3 Super Simple Fertilizer Tea Recipes

August 15, 2016December 18, 2022

Organic & Sustainable Gardening,Sustainable Gardening

0 Shares

Does your garden need a healthy snack? Throw on some fertilizer tea! Here are 3 super-simple recipes…

Unlike compost or other soil-based fertilizers, fertilizer tea will give your plants a quick boost, without having to wait for the nutrients to break down and be absorbed by the soil over time.

Fertilizer teas can be applied to the roots of your plants when watering, or as a foliar feed via spraying the leaves. (Note: Be aware of the source of your ingredients to avoid any unwanted chemicals, and always spot-test on a small sample of leaves 24 hours before spraying as a foliar feed. If any burning occurs, water down your tea, then test again before spraying widely.)

If your plants need a quick hit of nutrients, these 3 simple fertilizer tea recipes will hit the spot:

1. Comfrey tea (for plants) is simple to make and great as a fertilizer tea. For a very simple start just fill up a container, like a 5 gallon bucket, about 2/3 full with comfrey leaves and add water. Let sit for around three weeks and you are ready to go.
Dilute the concentrate with about a 1:10 ratio of comfrey tea to water and you have a great fertilizer to use on your plants. Comfrey not only provides a good NPK boost, it is also packed with micronutrients.
2. Rabbit manure tea is simple to make and highly beneficial for plants. You can go simple or complex. Start simple. Use a ration of 1 part rabbit manure to 5 parts water, let sit for seven days and it’s ready to use. When ready to use, dilute by using one cup of manure tea to one gallon of water.
Rabbit manure tea is higher in nitrogen then the other teas listed here but not nearly as high as chemical fertilizers so if you need a bit more of a nitrogen boost look to use rabbit manure tea.
3. Vermicompost tea (with worm castings) is another easy to make fertilizer for plants. Take a couple handfuls of worm castings (poop) and add water. If you stick to the same 1/5 ratio as rabbit manure you will do just fine. Let sit for 1-3 days and it’s ready to use on plants.