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Nettle and comfrey liquid manures: two extremely important plant tonics and preventives for the garden, orchard, vineyard, market garden and farm. Their potency is bolstered by addition of the biodynamic compost preparations 502-507 and the use of “structured water” – see over. These products come in two sizes for small gardens and modest horticulture settings only. For larger situations it is best to make your own – refer to our Biodynamic Handbook for directions.
Stinging nettle belongs to a special group of plants referred to as “dynamic accumulators”, which also includes yarrow, fava beans, comfrey, dandelion, miner’s lettuce, and chickweed. These readily take up plant nutrients and minerals from the soil and then store them in highly bioavailable forms and concentrations in their leaves. This makes nettles and these similar bioaccumulators an excellent addition to other botanical teas, homemade fertilisers, mulch, or to a compost pile.
The same components that make nettle awesome for human health, particularly its numerous vitamins, minerals (especially iron), plus chlorophyll and plant polyphenols, make nettle liquid manure a strong promoter of plant health and a powerful growth stimulator.
The benefit of nettle liquid manure is that the above components are readily available to the plants where it is applied, either as a soil or foliar spray. Its nitrogen and silica content are particularly high, so it not only promotes plant growth and vigour, but also protects plants from diseases and pests.
It works particularly well on plants that have a high demand for nourishment such as fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants, and for tomatoes, leeks, spinach, brassicas, cucumbers and zucchinis.
Dilution and application rates:
As a fertiliser – Dilute Biodynamic Nettle Liquid Manure 1:10, using structured water (see below) and preferably vortically stir it for a few minutes before spraying onto the soil around the plants, trees, vines etc. It can also be applied with a watering can.
Fertilising in this way can be carried out once a month or two, but not more frequently than every three weeks.
As a foliar spray and preventive – Dilute 1:20 or down to 1:40, again using structured water and vortically stirring it briefly before use.
Spray it onto the foliage in fine droplets or mist, preferably late in the day when plants are out of direct sun.
In its preventive role, nettle liquid manure is useful in deterring aphids, mites and thrips.
One of the strengths of comfrey is the ability of its deep roots to bring up nutrients and minerals from the subsoil and concentrate them in its leaves. It’s a truly dynamic nutrient accumulator. Fermented comfrey liquid manure is one of the most effective organic fertilisers for gardens and vegetable plots.
It works as a parasite repellent, compost activator, and its high plant available content, especially of potassium, calcium and nitrogen, is an effective growth and blooming enhancer.
It encourages strong root development, vibrantly coloured foliage and robust flowering. Its wide range of trace elements support soil microbial activity, enhancing plant nutrient uptake.
This nutrient-rich tonic can be applied as a liquid soil drench or as a foliar spray. The nitrogen content in comfrey liquid manure helps with leafy growth and intensifies its greenness. Its high phosphorus level stimulates flowering and helps plants remain vigorous and fight off pests and diseases. The potassium also enhances fruit set. Tomatoes, capsicums, potatoes, and cucumbers are particularly stimulated by comfrey liquid manure.
Warning: comfrey leaves and the liquid they produce are alkaline and can increase the pH of soil if used regularly in large quantities, so use on acid-loving plants like blueberries is not recommended.
Dilution and application rates:
As a fertiliser– Dilute Biodynamic Comfrey Liquid Manure 1:10, if possible in structured water (see below) followed by a brief vortical stir, and apply by either spray or watering can to bare soil and/or around plants.
This can be repeated as frequently as considered necessary.
As a foliar spray – Dilute 1:15 to 1:40 as above and spray all over plant leaves.
Repeat weekly or as necessary, but observe a withholding period before harvest: quit foliar spraying at least a fortnight before picking and eating fruit or vegetables.
Both these liquid manures are made using plant material from local Bellingen NSW organic/biodynamic properties.
Both stinging nettle (Urticaria dioica) and comfrey (Symphytum officinale) are harvested when just flowering.
Using 200 litre drums, we harvest enough leaf to separately fill each drum without pressing down the contents.
The drums are then filled with rainwater via a Phion Athena MEA water structuring device, until all the leaves are covered with water.
Compost preparations 502-506 are added and the drums are topped with loose- fitting covers to keep out rain and shade the contents. The fermentation process is therefore “passive aerobic” with only occasional stirring.
The fermenting process usually takes about three months, when the intense manure smell (hence the name “liquid manure”) has changed to a sweet or “fresh” smell.
Just before declaring either liquid manure ready for sale, we vortically stir 5ml of Valerian (507) in four litres of water and add to each drum, mixing it in thoroughly. Preparation 507 added at this stage enhances the phosphorus gesture of each of these liquid manures. This hastens the inception of flowering, also the number of flowers (hence potentially increasing yield), and anecdotally stimulates the reproduction of earthworms.
Storage:
Liquid manure concentrates will store for months or even a year or more without losing their potency, provided they are kept relatively cool and away from electrical fields or currents. (Remember that naturally brewed plant and soil tonics such as liquid manures are vital fluids, full of living organisms which have bred during the fermentation process.)
It is inadvisable to store diluted batches longer than a few days.
An important requirement for potentising the soil and atmospheric preparations and for diluting Liquid Soil Activator (LSA), is any “good water” must be STRUCTURED. This means that its memories need to be cancelled or neutralised so that it is receptive to the biodynamic messages contained in the highly energised preparations, as well as their combination, LSA.
Merely using “good water” to dilute LSA ignores the long-standing imperative for stirring such water vortically. Untreated water works but with considerably reduced effect. If you are on town water that is chlorinated or fluoridated, leave the water outside in an open container for 24 hours before use.
In the case of backyarders and smaller scale users in general, hand stirring was and still is the recommended method of structuring the diluted preparation. Only ten minutes is the recommended stirring time in these cases.
The purpose of introducing LSA was to a make it possible for larger scale users to avoid the need for twenty minutes stirring, as well as the considerable expense and effort involved in purchasing and using stirring machines or flowforms.
There are various ways of structuring water apart from vortical stirring or flowforming, for instance focused intent, thought forms, radionics and even the written word attached to containing vessels. Unfortunately these techniques do not work for everyone, as they require a certain degree of training and some radionics is controversial.
Masura Emoto’s work on structuring water with emotion and other messaging is particularly informative and relevant to biodynamics.
In a practical sense, the best way to simply and easily structure the water to be used to dilute LSA, without any need to stir, is the Phion water structuring device, which comes in various sizes applicable to scale of operation. Many users swear by its efficacy. These devices require no maintenance and will work indefinitely,
The principle of this device is soundly based on the research of Victor Schauberger, Constantin Korotkov and Gerald Pollack, and the Phion devices produce water hungry for the highly potent biodynamic messages of the preparations, as well as carrying a strong and long-lasting negative charge, vital for living organisms.
Disclaimer: Biodynamic Agriculture Australia nor directors or employees gain any financial benefit from sales or promotion of Phion MEA water structuring devices.
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