Garden Fertilizer help

[Mindful]

I need to green up my garden and don't have any compost handy to make a tea. What is an economical organic fertilizer to use.

My soil is mostly compost and peat moss with some manure in the mix but it needs a fresh dose of something. Would like to avoid buying a gallon of fertilizer to dilute but would rather use something cheap and something I can make a lot of.

Any ideas?

[rainyjim]

You could try using some FPJ, or fermented plant juice.

Take the most vigorous weeds you can find on your lot, maybe tibouchina, clidemia hirta or hono-hono grass?

Shred them up and put them (can put all) roots,leaves,stems all shredded up into a 5 gal bucket add water let sit in sun for a few days stir vigorously as often as you can.

Can also add any food scraps, rotten fruit, or just about anything organic to accent.

Also try a Google on EM-1

Basically you can catch or trap local indigenous microorganisms using rice and milk - both can be out of date. And add molasses and water to ferment.

Definitely look up a recipe before making specific times and steps must be followed. Kind of in a rush right now but will try to post more detailed description/recipe later.

Don't buy em-1 in a store you can make it easy yourself and what your buying in the store is 96% water and 3% molasses (not a good deal)

Also, alternatively, can buy some Urea or uric acid - it's the most bioavailable form of nitrogen.

Best of luck, aloha mai kakou

[kalakoa]

can buy some Urea or uric acid

You can make your own -- buy whatever kine beer you like, and save the used beer in a bucket. Add water, apply to plants; you can also apply directly "fresh from the spout".

[Frankie Stapleton]

Many long-time growers here get macnut husks, the soft outer husk not the hard nut shell itself, and mix it with black cinder to create a growing medium. The husks decompose and you can add in whatever chemical compounds you want but this basic medium does very well with nothing more than our E. HI rains. I buy a truckload of the husks from the macnut place in Kawaihae...the gas for the truck is your biggest expense as the husks themselves cost like $25 a truckload. Good luck!

[rainyjim]

Frankie is right macnut husks as mulch is a great amendment, however, caveat emptor in that you may be introducing more than just mulch i.e. unwanted pests.

[james weatherford]

fermented plant juice, mentioned above, is good.
also, can use same process for fermented fish juice: bones, fins, guts in bottome of 5 gallon bucket, add gallon of water, cover with screen and place lid on without fully sealing.
leave (in the back of the garden) a few weeks and that black stuff will make everything grow.

another rich source of nitrogen that every gardener has and can use, um, discreetly: urine.

[ElysianWort]

Lol uh yeah James look above what Kalakoa posted. "save the used beer in a bucket" Used beer lol! Okay call the friends around for a weekend gathering on the patio with drinks and pupus but instead of making the trip to watering your banana plants or worse, missing in your bathroom and on the rim of the bowl and side of the seat and spray on the wall, have them all pee in the bucket at the bottom of the steps. Voila, nitrogen for your veggies.

[Kenney]

Rabbits are great little fert makers. You can apply pellets directly to plants. No burn. IMHO, That in itself makes it worth caring for and feeding rabbits. They eat a lot of Ti leaves, but there are plenty around.