{"content":[{"text":"Because comfrey is high in potassium, it promotes the development of ﬂowers and fruit and so should be \n applied after the ﬁrst ﬂowers have set on plants like tomatoes and peppers. Regular feeding may then support \n better ﬂower and fruit development. Be advised thought that in excess, potassium somewhat stunts growth \n and coarsens leaves.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.045435,"width":0.873804,"height":0.070431}},{"text":"Due to its high K concentration, comfrey tea may be considered too strong for regular use. It can \n however be adapted by mixing with other garden-made fertilizers like a dilution of 1:19 with worm tea, \n providing an estimated NPK ratio of 2.5 : 2.2 : 2.5 % which can then be diluted with water. The nitrogen \n supplied by comfrey is more likely to occur as ammonium, but the worm tea nitrogen is probably nitrate.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.133819,"width":0.831808,"height":0.070431}},{"text":"Nettles \n Nitrogen-rich nettles are high in silica and encourage plant growth in early spring. Ideally, harvest plants before \n they ﬂower. \n Horsetail \n Horsetail is high in silica and the infused stem is an effective fungicide against mildew, mint rust and blackspot. \n This is believed to be due to the horsetail tea enhancing plants’ light absorbing capabilities.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.213485,"width":0.878568,"height":0.11955299999999999}},{"text":"How do you make them? \n For comfrey, if you are starting with a newly established plant, cut the leaves once in June to prevent ﬂowering \n and allow the plant to grow and die back so as to build up reserves. Once the plant is well established, cut it \n before ﬂowering in May when about 2ft high. Don't cut later than September to allow the plant to recover \n food reserves before winter dormancy. As comfrey plants become strong they will be ready for cutting every \n 4 or 5 weeks giving 3 to 5 cuts per season. Nettles and horsetail can be harvested from the wild. It’s best to \n harvest nettles before plants go to ﬂower - I am unaware of harvest timing recommendations for horsetail.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.351403,"width":0.87292,"height":0.131953}},{"text":"Place the plant's leaves into a large container, preferably one with a tap or hole at the bottom, and a tight lid at \n the top to exclude water and ﬂies and keep any smell inside. Some recommend simply covering the bottom of \n the bucket/container with leaves while others advise to ﬁll the bucket full - I tend towards the latter. A black \n liquid smelling of ammonia will soon collect in the bottom. The solution needs to be diluted 15 - 20 times with \n water before application in the garden (For comfrey, this results in an N.P.K. = 0.5 : 0.4 : 3.8. - high in K).","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.501243,"width":0.878725,"height":0.08810799999999996}},{"text":"Seaweed \n Seaweed is an incredible source of trace minerals as well as a rich source of potassium — up to 12%. Plants \n sprayed with seaweed are frequently more resistant to pest insect outbreaks and often show renewed growth \n and vigor. Seaweed is relatively poor in nitrogen and phosphate, but the addition of ﬁsh emulsion or another \n nitrogen rich fertilizer can make a very well-balanced solution.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.606454,"width":0.872136,"height":0.09653299999999998}},{"text":"To make a liquid seaweed brew, collect several plastic trash bags of kelp, empty them into a 55-gallon drum, ﬁll \n it with water, and cover. As the seaweed begins to decompose, the water turns brown. Within about two \n months, the seaweed should be fully decomposed. This liquid can be used as a concentrate and diluted with \n water before spraying it on or pouring it around plants. The only drawback is the ﬁshy, oceany odor detectable \n for a day or two after application.","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.72094,"width":0.879391,"height":0.08810799999999996}},{"text":"Urine \n It’s been found that the annual nitrogen output of humans is roughly equivalent to the nitrogen needs of the \n plants that feed us throughout the year. We are living in a world of broken cycles - the cycle of human waste \n and fertility being a primary one. In much of the western world, this high nitrogen resource is treated like a \n pollutant, diluted into drinking water and then extracted/puriﬁed through energy and chemical intensive means. \n Mark Krawczyk www.keylinevermont.com keylinevermont@gmail.com","bbox":{"left":0.058824,"top":0.825859,"width":0.882082,"height":0.11895}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}