What are Manure & Plant Teas?
Manure and plant teas are a type of organic natural liquid fertiliser made by soaking compost, animal manure and or nutrient-rich plant materials in water for a few days. Velvet beans, jack beans, lablab are some of the most popular green manure crops for making teas. Leaves for moringa, Leucaena and sesbania as well as other agroforestry trees and non-leguminous plants such as comfrey and tithonia can also be used.
Benefits of Manure & Plant Teas
- Teas are easy to make with minimal labour required to prepare.
- They are made from locally available resources, which significantly reduces the cost of making them.
- Plants easily take up nutrients from teas.
- The teas help plants to grow strong and stay healthy.
Materials Needed:
- Manure: 20 kilograms (1 bag) of compost or well-aged animal manure from goats, rabbits, sheep and cows or green plant materials. These materials can also be combined.
- Water: 210 litres of water, preferably non-chlorinated or leave the water in the drum in the sun for a few days to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
- Drum: 1 drum (210-litre drum).
- Sprayer: 1 knapsack sprayer or watering can.
- Sack: 1 piece sack or bag that can hold solid material but also let water through easily such as a woven sack. .
- Cloth: 1 piece of cloth or woven bag that can cover the drum but let air flow easily.
- Stirring Stick: A stick or pole of least 2.5 metres for stirring.
How to use Manure & Plant Teas
Field crops such as cotton or maize: Apply as soon as crops start germinating and carry on till crops are mature. Apply once a week in dry season and twice in a week in rainy season.
Vegetables: Start applying immediately after transplanting to help plants recover from transplanting shock. Apply once a week until crop matures.
Best time to apply: For all crops, it is best to apply the teas in the evening when it is cool. Make sure the soil is moist when you applying.
Tips
- Always use well-aged manure to avoid pathogens and high ammonia levels, which can harm plants.
- Test the tea on a small area first to ensure it doesn’t burn your plants.
Read Kasisi’s Manure Teas simple instructions to make manure and plant teas by downloading the poster below:
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Author: Rabecca Mwila
PELUM Zambia Communications Officer-KHSA Project
