🍅 How to Make Manure Tea for Feeding Tomatoes
Manure tea is a simple homemade liquid feed that many gardeners use to give tomatoes and other hungry plants an extra boost during the growing season. There are several ways to make it, but the basic method is straightforward.
🪣 How to Make Manure Tea
- Place a spadeful of well-rotted or composted manure into a suitable bucket or container.
- Fill the container with water and give it a good stir.
- Leave the mixture to steep. Some gardeners use it after just a few days, while others leave it for several weeks.
- When you’re ready to use it, strain or pour off the liquid. This is your manure tea.
Important: Never use fresh or raw manure when making a feed for edible crops such as tomatoes. Use only well-rotted or properly composted manure.
💧 How Much Should I Dilute It?
There isn’t a precise dilution rate because the strength of manure tea can vary considerably depending on the type of manure and how long it has been steeping.
A good starting point is to dilute it with water until it is a light brown colour. If you’re unsure, it’s better to make it weaker rather than stronger.
🌱 Test It First
If you’re making manure tea for the first time, try it on one plant before feeding your whole crop.
- Apply the diluted manure tea around the base of one plant.
- Wait a couple of days.
- Check the plant for any signs of leaf scorch, wilting or other damage.
- If there are signs of scorching, dilute the feed further before using it again.
- If the plant looks healthy, you can use the same dilution on your other plants.
🍅 A Little Caution Goes a Long Way
Manure tea can be a useful homemade feed, but stronger isn’t necessarily better. Start with a weak solution and increase the strength gradually if necessary. Your tomatoes should look healthy and vigorous—not like they’ve just been given a chemistry experiment!