Manure tea is exactly what it sounds like—manure steeped in water. Once it steeps, the resulting liquid is rich in nutrients and can easily be diluted and applied to your garden plants.
What Kind of Manure to Use
Horse, cow, poultry, or goat manure are all appropriate for making manure tea. You can also make a decent manure tea from rabbit droppings as well. Avoid manure from carnivores such as cats and dogs, as these contain harmful pathogens that could make you sick if they come into contact with your food. Either find a fresh source of manure from a local farmer or purchase bagged manure at your local nursery or garden center. There are two ways to make manure tea, and both are quite simple.
Diluting Manure Tea
Whichever method you use, dilute your manure tea before using it on your garden plants. Use water to dilute the manure tea; it should ideally be the color of weak tea, a pale brownish-yellow.
How to Apply Manure Tea
Manure tea can be applied as a foliar feed or directly to the soil around the plants. To use it as a manure tea, strain it well to remove solids, dilute it to the color of weak tea, and add it to a sprayer. Then just apply it to the top and undersides of the foliage on your garden plants. To apply directly to the soil, pour about one pint of diluted manure tea around the base of each plant. Apply manure tea weekly throughout the growing season.
What Plants to Fertilize With Manure Tea
Just about any plant in your garden or container plantings will benefit from manure tea. But don’t fertilize root crops such as carrots, radishes, turnips, potatoes, and beets with manure tea. These plants need more potassium than nitrogen—excess nitrogen (which manure tea would provide) would result in pretty, healthy top growth but not much root growth. A regimen of applying manure tea will definitely result in healthier, happier plants. Consider brewing some for your garden this season.
