My 2 Ingredient Biological Liquid Feed

Liquid feed is awesome tonic support for the food garden, and this 2 ingredient biological brew in particular, because its alive! It's a brilliant one size fits all that has a gently transformative effect on citrus, vegies, roses, berries, fruit trees, the chook yard, pasture, even compost piles.

As long as the soil is up to scratch (homemade compost hello!) the scene is set for your biological brew to slowly and steadily improve your garden. As well as building soil and nourishing plants - an army of beneficial organisms literally leaves no room for disease causing pathogens.

The ingredients

Two ingredients, as promised - one biological (living) ingredient + one packed lunch ingredient. The packed lunch is food for the biology until it establishes itself within the web of life in your garden and can find its own dinner.

• Biological ingredient. Either use EM Garden 1 or your own vibrant, homemade activated compost tea. One or the other - you don't need both.
• Packed lunch ingredient. Liquid seaweed or liquid fish used as per recommended dilution rates. For a homemade feed dilute at about 1:10, which is 1ml per 10ml water, or to the colour of weak tea. Or use molasses at one tablespoon per watering can, dissolved first.

How to mix your brew

• Half fill your watering can or back pack sprayer with good water*.
• Add both ingredients.
• Top up the water, swirling the hose end around as you go, to stir it together nicely.

*Good water: A living feed needs a living water like rainwater or spring water. Biology cannot thrive in the presence of chlorine or flouride. Chlorine is the easier of the two to clear out - filtered with most filters and - being a gas - it off gases. Simply fill your watering can and leave it out for a time. Flouride however, cannot be filtered out - even high-end expensive filtration systems wont remove all of it. If your town is flouridated, collect rainwater and beseech your council to stop flouridating. Flouride is a known biocide and neurotoxin, as you can read for yourself in this 2014, article from world renowned medical journal, the Lancet.

How + when to use

Splash it everywhere - over foliage, leaves, bark, soil - the lot! The ultimate time is in the evening, but don't break your heart here - just whenever you have 10 minutes!

• At most use once a week. This suits new gardens, gardens transitioning from artificial fertilisers/ sprays to natural ways, and is a good tonic (not cure) for diseased or pest laden plants.
• Once a month spring through autumn, is a good general go to. You'll naturally use less as soil improves because good health will ring out.

Keytimes

• Early spring, as new growths appear, is a prime time to get ahead of disease causing organisms
• Before planting seedlings, saturate the soil which is especially good if using bought compost or your garden is new or not doing so well.
• Boost winter crops for strong growth before soil cools and growth slows
• Enliven compost - pour a bucket of brew over a newly made pile

Less is more

It's tempting to buy into bigger is better thinking. Be ever careful of the word "more" - it tips your soils out of whack, sends natural processes into a spin and wastes your money. That's why we have a garden giggle and call it the more-on effect.

More dilute + more frequent is more potent by far. Make little and often your garden mantra, and only as needed, and all will be well.