permaculture

[Michael Pilarski <friendsofthetrees@yahoo.com>]

The traditionally best known plants for making liquid fertilizer include 
nettles, thistles, and comfrey. 

We can likely assume that nitrogen-fixers like the clovers will be especially 
high in N. 

One place to look for information is the biodynamic use of teas.  I like 
adding any of the plants they use in BD preps which include nettles, yarrow, 
chamomile, valerian, dandelion, horsetail and oak bark.  

Personally, I think that all weeds have value as fertilizer.  the more mature 
the plant becomes the larger the carbon nitrogen ratio becomes. More carbon 
and less Nitrogen. Weeds for liquid fertilizer are best used when lush green. 
 I use woodier, older weed material in coarse material compost piles.  

Obviously you don't use plant material that has viable seed if it is a 
species you don't want to increase. 

If a place doesn't have nettles they are well-advised to establish a patch 
where it can spread, but not near pathways. 

Fermented plant liquid fertilizer has many yummies in it besides the N such 
as minerals, all kinds of complex breakdown products and, according to 
biodynamic thought, even lunar, solar and stellar influences.

Weedily

Michael Pilarski

--- On Thu, 5/27/10, Lawrence F. London, Jr. <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net> 
wrote:

From: Lawrence F. London, Jr. <venaurafarm@bellsouth.net>
Subject: [permaculture] What weeds or cover crops are high in nitrogen, i.e. 
suitable for harvesting to make High N liquid fertilizer?
To: "permaculture" <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
Date: Thursday, May 27, 2010, 5:37 PM


What weeds or cover crops are high in nitrogen, i.e. suitable for 
harvesting to make High N liquid fertilizer?

Are there any weeds, natives, annual or perennial or woody that stand 
out as far as nitrogen content is concerned?

Good to know so as to conserve patches of weeds that might otherwise get 
cut of eliminated; best to incorporate them as an element in a 
permaculture design or comprehensive plan for a property.

At my place I have an abundance of wild turnip greens/mustard, rye 
grass, curly dock. These predominate as I have systematically gotten rid 
of most of the Pennsylvania Smartweed, Bermuda, crabgrass, Johnson 
grass, redroot pigweed and some of the lambs quarters. Maybe the LQ is a 
candidate for a high N crop. Outside the garden areas I have a bumper 
crop of red, white andtall sweet clovers, ryegrass, fescue and many 
other desirable plants, all thanks to the abundant rain we have has 
since winter, especially near the beginning of Spring.

I have domestic bees also, wild ones, probably from hives I had years 
ago and swarmed or someone else's hives.

Thanks for any feedback.

...:LL
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