Liquid Manure                                                                                       

Liquid manures are used extensively in cropping and fruit production, particularly to supply nutrients during the transition period when changing to an organic management system.

A large number of different liquid manures can be made on the farm out of locally available plant materials, also cow dung, which are fermented with BD preps 502-507. Most liquid manures take from 8 to 12 weeks to be ready.

Prepare liquid manures 2 days before Full Moon.

Benefits of liquid manures are:
       an easy and quick way to get BD preps into the soil
       helps provide trace elements to the soil and plants
       aids in the formation of humus
       acts as a plant tonic
       good for insect control

For Nitrogen
     Tree foilage such as gliricidia, erythrynia, subabul, susbania
     Legume green crops, such as sunhemp, cowpea, horse gram, crotaleria or alfafa
     Oil cakes such as cotton seed, neem, or coconut
     Animal dung such as cow dung or chicken dung or fish wastes.

For Phosphorous
     Animal dung such as cow dung or chicken dung

For Trace Elements
     Sea weed

For Insect Repellent
     The foilage of neem, calitropis, African marigold flowers, stinging nettle or dathura

For Fungus
     Casurina

Method
A large earthen pot or, more commonly, a 200 litre food grade plastic drum can be used for all the liquid manures.

Plant materials such as nettles, gliricidia leaves, erythrinia leaves, seaweed (meal), neem, casurina or any green crop that is growing, including various weeds, are some of the options. Weeds in the field show up as a deficiency in the soil, if placed back into the soil they help balance the deficiency to an extent. However, ensure the weeds are from an organic area, as in this process of liquid manures there is no heat produced and therefore synthetic material cannot be broken down.

Fill the drum 3/4 full with the plant material and cover with water. Introduce the BD preparations 502-506 by placing 1 gram (1 teaspoonful) of each of the preps separately in a small handful of straw or coconut fibre pressed into the shape of a birds' nest. The prep is placed inside the nest and squeezed closed. It is then placed just below the surface of the liquid beneath the foilage. The BD 507 is stirred in a small amount of water and poured into the drum.

 
Glyricidia leaves

 
Fill drum 3/4 full with plant material

 
Cover plant material with water

 
Introduce the Preps 502-507...

 
...by placing 1 gm (1 teaspoon) of each prep in a small nest of straw...

 
...and placing them just below the surface of the liquid under the leaves

 
The BD507 is stirred in a small amount of water....

 
...and poured into the drum

Place 3 bricks on the surface of the foilage to keep the leaves below the water level. Cover with a gunny sack to stop evaporation. Check the water level each week as high temperatures can evaporate the water. Stir after 2 weeks and then daily to encourage a good aerobic fermentation.. Ready to use in about 2 months. The plant material may become very frothy and fizzy after a few days, with the use of BD preps 502-507. Every type of liquid manure will have its own particular aroma by which after a time the farmer can assess the quality of the liquid manure.

It is a good idea to have all your liquid manures in a shade house, along with the CPP. This will help avoid evaporation.

Cow dung slurry also makes a wonderful liquid manure. Use 1/3 drum of dung, to a full drum of water, adding the preps BD 502-507 as above. It matures in 2-3 months and should sit until it smells good. It will last up to six months.

When making liquid manure from oil cake, the cake first needs to be broken up into small pieces. Use 12.5 kgs of cake to a 200 litre drum of water. Mix well. Then add the BD preps.

Application
Apply 2 days before the Full Moon, in the evening. The usual rate of application for all the liquid manures is 1:10. That is 4 litres of liquid manure to 40 litres of water, stirred for 10 minutes, per acre. Or 10 litres in 100 litres per hectare. Spray the foilage of crops every 2 weeks up to the last two weeks before harvest.

It has been found effective to alternate 2 weeks liquid manure with 2 weeks CPP.

Various Liquid Manures