Garden Doctors: Making chicken manure 'tea'

Gary writes: My neighbor raises chickens, and she has an abundance of chicken manure that she is willing to share with me for my garden. I recall that some time ago you wrote about manure tea and its nutritional benefits when used as an organic fertilizer for vegetables as well as for non-edibles. Please, can you review the brewing process used for manure tea and any other helpful tips and information?

First, you will need a few supplies to get started:

- A large, sturdy garbage can or a metal barrel filled with water.

- Fresh chicken manure, not composted manure. Plan on 2½ gallons manure per barrel.

- Burlap feed sack to hold the manure.

- A strong rope and a sturdy wooden dowel or metal pole for hanging the bag of manure.

Fill and tie off the burlap bag, then hang the bag on the center of a sturdy pole or dowel. The ends of the dowel should extend over the edges of the can and be able to swing freely and still be secure.

Fill the can with water and allow the manure to “steep.” I haven’t given much thought to how long to steep the bag, but it seems a week is about right, or until the “tea” has a good murky color. Do cover the container to keep out insects and contain odors.

Remove the bag of manure and empty the contents into your compost pile. Now top off the steeped tea with more water until it is a light amber color before using it in the garden. One gallon of “tea” will cover 5 square feet of planted bed. Don’t feel that using a more concentrated solution will get better results; not so. This is not a complicated process, and you will find the tea applied liberally in the vegetable garden replaces lacking soil nutrients that will now be available to those plants that appear to need a healthy boost.

Also, it is the perfect fertilizer for vegetable starts, hanging baskets and container-grown plants. Fall and winter leafy crops will benefit greatly, too.

When one batch runs out, make more now that you have a source of fresh chicken manure.

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Daisy Wheeler asks: I bought a cymbidium orchid in full bloom three years ago, but it hasn’t bloomed since. I have it in the house in bright, indirect light, feed it with houseplant food once a month, change its bark medium once a year, and although I see new leaves, there are no flowers. What am I doing wrong?

From what you have described, the problem is inadequate feeding. Cymbidium orchids are heavy nitrogen feeders during their growing period and this nutrient is essential for setting blooms. Begin feeding with a fertilizer especially formulated for orchids every time you water between now and October; then, switch to fertilizing with regular house-plant food until April. Follow the directions on the container for the recommended amounts or solutions for the size of your orchid.

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Jerry H. writes: I am trying to limit the size of my vegetable garden. Instead of planting 12 tomatoes, I am planting three favorites, and that number is realistically more than adequate for my wife and me. I always seem to have a problem with new starts wilting when they are first planted. They always survive, but it seems to set the new starts back a bit. What should I do to alleviate the problem?

Newly transplanted seedlings need some protection from the sun for at least the first few days. Even hardened off new starts will still need some protections since their tender roots are disturbed and the days can be dry and hot. Here are a few suggestions:

Cover the smallest plants with berry baskets or other open baskets. A piece of 30 percent shade cloth placed over those baskets will help even more. Make a simple frame of sticks and drape the shade cloth over the top. If you have some wooden shingles, stick a piece into the ground beside a transplant so that a shadow falls on the seedling. Inter-plant new seedlings by taller established plants that will cast shadows and give added protection. If you have planted a good-sized bed with lettuce, build a simple frame around the perimeter and cover the frame with a lightweight row cover material that can provide shade and can be left on while the lettuce matures. These are a few ideas, and reusing and recycling can lead to all kinds of shade gimmicks. Be creative, and make sure to use drip irrigation!

Dana Lozano and Gwen Kilchherr are garden consultants. Send your gardening questions to The Garden Doctors at pdgardendoctor@gmail.com. The Garden Doctors can answer questions only through their column, which appears twice a month in the newspaper and online at pressdemocrat.com.