Field horsetail contains many minerals. The herb, which is often notorious as a weed, can be used to make fertilizer and pesticides for many plants yourself. Horsetail manure is used as fertilizer, while horsetail broth fights fungal diseases.

Field horsetail can be processed into nutrient-rich fertilizer

Prepare field horsetail manure

To prepare field horsetail manure you need:

  • a vat (not of metal)
  • Horsetail (dried or fresh)
  • close-meshed net or old curtains
  • water (preferably rainwater)
  • barrel cover

For ten liters of liquid manure you need around one kilogram of fresh field horsetail or 200 grams of dried herb. Chop up the horsetail and put it in the net or an old curtain. Then put it in the bin and fill it up to about six centimeters below the brim.

Stir the manure once a day. After a few days, bubbles will appear, a sign that the liquid manure is fermenting. Horsetail manure is ripe when there are no more bubbles.

Make horsetail broth

For one liter of horsetail broth you need 100 grams of fresh horsetail or 15 grams of dried horsetail. Chop the herb and pour rainwater over it.

Leave the broth for 24 hours. The mixture is then brought to the boil and simmered gently for about 30 minutes. This releases the ingredients from the field horsetail.

After cooling, the broth is poured through a sieve and diluted.

Horsetail manure as a fertilizer for plants

You can fertilize many plants with field horsetail manure. It is only not suitable for mints such as peas and beans.

Dilute the manure in a ratio of 1:5 and pour the mixture around the plants. Be careful not to wet roots or leaves directly.

You can give horsetail fertilizer once a month to strengthen it.

Field horsetail broth as plant protection for roses

Mix the cooled broth in a ratio of 1:4. Spray roses affected by powdery mildew and other fungal diseases with the mixture several times a day.

The broth also has a preventive effect as a plant protection agent, because the horsetail strengthens the leaves. To prevent powdery mildew, spray the plants once a week.

tips

Unfortunately, unpleasant odors are produced when manure from field horsetail is prepared. The smell can be reduced somewhat by adding stone flour, valerian or oak leaves.

Category:

Herbs