fertilizer with formula 20-20-20 from a garden center or supermarket. This one is normally more expensive than other formula but contains too much Phosphate which is normally plenty of in the Cyprus soil. Also Nitrogen of 20 is quite high leading to too much growth and later to Green Fly infestation. I would recommend if you want to use chemical fertilizer a formula like 12-8-36 which is heavy on Potassium and helps that soil in hot Summer does not dry out so quick. But this was not I was intending to post: Now is the time everywhere stinging nettle is growing like mad. It is one of the best component to produce your own organic nitrogen fertilizer.
You only need one of the large size blue barrels with lid holding about 200 liters of water, big garden shears , rubber gloves, that's all. One cut the nettles (except flowers) in medium size pieces and fill up the drum (plastic) with it. Then add water (rain water best) until full and stir with an non-metal stick or bamboo. Cover it with a net that no animals can fall in and put on top something heavy like a plank but be sure it gets air. After a week or so it will start fermenting when you stir it every 2-3 days. This process will produce some smell, so it is better the barrel is in a far corner of your garden. 15 days later it will be ready to use and the black color indicates that. You can top it up with water again and screw the lid on.
Now IMPORTANT: you cannot use the concentrate straight on your plants - you have to dilute it 1:10 with water (1:20 for pot plants) before you use it. It is the best organic fertilizer you ever used. Lemon and Oranges love it every 10 days or so. Other plants less often. Try it or if you already doing it please let me know.

Max
Ex-Organic Farmer

[Kili01]

Thanks, Max for that tip! I’ll have to try to find some stingng nettles, and a blue barrel. Can you just ‘find’ this, or do you have to buy one and if so where?
Please let me know.

Dee

[Bograt]

My father used to do this, with a pipe attached to get the liquid out. I can't remember many details, as I was quite young, but I do recall that the startling aroma did make the eyes water somewhat. He kept it in the stable yard, a decent way from the house, but there was no mistaking when he had used some of it.

[William Morris]

Can you make use of seaweed for this organic fertiliser? There is plenty spare on the beaches.

[cyprusmax47]

My father used to do this, with a pipe attached to get the liquid out. I can't remember many details, as I was quite young, but I do recall that the startling aroma did make the eyes water somewhat. He kept it in the stable yard, a decent way from the house, but there was no mistaking when he had used some of it.

A soon as the nettles are proper fermented there is no any smell, one could say odorless, if it still smells than it is not ready to use....( but don't forget to dilute it 1:10 for any trees or shrubs and 1:20 for pot plants. When all the liquid is used up one can just dump the remains of the nettles under a large tree as mulch.

Max

[Bograt]

If memory serves Max, and knowing my Dad, he would have shoved anything he thought was a good idea into the mix! Whatever it was, what came out of the tube was dark, thick and aromatically challenging.