Alfalfa Hay Tea
Slideshow special
Alfalfa Hay Tea By the Drum LoadPage Contents
- Making Alfalfa Tea
- Passive and Aerated Teas
- Slideshow
- More ....
Making Alfalfa Hay Tea
Alfalfa is a good slow-release source of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, also high in vitamins and trace minerals, including sugars, starches, proteins, fiber and amino acids. Follow this link for more on alfalfa meal fertilizer
Nutritive teas extract the water soluble nutrients from natural fertilizers and can vary widely according to the nutrient content of its base component. Alfalfa is one of the best nutrient sources available and supplies more than most in the way of goodies for the soil.
Photo left - The basic recipe for making alfalfa tea is approximately 1 lb (.5 kg) of alfalfa hay, either chopped or as it comes from the bale, into 5 gals (19 liters) of clean chlorine free water for 7-10 days. The longer you brew nutrient teas the stronger they become.
Passive And Aerated Teas
The method used to make the nutrient tea in this slideshow is called passive tea brewing. By steeping or infusing alfalfa hay or meal in water most of the water soluble nutrients are made available as a powerful fast-acting plant ready liquid fertilizer. It not only supplies valuable nutrients but also helps to encourage beneficial soil microbes, bacteria and earthworms in the garden.
While passive nutrient teas are slightly different from making aerated tea in that no pump or air stones are needed, you will notice the passive brew still gets quick active.
The main difference between passive and aerated teas is :
Passive teas are a good way to supply ready to use plant nutrients.
Whereas aerated teas are more into increasing the beneficial soil microbes population.
Tea Making Tips
Position your container in a sunny, out of the way place, preferably
away from the house but close to where you are going to use the tea.
If you have ever feed silage to livestock you will know the smell
that is produced by brewing alfalfa tea. When applying to the garden
the smell is quite..... strongish, however it dissipates within an hour
or two, or three..... and the benefits of using nutrient teas linger much
longer than the smell. A good time to apply the tea to your garden is in early evening so the smell will be gone by morning.
Slideshow
Making Alfalfa Hay Tea
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helpful items
- Container of suitable size.
- Chlorine free water.
- Stout stick or similar for stirring.
- Alfalfa hay.
- Coarse sieve
- Fine sieve.
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Related Pages
Home Page - Site Map - Top of Alfalfa Hay Tea Page - Organic garden fertilizer
