Liquid feed for free
Nourishing plants with liquid feed is one area where you’ll save a fortune by growing your own treatments, says Bob
LIQUID feeds are soluble fertilisers – mixtures of nutrients that we add to the water we are giving our plants, which then help to feed them. Such feeding is most valuable for plants growing rapidly while confined in pots and containers. In the open ground, plant roots can grow unrestrained, so need feeding far less.
Even so, really hungry crops such as tomatoes, potatoes, sweetcorn and squashes benefit from liquid feeding. Indeed, if you wish to show exhibits of almost anything, you have to feed, and heavily. Theoretically, each plant needs different amounts of many different nutrients, but in practice we use generalpurpose rather than specific feeds.
Thus, it’s sensible to use several in rotation to cover any over- or undersupply. Also, it’s far safer to add a little and often, rather than all at once, as too strong will kill, so always dilute well. Now, you can buy commercial liquid feeds or make your own for free. The ‘old boys’ hung a sack of manure (preferably sheep’s) in a butt and used the extract well diluted. Others made teas from various plants – likewise, breaking down their leaves under water (not boiling them, as for tea). Stinging nettle is one of the oldest, and still highly recommended. Then horticulturalist Lawrence Hills found that comfrey produced a similar nutritional analysis to tomato feed, so this became widely made. Rich in potassium, it suits many crops, particularly fruits. But this is too high a proportion for some plants, turning the leaves yellow; borage makes a better feed for those. I have found burdock also makes a good feed, gloopy and rich. Compost tea made like the sheep extract is excellent, but must be brewed fresh and not stored.
And last but not least, there’s the traditional ‘pee in the watering can’ feed; this works amazingly well, especially for sweetcorn and your lawn.
“It helps any plants growing rapidly in pots”